Have you ever worked so hard that you felt like you were “running out of gas” and couldn’t go on? If you answered yes, you may have suffered from burnout.
According to studies, business owners and entrepreneurs are more vulnerable to it because they are highly motivated to keep working, face greater constraints, and are frequently socially isolated. Burnout occurs when you get so worried and weary that you can no longer cope, according to academics.
When your physical and emotional energy is spent as a result of working too hard, you instinctively withdraw from the stressor. The impact on your productivity is significant, and this feeds the loop because your inability to complete tasks makes you feel useless, which increases your stress levels. All of this takes its toll on the mind and body, with symptoms ranging from loss of appetite to worry, chest aches to insomnia.
You don’t have the same level of financial stability when you’re self-employed, whether you’re working as a freelancer or running your own small firm. The temptation may be to ‘make hay while the sun shines,’ that is, to take any and all jobs that come your way, for fear of your money drying up later. Not only that, but you’ll probably be managing all aspects of running a business on your own, in addition to doing the actual work, with no practical or emotional help.
What steps can you take to avoid burnout? We’ll go over each of the 3 steps one by one. Let’s get started!
Make a safety net
You’ll see trends in your cash flow and the time it takes to bring in a given quantity of business as your company grows. You’ll have positive cash flow to spend on certain items for your firm with any luck (and probably a lot of work!)
Have you considered investing in some personal time? If you read the preceding part and thought to yourself, “I’ll never be able to take time off,” this is an important step to remember. Saving money for a rainy day is a wise business decision. You can use your safety net if you notice changes in your thinking and mood, which we’ll explore later.
The amount of money you need to invest into your safety net to avoid burnout is a personal decision that is unique to each company. This is a nice topic to bring up if you work with an accountant or bookkeeper.
Outsource or delegate
We already mentioned outsourcing. Is it anything you’ve considered before hiring someone or a company to help you with a portion of your work? If not, it is a good moment to think about outsourcing. While it may appear that it will cost you an excessive amount of money, this is not the case; it will almost certainly pay off in the long term.
If you want to keep your firm afloat and have staff, another approach to avoid burnout is to reduce the amount of work you have on your plate. To avoid exhaustion, it’s always a good idea to have individuals on your team with whom you can trust your work.
If you spend enough time around startups and technology companies, you or someone you know may get “burnout,” which is characterized by emotional tiredness, doubt, and cynicism. Burnouts can come even from simple tasks such as payroll and accounting, but now these tasks are easily accomplished online. As many might know you can get pay stubs by a pay stub generator.
Take a pause
This is, without a doubt, the most crucial aspect of treating and preventing burnout. When you’re a business owner, we understand that taking a break is much easier said than done.
We don’t generally mean “take a break” for weeks or months at a time when we say “take a break.” If you can afford it, taking a vacation or any time away from work for a specified period of time can help you recover from burnout.
If not, as is the case for many of us, you should make it a point to take a break from work on a regular basis. This could be taking a break at noon every day, turning off your computer at a particular time every night, or refusing any new projects on weekends—any modest step to help you relax.
We often become burned out as a result of spending so much time working without taking any time off. Tiffany Da Silva, Flowjo’s Founder, makes an excellent point when she states, “You don’t have to feel bad about it. You spent months worrying about other people, which contributed to your burnout; now you must devote time to putting yourself first in order to recover.”
Make a promise to yourself that you will take some time off from work. This doesn’t have to be a lavish trip to the Caribbean; it might simply be an evening spent binge-watching television or dining with a buddy.
Simply reading this post is a step in the right direction in terms of avoiding burnout. I hope you never become burned out doing what you love while also running your business.
Remember to take a break, depend on your community (but set boundaries as needed), and return to your business chores carefully once you’ve regained your composure. Be cautious of how you spend your energy when you begin to build up again.
