Tips to Deal with Burnout

Some days, you’ll wonder why you don’t give it all up and get a cubicle job. Starting a business is trying. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, and a poor personal and national economy only exacerbates it. Chasing down clients to pay you for your work, staying up all hours to meet project deadlines and making little or no money per hour in the beginning can get tiresome. Here are some tips for dealing with burnout:

Tip #1 – Hire Help

One of the top reasons for burnout is doing too many tasks that can zap your energy. The best thing that you can do for yourself and your family is get help. There are several ways to accomplish this:

• Get an intern
• Hire a virtual assistant
• Train an apprentice
• Solicit family and friends as volunteers

You could end up getting free help, bartering services or paying someone to take some to-do items off your plate. Once you do that, it’s important to focus on what you do best and what you enjoy doing the most.

Tip #2 – Exercise

Maintaining your physical health is crucial if you want to avoid burnout. When you don’t get enough exercise, you lose focus as well as the energy you need to keep going from day to day. You’re more likely to get heart disease and other health problems that will make it hard to run your business. Finding the time to work out is a difficult feat for busy entrepreneurs, but think of it as insurance. If you stay active, it can help you deliver services to clients for a long time.

Tip #3 – Offer Something New

Launch a completely new venture on the side or offer a new product or service in your existing business. Creative people tend to burn out when work seems stale or if they get stuck doing the same mundane tasks, over and over again. Keep it fresh with new things to work on. For example, you might launch an online business that’s not related to web design or similar creative work. Maybe you want to express your creativity offline, like selling woodworking projects to your local farmer’s market. It’s important to evaluate your budget and overall goals for your primary business before throwing money at something new just to escape burnout. And don’t invest your hard earned money on impulse.

Tip #4 – Get Organized

Clutter, lost papers, missed deadlines and appointments can eat away at your emotions and lead to mental burnout. If too much of your time consists of battling your own disorganization, rather than doing great work for clients, then it’s time for a change. Invest in technology, tools, containers or whatever you need to get your time and physical space under control. Some free ones include:

• Toodledo.com
• Rule.fm
• Expandable file folders (for your contracts and invoices)

Disorganization can also destroy any joy you have running your business. Bring that joy back and increase your profits at the same time by getting organized.

Incorporate these tips now so that your chances for facing burnout are slim. You’ll improve your overall performance and it will translate into a healthier business and a healthier you. Also check out 8 Ways Technology Is Improving Your Health and learn what technology can do.