How to Deal With Burnout When You Run a Business

When you’re an entrepreneur, being self-employed is a much-envied lifestyle perk.

But what many people don’t see is that running a business is more than a full-time job; it can take up most of your waking hours.

How can you avoid, or deal with, the feeling that you’re burning out? Here are four steps to reclaim your focus and enthusiasm.

 

Take a Timeout

If you’ve reached the point where you’re looking online for advice on how to avoid burnout, then it may already be time to give yourself a breather.

Think of it in terms of this sports analogy; a good coach knows when to call a timeout. Players might be visibly exhausted, negatively affecting their performance; it may be time to discuss a change of pace and strategy.

In your situation, it might be a little of both. Not only do you need to permit yourself to take a break, but you should probably step back and come to an honest assessment of why you’re starting to feel burnout.

As an entrepreneur, you know that it’s essential to deal with root causes, so take the chance to review the big picture, and plan to tackle the heart of the problem.

 

Delegate More

One of the most common reasons for feeling burnout is the tendency to work hard but not smart. This happens a lot with startup founders.

When you take the journey from the launch of your business idea to the realization of success, you’ll be wearing many hats; not only are you the CEO, you also do marketing and sales, customer support, administrative tasks, and whatever else the business demands. And this direct involvement in every aspect of business can become a habit.

Learn to let go and trust more of your work to the skills of others so that you can work smart and focus on matters which truly deserve your attention. You can hire an executive assistant for things which you’d like to keep a close eye on personally.

More repetitive tasks such as data entry or payroll can be outsourced to back office BPO companies in the Philippines, for example, where employees have excellent fluency in communications and software skills needed to undertake these jobs as a core competency.

 

Change Your Environment

If you’ve come to realize that your exhaustion is largely due to the people around you, then consider how you can filter out or minimize interactions with negative influences.

The final approach will depend on the relationship, of course.

For instance, if you have a team member whose work is invaluable, but who contributes to a stressful office environment through their behavior, you could hold a personal discussion with them about possibly working remotely.

 

Find a New Stimulus

You might not always be aware of it, but you are naturally driven to be creative and innovative – that’s what gives you the strength to run a business, after all.

And if what you’re doing daily no longer satisfies that enthusiasm to learn, take up a new challenge to give yourself renewed energy.

The challenge can be a new hobby, such as art or music. It could be a structured program, perhaps even a formal degree. What’s important is that you come up with new learning strategies, form new connections in your brain, and break up the monotonous routines of yesterday.

Avoiding burnout as an entrepreneur is vital to the overall success of your business. Recognize the signs, take a timeout, and come up with a plan to get better and back on track.

How do you deal with burnout with your business?