5 Self-Care Tips for Founders for the End of Year Crunch

End of year could be very stressful for founders, from fundraising to budgeting for the new year to holiday parties. This end of year could lead to burn outs, sick days, and unproductive months ahead. To avoid this type of situation, here are 5 tips for self-care at the end of the year crunch.

1. Create a routine
Having a schedule could reduce stress to reduce decision time on what you should be doing on certain time of the day. It allows you to predict and plan your day, which provides your startup life a lot more stability.
2. Set boundaries
Say no to some things that might not be beneficial to you. You need to set healthy boundaries and expectations to not pile your plate further. Remember, if someone wants something from you, it is their problem, not yours. Commit yourself to a set amount of social events to make sure you have some “me time” to not clog up your schedule.
3. Schedule time off
Not only about vacations as some of us founders do not have the luxury to abandon our startups in the middle of the end of year chaos. However, just scheduling some time off in the afternoon to walk in the nature could make a world of difference for your mental health. If you do schedule vacations, you could rush yourself through the end of the project as hard and as fast as possible so your vacation could be amazing. As the old saying goes, “Work hard, play harder.”
4. Only check your inbox at certain time
Tim Ferriss, the productivity guru, recommends checking inbox only twice a day on his blog. Checking inbox frequently could lead to distractions and take time away from what actually needs to be done. Stop checking your inbox could also have the side effect of sleeping better as you are not having the habit of waking up in the middle of the night to frequently check your inbox.
5. Make sure to find some time to exercise
As President Theodore Roosevelt’s father told Teddy, “you have the mind but you have not the body, and without the help of the body the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make your body. It is hard drudgery to make one’s body, but I know you will do it.”  Your mind could only go as far as your body, so make sure you schedule some time to exercise. Even a walk after your lunch could build some cardio into your day.

Wrapping up the year could be an intense experience but with the proper self-care, it could be a better experience. Make sure to spend the time you need for yourself at the end of the year.