What is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of exhaustion that occurs when a person has been chronically stressed for an extended period. When you’re burnt out, you feel tired all the time, no matter how much rest you get. You might feel ineffective, overwhelmed, less focused, and less motivated. You could start feeling irritable and cynical toward others or might experience a myriad of physical symptoms as well.
Why Entrepreneurs Are Susceptible
Entrepreneurs are especially susceptible to burnout because they often experience stress day in and day out. Entrepreneurs often juggle several jobs at once, including managing finances, leading their teams, problem-solving, and networking. This full plate of responsibilities can lead to constant stress if not managed properly. And continuous stress is what can lead to burnout. Especially in times of uncertainty, and when your business is going through a lot of changes very quickly, reducing your stress and avoiding burnout is imperative to be effective. You should ensure that you have to tools to manage your daily tasks, even when a lot of surprises appear on your plate.
How to Avoid It
To avoid burning out as an entrepreneur, it’s essential to make stress management as part of your life. You need to be taking care of yourself in all aspects — physically, emotionally, and mentally. Don’t make excuses that you’re too busy because you’re never too busy to make time for your self-care. Remember, if you burn out, you won’t be any good to anyone, including yourself. So, burnout prevention needs to be a high priority.
Other Tips
Entrepreneurs should follow a few critical rules to avoid burning out. First of all, don’t be afraid to delegate. You can’t and shouldn’t do it all. If you have a team, train them well and trust them to do their jobs. There should be very few things that must be done by you, and those are the tasks you should focus on.
Next, you must be aware of your time and energy levels. Both time and energy are finite, so you must be careful that you don’t spread yourself too thin. For example, if you’re barely managing the workload you have, you shouldn’t be taking on more until you have a plan in place. Don’t do too much too quickly, or you risk burning out.
If you follow these simple tips, you will be on your way to building a thriving business without the fear of burning out along the way.