Do you long for the weekend the moment you wake up on Monday morning? Do the slightest little things annoy you? Do you feel sick at the thought of sitting (or standing) at your desk? If yes, then chances are something isn’t right (that’s a no brainer) and you need to take steps to find out the cause and how you can deal with it. I’d back it in, though, that you’re suffering from exhaustion, either mental or physical or both and, it’s a real problem when you can’t pinpoint the cause. Overworking and overwhelming demands are just a few of the possible causes of burnout. So to manage your stress level, consider the following tips.
I know from experience, that overworking, and overwhelming demands that you place on yourself will lead you down the road of burnout and by making some small changes to how you react and manage certain things, can go a long way to helping you to avoid burnout.
11 Things You Can Do To Avoid Business Burnout
- Get enough sleep. I know, easier said than done, but you have to make time for this, just like everything else you want to achieve. By getting a good amount of sleep each night, you will be able to improve your energy and strengthen your body.
- Exercise regularly. This was the hardest thing for me to realise. When I worked in corporate, I walked everywhere, to the train, to the office, around the office, to the train, to home. But once I began working from home, I went from the kitchen to the office. There is no similarity! Now, I bike ride about 40km a week 2 or 3 times a week, plus spend hours working out in my garden. The benefits of this for me are happiness, it’s relaxing, I’m doing something for me, and the world can wait.
- Have the right fuel. Keep yourself hydrated, detoxed and eat well. I try to do this, but don’t always manage it. I don’t always drink enough water, and I don’t detox, but I eat well. I grow my vegetables and fruit (see point 2 above) and by putting the right fuel in the tank, I give myself permission to exercise more because I have the energy, thus making more time for me. It’s a win-win.
- Meditate. Start your day slow. Create a morning ritual that will try to slow down your day and remind you to take care of your body, rather than to rush out of bed and go straight to your computer. It will not only help you relieve stress but will also help you regain emotional balance. Other than that, it will help you stay focused and remain productive. I try hard not to look at emails before 8 am. I’ve probably spent an hour in the garden, talking to my chickens, wandering around the vegetable patch, watering the plants. Getting out and about is my meditation and to start a day without doing this, does not set me up well for a great day.
- Provide yourself frequent breaks. Easier said than done; I hear you say. It’s relatively easy, all you need to do is stand up and walk away. The sky isn’t falling, that email can wait, you need to think of yourself as number one and keep reminding yourself of that fact. Set a timer every hour, when it gets up, get up and go for a walk, around the house, just move away from the computer. If you do this for 5 mins every hour, that’s an extra 40mins downtime you’ve had during your day.
- Have fun. Catching up with family and friends is vital. Often when working from home, we tend to work in a silo environment which is not healthy when done continually.
- Pursue a hobby. I love to knit, and I find that when I’m doing this, I’m on auto pilot. I think of nothing other than what I’m doing. I find it refreshing, and for an hour or two, I’ve totally forgotten about what’s happening in the world.
- Keep work manageable. Say NO! more often. I didn’t say no, in the beginning, I said yes to everything, and soon the business was almost unmanageable. The freedom you get when saying NO! is amazing. It’s enlightening, it’s putting you in charge, and when you’re in charge, you think differently.
- Change your location. When you’re working from home, you might find yourself in the same spot every day. Get up, take your laptop and sit outside, go to a coffee shop, go to the park, take over the family room. Don’t feel like you have to be at your desk all the time.
- Delegate some tasks. Get help. Thinking you need to do it all yourself is a recipe for disaster. The excuse you can’t afford to is rubbish; you simply can’t afford not to.
- Know your priorities. Spend the first part and last part of your day, going over and preparing yourself for the following day. Again, it’s about seeing yourself as the priority. If you’re organised, you’ll be less stressed.
Whenever we invest in ourselves there is always a cost. Sometimes, some people just don’t think they’re worth it. – JMJ – EA for a Day
I’d love your thoughts on how you fight burnout in your business. What have you found keeps you on track? Please leave a comment in the comment section below.
