Any entrepreneur can tell you that burnout is common. Either they have themselves been victim to it, or they likely know someone who has. Burnout is a very frustrating experience when it occurs. Entrepreneurship burnout can be so severe that an entrepreneur will eventually quit their business and shut down its operations completely.
1. Remind yourself of your WHY.
You have to remember why you started your business. Maybe it’s because you had a great idea that no one else saw. Or maybe your entrepreneurship burnout was the result of hard work, good perseverance, and an incredible team – all factors that helped bring your dream to life!
In any case, entrepreneurship burnout is a reminder that you shouldn’t be doing business for money but instead because you are passionate and enthusiastic about your entrepreneurship.
If you don’t have a good reason for starting your business in the first place, it might be time to step down!
2. Set realistic expectations.
Entrepreneurs claim that entrepreneurship burnout is almost inevitable over time. So if you want to avoid it, it’s best to work on adjusting your expectations of yourself. Maybe you expect yourself to do more things than you should. In this situation, it may be best to learn to delegate…
I know a few business owners who cringe at the word “delegate.” They would love to, but they have found that training people to do something as they would do is a frustrating task. The way they think about it, if you want something done right, do it yourself.
Another all too common expectation is to underestimate the time it will take to get to a specific place in the business. This can be one of the most frustrating experiences because often, the factors are practically out of one’s control.
3. Set a daily practice & routine (or even change it up). (meditation & exercise)
Daily practice and routine are essential to entrepreneurship burnout prevention. Entrepreneurs who do not have a structured and scheduled day tend to be more susceptible to entrepreneurship burnout than those that do.
One way I found helpful was taking time off from work during the week for exercise, hobbies, or other activities that I enjoy.
Also, entrepreneurship burnout can make your life feel very “busy” and hectic. It is best to try to find a balance between work life, family time, and other activities that are important to you.
I have always found it helpful to meditate or do yoga when I am experiencing entrepreneurship burnout. It helps me to slow down, relax and digest what is happening around me.
Additionally, entrepreneurship burnout can make you feel like your life is going in a million directions. You cannot keep up with all of the things that need to be done. To help alleviate this feeling, I often go for a long run or bike ride with my wife.
This helps me reset, get perspective and focus on what I have control over versus what is out of my hands.
(Try this entrepreneurship burnout prevention exercise)
4. Take care of your physical body & mind (nutrition, sleep, etc).
One thing that can cause entrepreneurship burnout is the neglect of one’s physical body and mind. Many people have problems with entrepreneurship burnout because they are not taking care of themselves properly. One way to tell if you are experiencing entrepreneurship burnout is to feel sick or feel like yourself (physically or mentally). When this happens, it is crucial to identify what is missing in your life. It can be helpful to make a list of essential things you need to live and enjoy, such as healthy food, proper sleep hours, time for exercise, etc.
5. Establish boundaries.
Entrepreneurship burnout can happen when you feel like your business controls your life, not the other way around (and that’s a problem). As an entrepreneur, you ultimately control how you run your company and how much time you spend doing “business” versus living or enjoying yourself.
Many entrepreneurs that I meet find it especially easy to get carried away with work. This is often because they have a passion for entrepreneurship and because your livelihood and income are directly linked to how much you can accomplish each week.
The challenge is not working hard but finding the balance between work, family, and other vital activities.
So, the next time you feel entrepreneurship burnout symptoms creeping up on you, be sure to take a step back and assess what is happening.
6. Take real time off.
One of the best entrepreneurship burnout prevention strategies is to take a real vacation. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs work so hard that they don’t know how to let go and enjoy life or feel like they deserve it. This can lead to entrepreneurship burnout because it keeps you working at a furious pace even during your “off” time.
Now, I don’t mean that you take a vacation from entrepreneurship (although sometimes this is the best entrepreneurship burnout prevention tool). I am talking about taking away the stress and worry of running your business by actually taking off from it for a little while.
For instance, if you feel entrepreneurship burnout due to a stressful situation at work, it is probably best to leave the office immediately and come back another time.
Many entrepreneurs have told me that they felt like their entrepreneurship burnout went away almost instantly once they took a real vacation! These vacations can include travel (like visiting family or going on a cruise), spending time with friends, or just relaxing on the beach.
7. Read entrepreneurship books and blogs.
It is an excellent entrepreneurship burnout prevention strategy to find entrepreneurship success stories that you admire and read their biographies, blogs, and websites regularly (at least once per week). Motivation is crucial. Reading about others’ successes in entrepreneurship will not only help you to know what entrepreneurship burnout prevention and recovery tactics have worked for other business builders, but it will also inspire your entrepreneurship endeavors.
Learn from others’ mistakes. You can also learn entrepreneurship burnout prevention and recovery tactics by reading about entrepreneurship mistakes that others have made. Most importantly, learning from other people’s entrepreneurship success and failures is crucial, so you don’t make the same mistakes yourself!
