4 Ways to Deal with Burnout for Business Owners
SELF-CARE
I am the “self proclaimed” Queen of Burnout. I have experienced burnout more times in my career than I can remember (or really than I care to admit).
While I can’t tell you how to prevent burnout completely, I’ve learned a lot from my own experiences and want to share some helpful tips to overcome burnout quickly when it does rear its ugly head.
Burnout shows up when we do too much of one thing… and that one thing is usually work. As a business owner, it’s easy to let our work become our entire life until there’s little room left for anything else. When the feeling of burnout starts to overtake you, follow the 4 tips below to get back on track and to feel more balanced!
#1: Prioritize sleep
If you run a business, chances are you’re working some late nights. But burning the candle at both ends will eventually take its toll, so my #1 piece of advice is to get as much sleep as possible. It’s ideal to have a great sleep schedule all the time, but it’s unavoidable to have days where you feel less than well-rested. As soon as you notice the early signs of burnout, it’s time to set an early bedtime. Rest is so important and everything in life feels a little more manageable after a good night's sleep!
#2: Clear your calendar
Take a good (and realistic) look at your calendar. Be honest with yourself about events you have scheduled that can be canceled altogether or that could be postponed and rescheduled for later to give yourself the break you need now. There will, of course, be certain things that can’t be moved (for example, I can’t typically rearrange client shoots), but it’s almost always possible to free up enough time to allow for some much needed self-care.
#3: Dedicated time to not working
In my experience, the constant feeling of being swamped that spirals into burnout happens when I am working so much that there’s no time for other things in my schedule. Remember, you can’t do good work if work is all you do! Trust me, I’m speaking to myself as much as I’m speaking to you! Make the activities you enjoy outside of your career a priority. For me, that’s working out, cooking, reading, spending time outside, and connecting with family and friends. Take some time to think about what that looks like for you.
#4: Reassess what you can actually take on
Are you setting yourself up for failure by over-scheduling your day? If you commit to too much, you’ve already guaranteed that you won’t have time for anything except work! Think about your daily, weekly, or monthly schedule. How much time are you spending on work? Is the amount of time you spend working in alignment with the lifestyle you want to live? The beauty of working for yourself is that you get to make the decisions and you can choose your schedule! Maybe it means raising your rates so you can take on less clients, scheduling a week off every 6 weeks, or committing to not working on weekends. Whatever you need to do, remember you’re in charge of your time!
There will inevitably be times that are super busy and it’s likely that burnout will show up (and it’s even more likely if your industry is seasonal). Instead of beating yourself up, which contributes even more to the downward spiral, use these periods of overwhelm as a learning opportunity to make adjustments in your business and life so that burnout doesn’t become a regular occurrence!
Want to chat further about this topic? Reach out to me here anytime!