Working well: using job control to reduce stress at work

The first post in this series identified what stress can look like when you’re self-employed. Now, let’s start to explore why work can feel stressful and ways you can address it.

Many people choose to be self-employed because they’re looking for more flexibility, freedom, and autonomy at work. They want to be able to set their own hours, build their own customer base, and be financially rewarded for their expertise.

However, if your idea of self-employment doesn’t match the reality of your workday, there’s a risk that it can start to feel stressful.

That mismatch might happen if sales are slow, and you imagined you’d always be busy. It may be because you find you have to work very long hours and miss out on the family time you’d planned. Perhaps you’re not earning the income you were expecting. If this happens regularly, the gap can begin to feel worrying.

When something isn’t going well, it’s human nature to look for ways to change it. We thrive on knowing we’re in control of our life. At work, worry happens when we feel like we don’t have total control over everything. If you’re feeling worried, start by asking yourself: “What do I feel I cannot control in my business right now?”

Be honest and write down your concerns. Once you’ve identified them, you’re in a better position to take control of them.

For many small business owners, sales volume, financial performance, staff or time management top the list. The good news, is that there are steps you can take that could help you get on top of it:

Self-employed people who don’t make the time to think about sales opportunities, and plan accordingly, risk taking jobs that don’t necessarily satisfy them. A sales forecast could help you anticipate when work will happen, and this is a powerful way to select work that is best suited to your needs.

Knowing how to do a cash-flow forecast is a practical way to anticipate when there’s money in the bank so you can plan your business activities accordingly. Knowing break-even points could help you control decisions about pricing and work value.

Share your work expectations with your clients at the beginning of the relationship. An easy way to do this is to ask them to sign a client agreement to signal they understand your trading terms.

Often industry associations provide members with templates, advice, and mentoring to help establish good control practices in their business.

The more control we feel we have at work, the more we can choose how, when, and who we want to work with. This is usually why self-employment is so appealing to many. Start with one area that needs greater control and strengthen it first. That feeling of choice will empower you to move to the next challenge and hopefully, succeed!