You must have gone through that stage in your life where you felt totally drained and exhausted. You’re almost there at the top. Your mind tells you to keep on going, but your body is too weak. You are physically and emotionally drained. You’re absolutely knackered and you feel totally helpless. Welcome, my friends, to burnout.
So, how do you beat burnout and get your life back on track?
First up, slow down and take stock of your life. You’re exerting too much of your energy and time working, but a lot of this energy actually goes to waste. It’s a fact that nobody is truly ‘productive’ after around nine hours of work in a day. So, pulling those huge fourteen hour work days is a) just plain crazy and b) pretty much a waste of time. You may not realize it, but a lot of the tasks that you perform, as a business owner, are actually unnecessary and your multitasking doesn’t make you more productive, as you think it might.
Working long, late hours doesn’t help at all. The main reason behind this is because it will fundamentally play havoc with your sleeping patterns. Depriving yourself of sleep has serious consequences. It’s time to change that bad habit of working late into the night until you tire yourself out. It takes conscious effort to get enough sleep every day, but you’ll eventually develop that good habit. Although you’ll have to work on it.
Why I Used to Work 300 Hours a Month!
I remember when I first set up my company, I would pull 13-14 hour days like they were a regular requirement. After all, I was the captain of the ship, and had to make sure that I was busting my balls each day to catapult the company to where I wanted it to be. However, when I sat down and calculated that I had worked close to 300 hours one month, it was like a light bulb went off above my head! Also remember the wisdom behind Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week. So talk about a wake-up call (sleep – wake-up call, get it!?). I forced myself into a sleeping cycle that took around 3 weeks and 5mg of melatonin each night to finally level-out and feel ‘natural’ again.
Ask yourself if your goals are realistic and achievable? The pressure of setting yourself a goal and focusing on achieving it can lead anyone to burnout – especially if it’s not achievable within a reasonable time period. Break down your goal into small, but achievable units and work your way up slowly, but surely. Put it in black and white to help you keep track of your progress. Sooner or later, the goal will be achieved and you can move on to the next one.
Start to Achieve Work / Life Balance!
As busy entrepreneurs, its hard sometimes to not let yourself get burned out by letting your work affect your daily living. Achieve work-life balance and avoid burnout by establishing a clear boundary between your work and daily living. The reason why the Virtual Business Lifestyle is so achievable is because it gives you the chance to separate different locations from work and relaxation, etc.
Last tip – exercise. Physical activity is a great way to channel out excess energy. So, instead of picking up a copy of Fitness Monthly or Women’s Health, reading it and saying “I must get around to that, but I don’t have the time…”, MAKE THE TIME! You have to.
In closing burnout is a drag on anyone’s life, especially if that someone is the person in charge of running a small, but growing ship. You cannot expect the ship to sail safely and gradually pick up speed if the captain is too tired to focus on the horizon properly.
Have an awesome, productive, but above all, enjoyable week ahead everyone!
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Thanks Chris,
This couldn’t have come at a better time for me personally. After just pulling a marathon last weekend.
Some very good advice that all business people should take. Whether they are new or seasoned, burn out can hit at any time, and it is a big reason for business failure.
Thanks again.
Hi Glen
First up, congrats on finishing a marathon – a feat many have tried, only to succeed. Good job!
Yes, burnout does seem to be happening more and more, and its becoming more important than ever (especially in todays ‘online’ world of business) to take a time out and relax more and more.
Thanks for the comment, and I look forward to more in the future from you!
Best,
Chris
My life is never 100% balanced, but taking time to get outside, see friends and family, and work on areas of life other than business is mandatory to me. Sometimes just a couple of hours away can make a huge difference in my energy and focus. I used to think I couldn’t afford to take time off, but I’ve found both creativity and productivity improve when I’m living with a sense of balance.
Hi Jean!
Thanks for the input!
I couldnt agree more with you. Getting away from things, even in short bursts make an incredible difference across the board. I’m lucky here, where I can get to the ocean quickly for the day / a few hours.
