Being an entrepreneur is hard work. Running your own business is stressful, time-consuming, busy and often overwhelming. Every entrepreneur, at one time or another, will be faced with the question of whether or not they want to keep going. While working a 9-5 can often be less stressful, it can also be less rewarding. If you are faced with the decision of keeping your small business running or not, there are a lot of things to consider. When you’ve decided you want to stick with it and keep going, here are some ways you can avoid the entrepreneur burnout, and make work fun again:
Set Realistic Goals
Sometimes we set goals for ourselves that are pretty unrealistic and out of reach (for the time being), and that causes great disappointment. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, which will surely result in being burnt out, set yourself some realistic goals. Instead of stressing yourself, overworking yourself and your team, and leaving room for error by setting deadlines that are too soon, give yourself some time. If you are working toward offering a new product or service, and you need a few months to get everyone trained and to get all your ducks in a row, don’t have a goal to be up and running in 30 days. If your goals are unrealistic, your stress levels, and chances of being burnt out will increase.
Should you continue to work hard and do what you need to to get your business where you want it to be? Of course. Does that mean you need to force yourself to work 15-18 hour days and set goals that are relatively unattainable? Absolutely not. Keep yourself grounded by setting realistic goals, and you’ll see how much your mood and passion for your work will increase.
Change Your Routine
As human beings, sometimes we need change. Change can be a really good thing if you’re getting caught in a rut of mundane day-to-day tasks. When you’re feeling burnt out, exhausted, and tired of running the show, it might be time for a change of pace. You don’t need to do anything drastic to feel fresh and ready to move forward. Your daily routine can be changed just enough for you to feel like you aren’t running in circles. Seeing progress is the key to feeling excitement about what you’re working toward.
Some simple ways to change your routine, and make your day less predictable, include:
- Exercise before work
- Exercise while at work – specifics at HealthAmbition.com
- Try out a different coffee shop
- Read a chapter from a book on your breaks
- Meet up with friends for lunch
- Take a different route to the office
- Listen to motivational speeches in your car
There are so many things you can do to change your routine and make work a little more exciting. Be creative, and add some things you enjoy to your day!
Take a Real Break
I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for that right now.” The truth is, when you feel overwhelmed and exhausted, sometimes the only way to overcome that is to take a real break. No, I’m not talking about a work-from-home day, or a lunch meeting at your favorite restaurant. I’m talking about a real break. A real break includes taking a weekend off and unplugging. Whether you stay home or venture out on a vacation, it should be free of work. Your break should consist of “me” time, and be relaxing. The person who won’t take a break is also going to be the one to get burnt out. When it comes to running your own business, the motto: Work Hard, Play Hard really needs to be applied.
Bonus tip to try out:
Vitamins!
B Vitamins are proven to reduce stress levels and there are a lot of other health benefits as well. Try getting more B in the morning before you go to work and you’ll start noticing a difference. Nuts, eggs, beans, and even vitamin pills are great resources.
If you make some time for yourself and set yourself up for success instead of failure, you will be much more likely to be a successful business owner and a happy person!
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!