Avoid business burnout, achieve work-life balance, and be happy. Those 2023 goals, right?!
According to Forbes, 42 per cent of small business owners said they experienced burnout in the past month; while 24 per cent reported they are currently experiencing burnout.
It’s at the end of the year that most business owners feel the burnout start to set in. If this is you, there is only one decision you need to make:
- Keep going the same way next year, or
- Make changes for a better work-life balance.
If you chose the latter, and this is your main goal in 2023, it’s time to stop, reassess and read on.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to avoid burnout and the necessary changes to build a business that allows for a work-life balance.
What is burnout?
“Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.” That’s the word from the Help Guide.
What can I do if my business is burning me out?
As a solo or micropreneur, most of the time it is just you in business and that can mean you are doing everything yourself. If you want to avoid business burnout in business, try these things:
Maintain a growth mindset:
A growth mindset is a positive one, where you’re always thinking about growth and how you can improve your business and taking action to implement new strategies and tactics.
Delegate and automate:
Business owners with a growth mindset delegate and automate tasks that are extremely important to the health of the business, but are not a good use of their time. By doing this you will be able to let go of certain tasks and win back some of your precious time.
Update your systems and processes:
Get some expert help from an OBM (like me!) and update your systems and processes. If you are experiencing burnout in your business, your operations aren’t efficient, and you will be spending manual time working on an area of your business that could be automated or delegated.
How to avoid business burnout in the future
Are you feeling burnt out or getting to that stage? You’re not alone. It’s very common at this time of year – it’s often when people will decide to leave their job or close their business because they have simply had enough. If this is you, I encourage you to do one or all of these three things:
- First, look at your business plan. Is the plan still what you want, or can it be updated and improved? If it is still what you want in business, you must find a more efficient way of operating. If it’s not what you want any more, look at where you would like to focus on in your business.
- Next, look at your business the way it is now, what can you reduce? For example, can you reduce the amount of sales and clients you work with or the amount of promotion you do so you can decrease your workload.
REAL-LIFE STORY:
In 2020, I decided to reduce the amount of clients I worked with, and my hours in the business when my son was diagnosed with ASD.
In the beginning, it was intense and a steep learning curve for all of us and so to avoid burnout, I chose to reduce my client list and working hours so that I was able to give my son the amount of care he needed and also the work-life balance I needed.
I’m glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to cope both personally and in my business. Being in business allows me to set my own terms and gives me the freedom I need and I’m enjoying the journey. In 2023, I’ll be in a position to increase my workload and client list again.
Get help and know what help you need.
Getting someone to lighten your load will be a huge step in the direction of work-life balance. For example, you can work with a VA or an OBM (depending on your budget) on a regular basis or just for a project. Delegating your tasks to a professional will help ease the burden and the potential business burnout.
Are you feeling burnt out right now?
If you are feeling the effects of business burnout and need some help in setting up your systems and processes so your business works without and you can get back living your life, please get in touch. Link on words to contact page
I can set up your systems so your business works and you don’t need to do (or worry about) everything.
Meanwhile, I often share tips on how to build a business that’s sustainable, simply sign up to my newsletter and kick 2023 off right.
