BY JACEK GREBSKI

No one said it was easy, and although in business we tend to generally talk about strategies, objectives, finance, and other business related topics, emotions come into play as well, and I would say even more so when you’re trying to get something off the ground than when you’re working for someone else.

One of these emotional issues is burnout, depression, doubt in yourself, your business, what have you, if often comes and goes, and sometimes can be a truly stifling force in your life. Long story short, Entrepreneurship is difficult, some say even a more difficult profession than say Management Consulting, or IB. Whether that’s true is a different story all together but one thing is certain, there will be ups and down on your entrepreneurial journey and getting through the valleys to reach the peaks is an important thing you just need to cope with. Luckily, you’ve got F3FundIt and we’re here to help.

As such, here are five tips that are sure to help you deal with burnout.

Tip 1. Exercise. Not only is is just all around good for your body, but exercise has been proven to help increase dopamine levels in the brain. You know, that stuff that makes you happy. Not only that, it will also make you more energetic, and make you feel all around better.

Make time for it. Seriously. Starting to exercise can be stifling, but once you’re on your way, you’ll be all the more happy for it. Take 30 minutes a day in the morning, and go for a jog. Within a few weeks you’ll see that those valleys are getting smaller and smaller.

Tip 2. Work with others. I know at present four entrepreneurs who are working from home, alone. And it gets lonely. So if you know anyone else starting a business, working from alone from home, etc… set aside a day or two a week where either you work at theirs or they at yours. You’ll see your productivity skyrocket and it will most definitely kill the doldrums of another day working solo.

Tip 3. Get out of the house or office. If you’re working alone or with partner or two, you can always bring your office to a coffee shop, or the library. Free Wi-Fi access is easily accessible and you’ll notice that being out, and changing your scenery can help a lot. This is mostly due to the fact that humans are social animals by nature, and Entrepreneurs – extroverts. Add one and one together, and you need people.

Tip 4. Take a day off. Seems like something out of science fiction, doesn’t it? But unwinding is absolutely necessary. Sometimes when trying to make something out of nothing we forget that we’re not machines, and that we need our R&R. I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs I’ve seen just go go go. The truth is, that a missed e-mail, or phone call can be returned, and the party on the other end won’t think you all the less if it’s not immediate. So, turn off that mobile phone, shut your laptop and have a day for you, your friends, spend time with family. Not only will you feel a hundred times better the following day, but your loved ones will appreciate you for it all the more.

Tip 5. Have a 1 on 1 with yourself. Simply put, ask yourself why you’re down, identify the root of the problem. Is the burnout a result of you working too hard, is it lack of social interaction, or perhaps just stagnation in the markets. It’s hard to sit back and reflect sometimes when you’re constantly on the go, but this reflection will help not only you, but your business. Perhaps, you’re not approaching the market in the right way, perhaps no one has responded to your solicitations because you’re going about it wrong.

Simple, sit back, and think about it, and if you can’t identify the problem ask a friend. More often than not, outsiders can see what we can’t.

That said, live by these tips, they’ve gotten me through some thick and thin, and I’ve personally seen them do wonders for others as well. One thing to remember though. Sometimes the doubt, and exhaustion come from an idea that simply isn’t working, and while many will tell you to relentlessly and eternally pursue your passions. The sad truth is, some ideas aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. In that case, bin it, and start anew.

Months of hard work, sleepless nights, sweat, stress, and who knows what else have all culminated into one day, the day that you bring our product to market and see what the average Joe thinks of it.

Stressful indeed, but there are ways to cope with it.

1. First and foremost it’s done. You’ve done what hopefully you can do and you did your best. So pat yourself on the back, getting anything to market is typically not an easy feat and you should be proud of yourself.

2. Know that problems will arise, the nature of man is to err and nothing that launches will be without error. As such be sure to have a plan designed to deal with those errors, be they service oriented, website oriented, or even a physical product. Remember that the customer is the most valued piece of the chain and that providing them with the best post-launch service will likely make any minor errors or bugs that you experience irrelevant if their concerns are met with a fair and decent response.

3. Examine and assess your launch strategy. If you’ve released a product and it’s failing to sell, seek out the root of that problem. Perhaps it is your marketing strategy that isn’t doing its job; perhaps your distribution network is not targeting the right customer. Analyze, assess and augment your action plan.

4. After launching your product you may a bit ambiguous as the focus of your role is inevitably going to shift now towards more marketing and sales oriented activities as opposed to internal development and overall more theoretical strategic formulation. And while it’s important not to lose hindsight of your overall company strategy, prepare for your workday to look a bit different than it did before.

5. Don’t panic. Keeping a cool head about you is pivotal not only to your well being but also to the product and your company. Of course you’re worried that things won’t go as planned, but even so, your employees, partners, mentors, investors, etc… need to see that you’re composed and analytical. You are the face of the company and the product and turning hysterical will help no one through this stressful process.

In any case, well done, and why not round the launch out with a launch party, if you’re a small startup remember, it doesn’t have to be something akin to New York Fashion week, but inviting your investors, friends, co-workers, mentors, supporters and a bit of press to a chic lounge in order to celebrate your hard work can help add some wood to the PR fire.

Take a chill pill, and relax.

Sometimes as Entrepreneurs we may see our days as simply work-sleep-work-sleep-work-etc… and while we hold a great passion for what we do, we sometimes tend to inadvertently run ourselves and our bodies into the ground.

The human after all is not a machine, we need our rest, our down time, and our relaxation, and that is where this article comes in.

As a hard working entrepreneur, ask yourself, when was the last time you took a break?

When was the last time you took a weekend to yourself, or even a few days off to go and enjoy some of the things in life?

It’s been a while hasn’t it? While working like a dog has it’s benefits – so does taking a few days to yourself. Sitting back and doing next to nothing, reading a book, and taking your mind away from the day-to-day can often invigorate you, and give you more clarity in your day to day tasks – and more importantly can make you more efficient, and help you solve problems in a more efficient and more acute manner.

How does this happen? Simple.

Relaxation helps to relax muscles and muscle tissue. In athletes it helps recovery times, and if you have problems relaxing on your own, think about getting a massage. A massage can help provide relief to trigger points.

Relaxation helps more than anything else to relieve stress, and we all know that as entreprenerus the one thing we have plenty of is stress. Stress aside from making you tense can also inhibit your ability to think and analyze problems clearly, this as you can imagine is detrimental to your and your business’ success.

Relaxation helps to increase circulation, meaning, more oxygen gets to the brain, and as such, allows you to again think better.

But what else helps you relax? We mentioned in a previous article, that exercise is is just all around good for your body, and has been proven to help increase dopamine levels in the brain. You know, that stuff that makes you happy.

Finally, taking a few days to yourself will also allow you time to spend with your family and friend, those things which we sometimes take for granted in our entrepreneurial lives while we’re running to make our business’ into the next Virgin “_enter word of your industry jargon here_”

So as Frankie who went to Hollywood said in 1984, Relax. When you relax your not stressed when your not stressed your happy and when your happy your healthy and when you’re healthy you’re more productive.