Owning a business is hard work, and when you’re passionate about growing your company, it can feel hard to stick to the usual 9-5. The fact is, it’s important to protect your time as a business owner, as the more energy you preserve, the better prepared you’ll feel each day to tackle your tasks and drive your company forward.

If you’re the kind of committed professional who feels like they could always be doing just that little bit more, the key to slowing down is understanding exactly why it’s essential. In this guide, we shed some light on the importance of protecting your time as a business owner.

Avoid burnout

Most people feel guilty when they take a moment for themselves, no matter what it is they do day to day. For a business owner with plenty of professional goals and an exciting vision, finding that time to slow down for some much needed respite can feel even more difficult.

The truth is, even busy professionals with a business to run need some time to rest every now and then – this is the only way that they can truly avoid burnout. Without taking some time to focus on your wellbeing throughout the working week, you’ll likely find that rather than completing tasks to the best of your ability, you’ll struggle to keep up with your daily demands instead.

Self-care can be as simple as watching a film at the end of the day, or taking a long bath first thing in the morning. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s something that you enjoy away from work – this way, you’ll find yourself better able to switch on and be present throughout each working day.

Focus on your goal

Part and parcel of running a business is dealing with a number of ad hoc tasks and unforeseen events as and when they arise. Whether you’ve got a team member on leave or a pile of unexpected paperwork to complete, there are plenty of things that can crop up throughout the working day that will take you away from your main leadership responsibilities.

Because of the unpredictable nature of business, it’s best to always allocate a certain amount of time to deal with these ad hoc tasks if you can – and then delegate to somebody else, so that you can focus on your main goal for the rest of the day. For many business owners, outsourcing certain jobs can be helpful, particularly emergency admin and customer service responsibilities that can be easily handled by a virtual service.

Set boundaries

Most business owners are eager to get involved in any and every task that needs to be tackled if it’s going to help their business. The problem is, once you set the precedent of always being available, it’s hard to then go back on that should you realise that you need the time to focus your efforts elsewhere. Being available 24/7 isn’t feasible nor healthy for anyone, so it’s crucial that you set boundaries for when you can and cannot be contacted.

By protecting your time, your colleagues, employees and clients will understand that your energy, time and attention is to be respected. This doesn’t mean that the people who rely on you need to go without support when they need it – just make sure to allocate your tasks to other members of your team when you’re not going to be around, or make use of third-party virtual services to handle the extra workload.

Watch your business flourish

Your business won’t suffer when you choose to protect your time. In fact, it’s only likely to improve in leaps and bounds. By simply ensuring that you have a plan in place for when you’re not going to be around, you can reap all the personal benefits of a less demanding work schedule, and watch as your business flourishes into an even more productive, profitable company.