Startup founders are often stressed out. What starts out as a burst of passion can slowly turn into an uncontrolled addiction. Most founders that spend way too much time at work are known as “workaholics”. In short, they get dopamine spikes by working longer hours, pushing their body to the limits, and not knowing when to press the brake pedal to rest.

This is especially true for CTO’s, who often work as software developers for the company they co-founded. Due to the specificity of the work and the complexity of tasks, CTO’s often have the heaviest workload, at least for the first stages of a company’s development.

Without a working product, investors will hesitate to invest in your company. An idea is good, but a tangible and well-functioning digital product is better.

Workaholics crash faster than you think

You may have heard of founders that are able to perform at their peak for most hours per day. When their habits remain unchecked, you could assume that they function on the basis of stimulants or other substances that provide mental clarity and focus. These are often prescribed drugs that could have a negative effect on a person’s psyche in the long run.

Eventually, once the drugs and caffeine wear off, founders often find themselves exhausted. The feeling can often be described as a complete lack of mental focus and unpleasant feeling in their body. What they are experiencing is a breakdown.

That’s right – breakdowns are real! And they can occur faster than you think.

In a Gary Vee-praising society that glorifies hours upon hours of work, there are more young people than ever who suffer from the effects of mental and physical breakdowns. And this obviously has a negative effect on work productivity.

How to prevent the problem before it occurs

Breakdowns can be resolved. Better yet, they can be avoided. There are a number of best practises that a founder can implement to ensure that they won’t find themselves on the wrong side of the road. In short, here are the things you need to remember and abide with:

• Take frequent breaks – Consider leaving your computer screen for a while and going for a long walk. This usually works even better when you walk in nature. Leave your phone at home and make sure you practise awareness.
• Drink more water – Eyes can easily dry up and you may forget to hydrate due to the load of work. Fill up a bottle of water and keep it next to you at all times. Drink frequently and try to get at least 3 liters of water in on a daily basis.
• Consider the pomodoro rule – The pomodoro rule works well for many founders that work in high-stress environments. In short, it means that you maximize the effectiveness of your time by taking frequent breaks on specific timeframes. Following the pomodoro rule, you will work for 25 minutes and follow up with a 5-minute break. Then, you repeat the process for as many times as necessary.

Summing up

The best way to keep productive and organized is to work at a tempo that suits your individual needs. This is best achieved by looking inwards and building a schedule that allows for down-time as well. Now close the screen of your laptop, get dressed, and go for a walk in nature. The sooner you start applying the principles discussed in this article, the faster you will notice a positive change in your life.

If any questions remain, make sure you reach out or leave a comment in the section down below. You can also look further into meditation strategies for overall health improvement and mental calmness.