How to Stay Grounded as an Entrepreneur: 16 Tips for Managing Overwhelm
Entrepreneurship can be an overwhelming journey, but there are proven strategies to stay grounded. This article presents expert-backed tips for managing the challenges of running a business. From fostering community to implementing effective time management techniques, these insights will help entrepreneurs navigate their path with clarity and purpose.
- Foster Community to Stay Motivated
- Practice Intentional Triage for Clarity
- Prioritize High-Impact Activities
- Recognize Challenges as Normal
- Release Emotional Noise Daily
- Plan Your Week in Advance
- Guard Your Calendar with Intention
- Focus on the Most Impactful Task
- Give Yourself Permission to Step Back
- Apply the Pareto Principle
- Commit to Three Main Tasks Daily
- Set Clear Priorities Each Morning
- Build Systems, Not Just To-Do Lists
- Connect with Fellow Entrepreneurs
- Break Your Day into Time Blocks
- Wear Your CEO Hat Regularly
Foster Community to Stay Motivated
As a solo entrepreneur, the feeling of being overwhelmed is a constant companion. Some days feel incredibly productive, while others leave you wondering where the time went. What consistently anchors me is the connection I’ve fostered with my community. By actively engaging through online networking and streaming on Twitch, I’ve built a support system that reminds me of the ‘why’ behind my work. Seeing the positive impact my art has on others in real-time isn’t just fulfilling; it’s a powerful antidote to feeling lost in the day-to-day demands and keeps me focused and motivated.
Mike Ortiz
Business Owner, Canvas Monsters
Practice Intentional Triage for Clarity
One piece of advice I offer entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed is this: not everything urgent is important. It sounds simple, but it’s something I had to learn the hard way. When you’re building a business, everything can feel high-stakes. Emails, meetings, decisions, deliverables—it all demands your attention at once. But urgency is a liar. It tricks you into thinking that speed is the same as progress.
The truth is, clarity is the antidote to overwhelm.
When I find myself pulled in too many directions, I return to a practice I call intentional triage. I stop. I look at what’s in front of me. And I ask: What actually requires me? What can be delayed? What can be delegated with trust? And what, if I’m being honest, can be let go completely? This helps me quiet the noise and focus on decisions that move the business forward, not just keep it busy.
Another strategy that keeps me grounded is protecting my thinking time. I carve out at least one uninterrupted hour each week—no meetings, no screens, just a notebook and space to think. That hour is non-negotiable. It’s where I zoom out, reconnect to the bigger picture, and reflect on what kind of leader I want to be, not just what kind of business I want to run.
Entrepreneurship will stretch you, no question. But it should not deplete you. You are not your inbox. You are not your to-do list. You are the vision-carrier. And when you lead from a place of clarity and intention, you not only stay grounded—you lead with purpose instead of pressure. That shift makes all the difference.
Alysha M. Campbell
Founder and CEO, CultureShift HR
Prioritize High-Impact Activities
Stop trying to do everything, and start focusing on doing the right things. Entrepreneurship can feel like a never-ending to-do list, but not all tasks are equal in value. Begin each day by identifying the one or two activities that will move the needle most in your business, whether that’s nurturing client relationships, refining your offer, or clarifying your brand strategy. These are your high-impact priorities. The truth is, you can’t scale chaos. Learning to prioritize with intention is not just a time management skill; it’s a leadership discipline. When you master it, you create room not just for growth, but for clarity, momentum, and joy in the journey.
Dmitriy Peregudov
CEO & Founder, Giftsenda
Recognize Challenges as Normal
Running a business is a lot like running. If you’re running a distance you’ve run before, then you know the exhaustion you feel is normal, and it’s far from time to quit. Knowing this, you push through and don’t panic. On the flip side, if you’re new to it, you may quit way sooner because the normal sensations feel foreign to you.
So if you’re an entrepreneur that’s feeling overwhelmed, then look into your past and realize you’ve been here before, you may have even been in worse conditions, and you’ve overcome just fine. However, if you’re new to the game, look at what others have overcome, and realize that if they can, you can, and you will. Just keep going.
Shah Dudayev
Founder, Frootful Ventures
Release Emotional Noise Daily
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s what I want you to know:
You’re not broken. You’re full.
