I’ve met plenty of business owners who boast about the number of hours they put into their business, almost as though it’s a badge of honour they proudly wear on their sleeve.
They talk about being part of #TeamNoSleep, as though it’s a competition on who can get by on the least amount possible.
They tell me that if you love what you do, it’s not really work.
They tell me that they’ll work an 80-hour week for themselves to avoid working a 40-hour week for someone else.
I understand the excitement of starting a business. I understand that there are so many things to do and how difficult it can be to fit it all in. I understand how when you’re just about to go to bed, thoughts come pouring into your head and keep you from falling asleep. It happens to me, too.
I’m guilty
I’ve also been guilty of putting in long hours throughout my 9 years in business.
There have been times that I’ve sacrificed sleep to wake up early and get complete tasks from the day before. And times when I’ve worked evening and weekends and had to put my life on hold. There have been times when I’ve dropped everything else that’s important to me because I haven’t been able to fit everything in.
Yet unlike some other business owners I know, I’m not proud of this behaviour. It has created a vicious cycle for me – several days of intense work before my body tells me to take a break. Then I lose out on a few hours or even a day during the “normal” working week and have to catch up again with a few more intense days.
eat. sleep. work.
The cycle continued.
For me, it became unsustainable. I didn’t go into business to have a life where I don’t really have a life. I didn’t go into business to have a constant feeling of fatigue. And I certainly didn’t go into business to burnout!
The more time I’ve spent in business, the more I’ve been reminded of a very important lesson:
If I don’t stop this pattern, it will kill my business.
what is burnout?
Burnout is a serious condition which can negatively affect you and your business.
When you’re fuel tank is running on empty, you lose the ability to be creative. You’ll only be able to focus on the task immediately in front of you. There’s no room for thinking strategically. There is no opportunity to be critical of your decisions. You’ll just keep plowing on, ticking things off your to do list.
Eventually that routine will wear you down. Your motivation will suffer. You may become disproportionately frustrated by simple challenges. You’ll stop performing at your best.
When you’re working for yourself, you won’t have the cushion of support from a larger organisation to see you through. There’s no one else to pick up the slack. If you’re unable to perform in your own business, your business may not make it.
how to stop burnout
The first step to stopping burnout is to be honest with yourself about your behaviour. Are you constantly burning the candle at both ends? Are you nodding your head in agreement when I describe the patterns above?
If yes, try these few tips to stop burnout from stopping you:
1. get organised
Find a way to capture all of the thoughts that are running through your head so that you can stop thinking about them. In a recent session with a client, I helped her group all of her thoughts into themes such as “finance & accounting”, “training”, “online presence”, etc. and then capture all of the required actions and dependencies. She was then able to space out her activities throughout the coming weeks rather than feel as though she had to do it all at once.
2. get more sleep
Sleep is vital for restoring your resources. It can improve your memory and your capacity for creativity, plus it can help you respond better in stressful situations. Set yourself a small goal for the week ahead of getting just 30 more minutes of sleep per night. Perhaps this is as simple as going to bed 15 minutes earlier and waking up 15 minutes later.
3. designate time for things you love
Treat your passions outside of business with the same dedication as those within your business. For me, this includes time for workouts a few times a week, socialising with friends 2 times a week, and going to the nail salon every 3-4 weeks.
No matter how busy I am, I have these sacred blocks of time that are immovable. I fit everything else in around that. The exercise makes me feel so much better and these moments for socialising and self-care also help to clear my mind. What do you love doing? Block out some time in your calendar to do this activity at least once per week.
4. unplug
While technology can promote productivity, it can also be very invasive. “I’ll just reply to this one email” can easily lead to hours in front of the screen. But, small changes can make a big difference. Set boundaries and don’t let technology take over your life. Turn off notifications so that you’re looking at information on your terms. Go out for a walk and leave your phone at home.
over to you
How have you set boundaries in your business? Leave a comment below and let us know.
ready to take back control?
If you want to learn more tips on how to take control of your business and stop burnout from stopping you, book a free 30 minute consultation with me.
I identify with a lot of this but because I’m not massively busy at the moment things are ticking along but every now and again I know I’m in danger of picking up some bad habits. But I do always take a 30 mins walk without my phone and as for #teamnosleep is definitely not for me.
I’m going to try and practice the “get organised” thing. On a good day I can get a dozen ideas. Sorting out the wheat from the chaff or doing justice to any of them takes organisation. Now it’s 9.20 pm and this isn’t good is it ? 😉
thanks
Hey Rhys. What bad habits are you already starting to notice? I like to use the quieter periods to really get strategic and think about what I want to do and how I want to do it. I find that really helps me to stay focused when things do get busier.
One way to ‘sort the wheat from the chaff’ is to really think about your longer term vision. Then when the ideas come up, you can see if they’ll get you closer to where you want to be or not.
What a fantastic article. It’s something indeed that we can all relate to. I’ve always described myself as a night owl, but it’s simply because I’ve trained myself that way. When I do make the effort to get to bed on time, I wake up refreshed and alert and I get more done.
Thanks for sharing this very well written post Danielle. It’s spot on!
The times of day that we choose to work don’t need to be ‘conventional’ 9-5. If you work best at night or early in the morning, that’s okay. It’s just about creating the space and time to relax and recoup as well. We can’t go at full speed all day and night, day after day!
Great blog post Danielle! Loved this: “I didn’t go into business to have a life where I don’t really have a life. ”
High five for talking about this sensitive subject because it is SUCH an essential thing to recognise. We are our best and worse allies sometimes. And it’s hard when you’re juggling EVERYTHING to see that in fact what you really need to do is take a step back. That old cliche of you need to switch off in order to switch on. Good luck with the new boundaries and I’ll be sure to check in once in a while too 😉
Thanks Mark! I’ll do the same for you 🙂
Loved it ; Spot on Danielle; and it isn’t just self employed entrepreneurs but company employees caught up in a culture where working hours become blurred through technology and networking etc.
I am going to focus on committing to some gym slots!!
Thank you.
Come back and let us know how you get on, Yolanda!
Yep I am heading for burnout unless I put the stoppers on soon!! You are so right…it will kill my business. A case of overwhelm and spreading myself too thin with work, Facebook groups and courses…has led to RSI signs and my body fighting back!! Thank you for these great reminders of what to do about it!!
“I didn’t go into business to have a life where I don’t really have a life. I didn’t go into business to have a constant feeling of fatigue. ” I could so relate to these words. That’s why my number one rule is to take much-needed breaks, especially when I’m working too hard. My favorite “break” activity? Playing poker. It’s been an effective stress-reliever for me. Probably because I rarely shell out money for it. :-p
Hey Daniel. We all definitely need a ‘break’ activity! Mine happens to be Thai boxing. I’m not sure I’d find poker very stress-free! 🙂
My boss looks like a zombie at this moment because he’s engrossed with the company’s business – strategy, marketing, techniques to make this organization big but we have noticed that’s not really good for his health – physically and mentally. He arrives so early yet leaves the office so late. Perhaps, he’s feeling drained or burn-out. Anyway, this post is much appreciated, now I know what to do to stop burn-out before it would stop me.