If you notice that you are putting off starting work for the day, taking longer to complete tasks, and producing work of lower quality – you may be in the midst of a burnout. Other signs of increasing stress include frequent sickness, insomnia, irritation, and loss of concentration. These types of symptoms can progress into mental and emotional breakdowns and, over time, result in chronic illness or death.
For the entrepreneur, not being in our best state can mean the end of our business as well. As our own boss, taking time off to recuperate means that the work doesn’t get done. This makes it imperative that we take good care of ourselves, including doing what it takes to reduce our stress before it reaches a critical limit. Here are some tips for steering away from the type of burnout which can end in disaster for your business.
Tip #1: Refocus Your Entrepreneurial Vision
If you are experiencing burnout, chances are good that you are not in the place that you envisioned yourself to be, back when you started. Often, overwhelming stress is a signal that we are not on the right course. Take some time to revisit your initial plans, tactics, and goals, and see where they aren’t aligning with where you are now. You may want to make some adjustments toward advancing your vision. Taking the steps to realign yourself with your initial intentions may be what you need to reignite your passion.
Tip #2: Make Your Vacations Count
One benefit of being an entrepreneur is being able to arrange your schedule around the needs of the clients. With a bit of planning, you can create space for yourself to take a break from the numbers. Try scheduling vacations after balancing the quarterly ledgers, when the busy end of the fiscal year is over, or right after tax season. This will ensure that you can spend your time away enjoying life, not worrying about the work that looms ahead. Remember, physical vacations are only as good as the mental relaxation which accompanies them, and we need those mental leisure times if we are to be at our best.
Tip #3: Build In Daily Breathers
When it comes to daily refreshing, build some time into your schedule which allows you to get up, stretch your legs, and take in some fresh air. Even dedicated humans only average an attention span of about 20 minutes at a time. Taking a five-minute break between those periods can enable you to tackle a task with more focus than is produced by insisting on pushing through. If quick breaks aren’t your thing, try setting aside a short midday period when all computer screens and phones are turned off and all pencils are put down.
Tip #4: Balance the Workload
When it comes down to it, your burnout may be due to taking on too much work. As an entrepreneur, it is easy to figure that we have the space for just one more task. As an accountant, it is even easier to do this, as calculations can render a few minutes shaved off, here or there, toward applying to a new assignment. The tendency toward finding every underutilized resource can backfire, though, if not enough consideration is given to our personal needs. For your own health, it is important to learn when to say no.
Tip #5: Make Time For Friends and Family
There is great satisfaction in having everything add up at the end of the day. But if we were able to live on calculations alone, we wouldn’t be much more than computers. Humans need social interaction, and not getting enough of it can leave us feeling disconnected, empty, and emotionless. A healthy balanced life includes both work and play. Spending some play time with friends and family ensures that the relationship bonds stay secure.
Tip #6: Pay Yourself First
You’ve heard this concept applied to saving money, but it also applies to time. While investing time into your business, and into your relationships, don’t fail to account for time needed toward self-care. When we are empty of energy ourselves, we aren’t much good for anything else. Tend to your own needs for rejuvenation, and the overflow will be what channels into your other endeavors.
Play that round of golf, read a good book, or take that nature hike. Whatever it is that feeds your soul, make it a priority – and the result will be a win-win situation for all involved. At the end of your life, you aren’t likely to look back and wish that you completed just one more deduction.
Author Bio: Dr. Jeff Nalin, Psy.D is an award-winning licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Founder and Chief Clinical Director at Paradigm Malibu Treatment Center. The center has locations in both Malibu and San Francisco.