I’m a big believer in hard work but this week, I’m going to devote an entire entry to writing about why you need to rest!

Right now, if you’re in the middle of starting a new business or beginning a new project … and you find yourself working on the weekends, sleeping very little and walking around like a zombie everyday …

You’re working way too hard AND way too much!

This is just for YOU.

Years ago, I believed that working long hours and having no work-life balance was part and parcel of entrepreneurship. It was like a rite of passage. That was until I learnt MORE about why people who were “entrepreneurs” were actually working so hard ….

The REAL reasons they were working so hard included:

• A lack of focus: They spent a large amount of work time doing everything but work. Hence, a one hour task took five hours to complete.

• No systems: They went about their business in a haphazard fashion – and because of the chaos and disorder, they wasted a lot of time fixing things.

• Doing it alone: They had no team and hence they were the entire business. When they fell sick, everything grinded to a standstill. And when they got well, they had to make up for all the work they had missed.

• Lack of clarity: They had no idea who they truly wanted to serve and what business they were really in. Hence, they quickly found themselves tied up to contracts and people they didn’t really agree with or like – resulting in emotionally sticky situations

All these (and more!) equal working a lot … spinning your wheels but not really going anywhere.

Do these sound familiar?

You know you are in this situation if you feel over-worked, robbed of energy and vest and you barely have free time to do anything. I know this all too well because I was in that situation at the start.

It was a vicious cycle that kept going round and round ... leaving me exhausted and frustrated. The answer to all of these is to FIRST stop the madness and get CLEAR.

What exactly are you doing and what are you passionate about? Begin there and STAY there.

Next, you need processes and systems in place to help you. You need a team to support you. Stop trying to be Superman (or Superwoman). Get help, seek advice and leverage on things that work.

Finally, FORCE yourself to take a break and integrate rest into the equation. I had to schedule family time and rest time into my schedule ... because I knew if I didn't, then I truly could work forever on and on.

Here's the thing, when you SCHEDULE these things in, the fact that you have lesser time to work makes you all the MORE productive.

It's the theory of constraints - because you don't have a lot of time/effort, you start to be more economical and focused on what you use it for.

The end result is everything hums along SMOOTHER, you work less and funny enough, more gets done.

So the answer is NOT working harder or longer. The answer is to work smarter. And now you have the answers. 🙂

Visit Yana Fry Coaching page to find out more about Yana's work.

_{This post was first published on Yana Fry blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.}

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