Overwhelm often isn’t about time management — it’s about emotional overload. The decisions, the pressure, the fear of getting it wrong, the weight of holding everything (and everyone) together — it doesn’t just tax your calendar. It taxes your nervous system.
One strategy that has helped me most is a daily “emotional clear-out” — a simple, 15-minute expressive writing or voice-note practice. It’s not about journaling for insight. It’s about release. Getting the emotional noise out of your head and body so you can access clarity again.
Some days I write. Other days I talk out loud while walking. It’s messy, raw, and never shared — and that’s the point. No polish. Just permission. By offloading the mental and emotional backlog, I create room to actually think, prioritize, and lead.
Caroline MacGregor
Founder, UP-scale
Plan Your Week in Advance
One of the best pieces of advice I can give overwhelmed entrepreneurs is this: stop trying to do everything.
As business owners, we wear every hat, from customer service representative to marketer to CEO. It gets overwhelming quickly.
When I hit that point myself, I realized the issue wasn’t my to-do list but how I was working. I was constantly in fight-or-flight mode and reacting to things as they happened, which only made things worse. I didn’t need more time; I needed more clarity – and I found it when I started to plan my week in advance.
That small change helped me move through my weeks in a more grounded, structured way, and now, I swear by it. I make it a point to block out 30 minutes every Sunday to plan my upcoming week. I review the past week, set one clear goal and my priorities for the upcoming week, and schedule everything that matters.
It might seem like a no-brainer, but it makes for a powerful coping mechanism. It grounds me, helps me prioritize the work that actually moves the needle, and helps me focus without feeling stressed about what I might be missing.
Carey Bentley
CEO, Lifehack Method
Guard Your Calendar with Intention
Being overwhelmed usually means your calendar owns you fully. I used to say yes to everything without thinking. Eventually, that left me reacting all day long. Now I guard my calendar with intention and honesty. I leave space between calls and block focus hours weekly. That rhythm lets me breathe and think clearly again.
One simple habit saved my mental space completely. I no longer accept meetings without a clear purpose upfront. No agenda, no calendar spot, that’s the rule always. It respects my time and teaches others to plan better. Entrepreneurs don’t need more time; they need better boundaries. That small shift gave me peace I forgot I needed.
Ender Korkmaz
CEO, Heat&Cool
Focus on the Most Impactful Task
When everything feels urgent and overwhelming, my advice is to focus on the one task that will make the biggest impact. In business, just like in life, 20 percent of the work usually drives 80 percent of the results. You have to get really good at identifying what that 20 percent is. If you’re spending all day crossing off to-do list items that don’t move the needle, you’re going to burn out fast without seeing progress. I remind myself constantly that not everything deserves my time or energy, and being busy doesn’t always mean being effective. Focus on what really matters—everything else is just noise.
Vivian Chen
Founder & CEO, Rise Jobs
Give Yourself Permission to Step Back
Look, we wouldn’t have started our own businesses if we liked downtime, but the truth is that it’s an essential part of making sure you’re at your best. One of the things I try to keep in mind is that just because I can always be on doesn’t mean that my company has to be. Honestly, if I don’t show up for a day or two, the place probably won’t burn down. It can be hard to reconcile that with how hard I work or the fact that I’m at the top of all the org charts, but it’s really helped me to give myself permission to step back and have a life occasionally.
Jonathan Palley
CEO, QR Codes Unlimited
Apply the Pareto Principle
As the Founder and President of a recruiting firm, I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to manage the constant demands of running a business, especially in a fast-paced industry where clients expect immediate results and the competition for talent is intense.
The best strategy I’ve found to manage this pressure is to prioritize tasks using the Pareto Principle. This is the idea that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. Identify which tasks deliver the most impact, and make those your top priority. The rest can often be delegated, automated, delayed, or eliminated altogether.
The reality is, your time and energy are limited resources. Trying to do everything yourself is one of the fastest ways to burn out. Instead, focus on what moves the needle. When you consistently invest your effort in the work that truly drives results, you stay grounded, productive, and in control, even when things get hectic.
