What can you do to prevent business burnout?

July 29, 2016 by Ed Becker

If you are experiencing little pleasure in your life, not enjoying your work as much as you used to or your skills are fumbling, you are probably battling with self-doubt and feeling overwhelmed it is time to start taking serious actions to reverse burnout before it consumes you.

Each person is different and burnout can affect us all differently, so are the ways to decrease your risks or reduce the effects of burnout. Not every option will work for every person, but the mindset change is the most important issue on the path to reducing the risk of burnouts.

• Mindset

Learning to change your mindset about your business is a huge step in lessening the risk of burnout. You as a person do not equal your business; if the business fails or you have an unsatisfied customer it is not a personal assault on you as a person or it is probably against a specific situation.

• Delegate

Starting a small business is hard work, and many times on a tight budget. But learning to delegate, outsource and/or ask for help at the very beginning will help alleviate burnout and free some of your time to do the things you love the most.

• “You” Time

Schedule time for you, every week. Either take off the weekends or at least one full day per week to NOT think about work or the business. Spend time with family and friends, doing things you enjoy. This is so important to keep yourself from burnout.

• Connect

Take time to connect with other professionals outside your business. This is great for learning about controlling burnout. Find a mentor if possible, or hire a life or business coach if you do not have access to a business person group, or start one in your area!

• Organization

Clutter is stressful! Ensure that your office space stays organized and clutter free. This applies to email as well. Set your account rules to move items from your inbox to correct folders so you only have to deal with a message one time, and make it a habit.

• Set a Schedule

Set business hours. Whatever hours work best for you or your market is fine as long as you set them and stick to them. When it is closing time, close up! Don’t take work home, or if you work from home, shut down and forget about work after hours.

• Communicate

Do not hold everything in, or be afraid to show weakness. It is normal to be scared or feel overwhelmed. It is not normal to let it eat away at you from the inside out. Find a trusted friend or family member or even a therapist to talk to on a regular basis if the stress is piling up.

• Just Say No

Learn to say no. It is very hard when you are just starting out to not take on more clients or increase your business sales. But doing it too fast, or when you simply do not have time is a definite path to burnout. Sometimes  it is better to take thing slowly one step at a time.

• Ask for Help

Know what your limits are and when you need to ask for help. This is also hard for many small business owners who think they have to do everything on their own, again change the mindset.

• Stop Multitasking

Multitasking has been proven to decrease productivity. Retrain your brain to monotask. Concentrate on a single task for a specified amount of time or until it is complete and you can put it away. Then begin a new task. Perhaps don’t try to tackle a week long project In a single day, but spend a few hours working just on that one project.

• Take Care of Your Health

This really should be at the top of the list! Your health is of utmost importance. Eating healthy, taking time to exercise and getting enough sleep is so vitally important to your well-being and your mental state. You will not be efficient or productive for very long if you ignore your health.

Find the options that work best for you, try a few or even one at a time at first. Try to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t and this will lead you in the right path of a somewhat stress-less business.