Date: October 27, 2022
Tips to Avoid Business Owner Burn Out
As a business owner, you are more prone to experiencing ‘burn out’, (defined as ‘the exhaustion of mental and physical strength due to prolonged stress’). Running a business requires you to wear so many different hats and manage so many day-to-day issues that it’s nearly impossible to avoid burnout if you don’t have a plan in place. Even though running your own business comes with a certain freedom, it can also lead to feeling like you always need to be available to your clients 24/7, which makes it difficult for you to have some needed down time to refresh and recuperate. Here are some of our best tips to help you balance your work and personal life so that you avoid a burn out which could be more expensive than you realize.
- Set a schedule – Allocate your days between work and personal – schedule time solely dedicated to work; your client’s needs can be met then. Schedule personal time and make sure you are not doing any work-related tasks during your personal time. If you never give yourself downtime, you will feel depleted. Work will always be there – sticking to a schedule can help you complete tasks in a timely manner and remind you that you need a break – self-care is important because you can’t give if you’re feeling run-down or like you are running on empty. Setting good boundaries for yourself is vital.2. Slow Down – Feeling Overwhelmed? This is your body’s way of saying ‘slow down’. If you don’t listen to the message, chances are you will be working so quickly that you make yourself more vulnerable to making mistakes. When you’re feeling overwhelmed is the best time to take a deep breath and a step back to identify why you are feeling overwhelmed and ways to stay ahead of it (such as sticking to your schedule, hiring an assistant, or reevaluating things if you feel like your to-do list is never ending).
- Get a good night’s rest – Sleep is so important! At night when you are trying to wind down, it can be easy to think about things that need to get done or worry about some aspect of your business. But unnecessary worry does you no good! Here is a good rule of thumb – if you can’t solve the problem at that moment, then why waste time worrying? Here are some good tips proven to help you relax before bedtime: Do some meditation or yoga, take a relaxing bath with essential oils, and put your phone down for at least one hour before you sleep. Waking up feeling refreshed will help your energy levels so you can take on your day! One of our favorite hacks is to write out everything that is weighing on your mind before you go to sleep and then use that list the following morning to start executing on it.
- Have a Reliable Sounding Board – When you are busy running your business and trying to balance your personal life, it can easily take up all of your time (and then some). Hiring a CFO to be your professional sounding board is an excellent move to help give you solid guidance and help alleviate some of the big stressors. Not only will you get solid financial advice, but you’ll also be taking the guess work out of important questions in running your business. Some of the questions a professional sounding board can help you answer are whether or not you are pricing your services right, how profitable your business is, or whether you should hire (or fire someone). Having a professional on your side to give you the guidance you need will enable you to grow your business and crush your financial goals with a fraction of the stress and uncertainty.
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