Archie Payne
Co-Founder & President, CalTek Staffing
Commit to Three Main Tasks Daily
As the owner of a coin shop, I understand how overwhelming it can feel to juggle inventory, customer service, finances, and everything else that comes with running a business. My best piece of advice to entrepreneurs in this situation is: don’t try to do everything at once—prioritize and delegate.
One practical strategy that helps me stay grounded and focused is prioritizing three main tasks to work on each day. These three tasks have the biggest positive impact on my shop that day—whether it’s following up with a key customer, organizing a new coin collection, or reviewing finances. I commit to tackling those before anything else.
This approach helps me avoid feeling overwhelmed by a never-ending to-do list and ensures I’m making steady progress on what truly matters. If I accomplish those three things, I consider the day a success, even if smaller tasks have to wait. Or, if the top three is a non-negotiable top five, I lean on the rest of my team for help and support. Delegating is essential when you are an entrepreneur, so remember that if coming up with your daily top three feels like too much, remind yourself that team members can help lighten the load.
David Damico
CEO, Colonial Gold and Silver
Set Clear Priorities Each Morning
Take things one step at a time. It’s easy to get caught up in everything that needs doing, but trying to tackle it all at once just adds to the pressure. One strategy that really helps is setting clear priorities at the start of each day. Write down three things you need to get done and focus on those. It keeps you grounded and gives a sense of progress, even on the busiest days. Giving yourself permission to pause and reset is just as important as getting things done.
Karl Rowntree
Founder and Director, RotoSpa
Build Systems, Not Just To-Do Lists
One major lesson I’ve learned over the years is to build systems, not just keep up with endless to-do lists. When I first started out, my days were swamped with tasks. No matter how many I ticked off, it felt like I was running in place. That’s when I realized I wasn’t putting things in order; I was just keeping the noise down.
A system is simply a repeatable process. It’s a set of steps that you follow every time, without having to rethink everything. This could be a checklist, a workflow, or even some automation tools. Once these systems are in place, they save a lot of mental effort and time. They lay out clear next steps, which is a huge help during those super busy times.
And, systems make it easier to hand off work to others. With clear, well-documented processes, my team can take over tasks without needing my constant oversight. This means I can avoid drowning in work and instead focus on creating new systems to manage tasks more consistently. This shift has made a massive difference in my productivity.
Gary Bregani
Owner, Willowbrook Plumbing & Heating
Connect with Fellow Entrepreneurs
I would offer the advice of connecting with other entrepreneurs who understand what you are going through as a business owner. Many entrepreneurs feel isolated and often struggle to stay motivated and focused because they are lonely and feel as though nobody understands what they are trying to create. A great way to form these connections would be to look into masterminds in your niche or networking groups you could join locally to spur inspiration.
Allyssa Powers
Therapist + Educator, Allyssa Powers
Break Your Day into Time Blocks
My best advice is to prioritize and delegate. This is definitely something that I wish I had learned early on. It’s natural to want to do everything yourself. However, you really need to learn to trust others so you can delegate and focus on the important parts.
For staying grounded and focused, I find that a simple strategy is best. For me, that’s breaking the day into small blocks of time. Each block is for specific tasks, and I take short breaks between blocks. This keeps me on track and focused without burning out quickly.
I think it’s also important that we take the time to think about what we’re working towards and how we got to where we are now. Sometimes that’s all it takes to remember why we started our own business.
Omar Hamid
Telecom Professional and Founder, Cliq Mobile
Wear Your CEO Hat Regularly
I have run my photography business for 10 years, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed when you are the Head of Everything. From systems and processes to marketing, finance, client work, and building strategic relationships, the tasks seem endless.
The two most helpful things I do to keep me focused and moving forward steadily are:
1. Wearing my CEO hat: I consistently set aside time to step back, look at the big picture, and gain perspective. I compare my performance to my business goals, adjust and improve processes (wonderfully, this is speeding up with all the AI efficiencies available), and apply the 80/20 rule – focusing my time on the 20% of work that really impacts my business.
2. Reminding myself to stay connected to my “why”: I keep a folder of all the kind words and beautiful feedback I have received from clients and champions of my work. Re-reading them is a dose of Vitamin Inspiration – and I make sure I’m taking deep, regular breaths while I’m reading.
Penny Bird
Commercial Photographer
