Entrepreneurs, Say Goodbye to Sleepless Nights

It hits every entrepreneur, at some point -- that dreaded
lying awake at night. Insomnia is a prime inconvenience,
mostly because entrepreneurs like to be well-rested sorts
so as to attack the day with gusto, come morning.
Assuming that the issue hasn't developed because of
downing too many espressos, people lie awake at night
for four reasons: They are so full of excitement and
ideas that they can’t sleep . They're thinking of all the
things they need to do. Or a pressing business problem
(perhaps involving personnel or cash flow) has triggered
fear and anxiety. Perhaps they are future-tripping about
the “what ifs” related to a business.
Over the long term taking control over this kind of
ruminating is more helpful than calling a doctor for a
sleeping aid. When lying awake at night, thinking about
the business, try these techniques to turn the dynamic
around and get the sleep that's needed:
Related: 4 Ways to Lessen the Pressure on Your Wallet
1. Full of excitement and ideas?
To stop this form of entrepreneurial anxiety, put in place
a workable system for capturing ideas throughout the
day. By workable, I mean one that's worthwhile despite
the time it takes to use. Some people use digital
systems like Evernote or Basecamp, and others prefer
old-fashioned note cards or Post-it notes tucked in
appropriate places.
Whatever the system, chose one and be ruthless about
using it, banishing forever the days of saying, “I’ll have
to write that down later.” Otherwise, later nearly always
means the ideas crop up at midnight, while lying in bed.
2. Thinking about everything that needs
doing?
Create a system for delegating at work. Entrepreneurs
often build their companies using a bootstrapping
mentality, and it's a challenge for them to hand over the
reins to appropriate, qualified individuals who can help.
When a business leader mulls over a to-do list in bed,
that’s a surefire sign that the company needs a method
to track important tasks throughout the day or a system
for executing them (apart from letting everything rest on
entrepreneurial shoulders).
Related: The Surest Path to Success? Get Some Sleep.
3. Ruminating on a pressing business
problem?
Poor cash flow, a tricky personnel issue, a nasty
customer who posted a bad review online of
the business -- these are the irritations that can keep an
entrepreneur up at night.
The antidote to these is three-pronged: First, request help
from others, even if it’s just five minutes with a mentor
or friend for venting. Second, differentiate between
problems that can be controlled versus those that can't.
(Cash flow is probably an issue where a solution can be
engineered, but someone's decision to post a negative
review is not.) Third, try to steer away from rumination
by repeating the mantra “I’m doing good by resting my
body.” Keeping still, quiet and prone might not induce a
state of sleep right away, but it at least the
body's muscles and organs relax, and sleep may follow.
4. Future-tripping about the “what ifs.”
One downside of being a forward and future-thinking
entrepreneur is going overboard in thinking about
potential problems or things that might go wrong. After a
hard day at work, the mind at night can wander to all
the things that weren't immediately part of the day -- like
the future.
The quickest way back to sleep? Recognize that amid all
the future anticipation, it's possible to purposefully
choose to imagine scenarios that are wholeheartedly
positive. When lying there trying to get to sleep, notice
when the brain wanders to a place of everything will
wrong and remember there’s also the possibility that
things could go beautifully right. Imagine those
possibilities and become excited by them. And
should too much excitement result, see suggestion #1
and immediately start writing things down.
Sleeping can be just as important as having a strategy.
The days of glamorizing the stressed-out, overworked
entrepreneurial lifestyle are as passé as the dot-com
bubble's bursting. Take charge of sleep and get the rest
that the company needs because there’s little point in
doing work inspired by a passion while being a walking
zombie who can’t connect to that passion.
Related: The Beginner's Guide to Getting Better Sleep