I appreciate your comment very much, its a great view to have on things.
Regards,
Chris
Chris, these are all good points.
A while back someone gave me some advice that has stuck with me. He pointed out that there are 168 hours in a week. Even if you can’t always avoid spending 70 or more hours working in a given week, what really matters is how you spend the other 98 hours. It’s important to enjoy life even during the hectic periods.
Thanks for the post.
Hi Tyler
My Man!!! Excellent comment. You are absolutely correct. I couldnt agree more. Its that time AWAY from work that is the most important, in our LIFE.
Thanks for the comment, and hope to see more of them in the future here on the VBL blog.
I have found that the most brilliant and worthwhile business ideas usually come within the first hour or two of working. After that you are just doing housekeeping, infrastucture stuff, and A LOT of wheel spinning.
I say, what is the point of owning a business if you need to work 16 hours a day to keep it going? You might as well have a day job.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Hi Joshua
I couldnt agree with you more, buddy. Youre spot on.
As a business owner, I appreciate that there WILL be those days when you have to put a little more effort in – BUT – if it turns into a normal occurrence, then there is something terribly wrong happening and you MUST re-evaluate your position, abilities and judgment.
Thanks for the great comment, as always!
Chris
I’m not working insane hours but also I am not getting the efficiency out of the hours I do work. The goal for me is to accomplish my goals in the least amount of time. Burnout is not my problem but I can still get discouraged with lack of progress.
Hi Ralph
Nice to see you dropping by regularly now – thank you for the support.
Yep, seeing progress is something that a lot of business owners and solopreneurs have issues with – especially at the start of a new venture. Putting in the time required to achieve something can sometimes feel a little ‘worthless’ when you see things slowing down, or even coming to a complete halt from time to time. However, in my experience, even if you feel a little deflated at times, controlling those feelings and forging on is what you need to do in order to achieve your dreams.
What are you doing, exactly, in order to accomplish those tasks quickly…? Any tips you’d like to share with the rest of the VBL crowd…?
Thanks for the comment.
Chris
When I used to work as an employed person, I used to work 13 hours a day regularly. When I switched to being self employed I have become far more focused on results and doing the things that make the biggest difference. Sometimes, you need a change of perspective and taking stock is a great idea.
Hi Matt!
I think you need to be more focused when working for yourself, anyway – as you clearly pointed out. Otherwise, you aint gonna be making a whole lot of money!
Thanks for the comment, as always, mate.
Chris
Its so important to get some type of physical activities in your day. I like getting my workouts in during morning hours and then getting to work. Its a great way to start the day and get blood flowing.
Ah… Workouts. Yes, I remember them!
This is the one area of my life I have let slip over the last year or so.
I used to work out 5-6 times a week, but recently, I’m lucky if I get a pick-up game of hoops and a few laps in the pool. Gotta change that.
Thanks for the virtual kick in the ass, Tony!
All the best,
Chris
Wow Chris. Thanks for this. I really needed to read this today.
For what feels like the past few months, I’ve been working flat out. Out early, speaking all day, back home, looking after the kids while my wife is at work in the evening and then working when they are in bed has been the norm. But this week I’ve completely hit the wall. I’m a absolutely shattered. My sleeping pattern is out of whack and my productivity is way down.
So after reading this, I’m off to take stock this weekend. I need time to reassess where I’m at, how I move forward and to remember what I’m trying to achieve. I need some well deserved R&R and the Monaco Grand Prix.
Thanks again Chris this has been the best post I’ve read for ages!
Hey Ben
Mate, slow down. Take it easy. ‘Play’ with your kids, instead of ‘looking after them’.
Enjoy the racing, and have a couple of beers. I’m glad the post was a help in realizing that you have to take stock this weekend.
In the meantime, check out this post from South Beach, Miami and this one on Eating Healthy – both relevant reads.
Let me know how you go!
Cheers,
Chris
Its so important to get some type of physical activities in your day. I like getting my workouts in during morning hours and then getting to work. Its a great way to start the day and get blood flowing.