Working Harder is Not the Fix

I heard recently in a group I am in that, as business owners, “burnout is inevitable.” Maybe that is true, but how scary is that as a small business that depends on you? It is hard enough going through burnout when you work for a large company. Maybe everyone’s definition of burnout is different. Burnout isn’t just realizing you need a break. It’s your body forcing you to take a break.

We talk about burnout in the corporate environment so much, and that working for yourself can help you heal from it. But what we don’t talk about is that if we don’t heal from the reasons that the burnout happened in the first place, the burnout is going to continue to happen- People pleasing, working long hours, trying to do it all ourselves, perfectionism… There are so many other reasons.  In a corporate environment, if you are sick, although your employer may whine and complain, if there is no one else to pick up the slack, then it is their fault. They have not staffed the organization appropriately to help with it. You can take PTO and hope you can get by. I realize this is an ideal state- a discussion for another day and probably one I will have on the podcast…. entrepreneurship is different.

As a solopreneur or small business owner, if I get sick, who picks up the slack? I am the one writing and editing all the posts, meeting with most clients, and handling all the sales calls. The only work I don’t do in our business is the coding on PDRM Protect. I even do most of the website development- talk about a learning curve. So if I am down and out, the business is going to come to a screeching halt. What does that do to our business goals, and ultimately to our family goals for the year? I don’t know about you, but if there is something I can do to prevent it, I am going to do it. I realize I cannot prevent all sickness and injury – I have not and have enjoyed being able to create my schedule. But burnout doesn’t discriminate. It hits at the most inopportune times- right before a huge presentation, a big meeting or large client event.

What can you do to prevent burnout as a business owner?

1. Determine your boundaries- Identifying your boundaries ahead of time can help you create your non-negotiables before the boundaries can get crossed. For me one of those is that I don’t work on Friday afternoons. That is my time. Sometimes, I use it to do volunteer work, sometimes to get ready to go to a band or scout event or sometimes I just relax on the couch.
2. Focus on what is going to move the needle– Focus your plan on your goals and don’t try to do everything at once. This prioritization is going to help you be focused on what has to get done and what you personally need to do. I am not saying you can never pay taxes but by focusing your time on tasks that move the needle you tend to allow you nervous system to settle into a rhythym.
3. Ask for help– Something I tell both of my kids, asking for help is not a negative. Help can be in the form of asking your spouse to run the kids to school (I did that this morning because I knew I needed some extra sleep) or can be in the professional sense of outsourcing work. It also can be as simple as asking a friend for coffee because you need to vent. We need to remember as female business owners that this isn’t easy but asking for help makes it a little easier.

Obviously, there are other ways to prevent the burnout but I wanted to give you three quick and easy tips that I use on a weekly basis. Part of what we do here at PDRM Consulting is help founders to focus on the priority tasks so that they can live the life they have always wanted to live. We do that as a partner by providing supportive services.

Have you experienced burnout?