Giving it Your 110 Percent and Stress Relief

About the 10th time the cat's paw reached up and grabbed my hand on the mouse, I thought, "I'm going to come unglued." Then the paw reached up and scratched me, "That's it! I AM coming unglued." Ever feel that about work and life? Americans are a bunch of unglued workaholics ... well, not all but many. My friend the other day said to me, "You're CEO. You don't get to give your 100 percent; you always have to give your 110 percent every single day." He's right. I know all you CEOs and entrepreneurs out there are nodding. It's not enough to give only a 100 percent and call it a day. The demands of the business, including the ongoing financial demands to keep the framework and walls all in place take a lot of effort. As owner of the company I am responsible for it all. I have to keep the "glue" going. But some days I just feel unglued, especially when the obnoxious cat won't stop clawing my busy typing fingers.

BUT there is always help. Here are five ways to balance out your life and make the glue stick and prevent burnout, too:

1. Meditate and ground every day (my friend Bo Bradley even literally hugs trees).
2. Take at least once or twice a week to really go home lunch with a colleague or friend and try not to talk strictly business.
3. Make sure you have boundaries and strict start and end times, especially if you work from a home office. The boundaries can blur with home offices.
4. Do take weekends off. It's again very easy to lose a Saturday to a last-minute fire. And if you do lose a Saturday, make sure you take the following Monday off.
5. Phone a friend. With text and email, we often stop picking up the phone, but a quick phone call even if it's just to "vent" helps level off emotions.