Last year, I experienced burnout which is why during this time where everyone is telling us to step up and help the financial-economic flow I wanted to share how to avoid burnout with you.
Learning to avoid burnout is something that is key to your business. I personally didn’t understand the true effect it would have on me. Previously in my entrepreneurial journey, I experienced looking back now as what I can only refer to as a mini burnout.
What I experienced at the end of last year was truly something that I don’t want anyone to experience. I literally couldn’t cope with the world and shut everyone out. A thousand messages from my Facebook friends and personal friends only added to my irritation.
In Carrie’s last blog post she shared How To Stay Positive During Really Uncertain Times.
With everything that is happening in the world right now, it is easy as female entrepreneurs to want to push yourself to the max. Staying positive allows you to avoid burnout as it allows you to turn to your intuition. It allows you to be aware of what you are feeling
How do you exactly avoid burnout? Let’s explore some of the ways that you can implement in your life to eliminate this.
Plan your time effectively
Planning your time effectively allows you to be more productive. It stops the feeling of overwhelm and always chasing your tail mindset. By blocking out times within your calendar to complete tasks allows you to stick to a schedule. Decide on set working hours for your business and don’t deviate from them.
One tool within The Members Club which has changed my life completely is the Lead Your Business Like A Ceo Masterclass by Racheal Cook.
In this masterclass, Racheal teaches you to plan your next 90 days out in a productive yet easy way that allows you to be and stay focused on your end goals.
Racheal has an amazing story which she shared with Carrie. Racheal uses the tools that she teaches in this masterclass within her own life. This has ensured that she only works a 25 hour week. Which allows her to have the life balance which we all seek out as entrepreneurs, without the guilt.
Create a daily routine
Creating a daily routine is key to avoiding burnout as this allows you to have a structure within your day. I personally use the time in the morning to connect with myself on a higher spiritual level. This allows my mindset to be in a positive vibe for the day ahead.
When I first started to implement this in my life, I noticed a big difference in how my day went. The impact on my mindset allowed me to achieve things on my to-do list making me feel productive and happy.
If you need help with creating a positive routine within your life then check out our last blog post – How To Create A Positive Routine When Working From Home where we share tips to help you achieve this.
Make time for you
Self-care is very important when it comes to avoiding burnout. I never really understood the importance of it as a business owner until I watched a TED Talk by Stefan Sagmeister. He spoke about The Power Of Time Off. This opened my eyes in a whole different way because what is shared was groundbreaking for me.
As someone that is constantly trying to build and grow my business, I often find myself using not-so-kind self-talk when it comes to taking breaks and holidays. I have this constant feeling that I should be working 24/7 on my business. How else am I going to grow it?
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither” – Alan Cohen
What Stefan Sagmeister shared about how he conducts his business with a year off showed me that making time for you is one of the key forms within growing a business. Taking long breaks allows you to feed your mind with inspiration and creativity. This allows you to ensure that your passion for your business never goes out. It allows you to look at things in new ways and think outside the box.
Making time for you is something that you need to build into your work schedule. Without this, you are on a fast-track road to allowing yourself to burnout.
Keep yourself physically active
A form of exercise is a fantastic tool for avoiding burnout as this keeps your mind healthy. This is something that should be practised on a regular basis as it can reduce your stress levels and help to give your wellbeing a sense of balance.
There are lots of forms of exercise that you can practice without making it complicated with gym memberships if that is not what interests you. It could be as simple as going for a walk.
This is something that Carrie often talks about and it is something that I personally also love to do. For me, walking is so underrated as it can really help you to become one with yourself. You can allow your thoughts to run free and calm the mind from the 101 things that you’re normally thinking about.
If you don’t have access to any of the things I have mentioned above then you could do something that I have been practising my entire life. Put your favourite song on, turn the volume up and dance like you just don’t care. Shake your arms and legs to let go of all the stress and tension that is holding you back! It is also something that you can get your family involved in too. It will instantly add a smile to all your faces, especially if you are channelling your inner child!
Help your mental health
Mindfulness can also be an excellent tool for keeping your mental health in a way that allows you to be healthy. It allows you to find focus, calm and clarity within your life. Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe’s TED Talk on “All It Takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes” shares how to be in the here and now.
“There was a research paper that came out of Harvard just recently that said on average our minds are lost in thought almost 47% of the time” – Andy Puddicombe
In the paper that Andy is talking about, psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard University found that “mind-wandering appears to be the human brain’s default mode of operation”.
Andy shares that taking just 10 mins a day can have a massive impact not only in your day but also on your life. If this is something that you struggle with then check out his video where he explains how to practice this in just 10 mins – CLICK HERE.
Don’t be hard on yourself
This is something that I used to be so guilty of in the early days of starting my business. As business owners, we often get swept up in the many things that we have to achieve on our to-do lists. When we don’t actually achieve something we desire, we automatically fall into the mode of being hard on ourselves.
Instead, change this and start practising being proud of yourself. Focus on how far you have come. Carrie always talks about how she is constantly reviewing her goals and what she has achieved. In her video, Why You Should Have A Goal Review Session she shares how she does this.
Looking back on the last 6 months, 12 months and even 3 years, allows you to track how much you have grown on your journey so far. Something that I do is to celebrate the little wins along the way. I love to bullet journal and before I set up a new month, I always write down 10 wins that I have achieved for the past month.
By doing this, it has allowed me to have something to refer back to every time I start to have those negative thoughts of not achieving anything. Once I have done this I then I put on “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang and dance to celebrate my achievements.
“The more you celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey
Surround yourself with positive people
Surrounding yourself with positive people has a massive impact on how you can avoid burnout. When you do this, you allow your life to be filled with positivity. It is always great to have people that think the same way as you do.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn
There are lots of ways to find positive female entrepreneurs that understand what it takes to be in the field. Many of them are wanting to support and connect with others. Reach out into Facebook groups like She Means Business Free community. There are so many amazing groups out there online and in-person.
Seeking help and support by asking these women around you is the key step to take when you start to feel stressed and overwhelmed. I have found this to be something that has allowed me to overcome the difficult times in my life. I have also made new friends and these women now play an important role in my life. Our WhatsApp group is filled with support and advice as well as celebrations for our wins. I honestly couldn’t imagine these women not being part of my life.
Summary
Taking these action steps to avoid burnout can really help eliminate this. They allow you to focus on your journey because that is what you are on. Journeys take time to get to, they take focusing on your goals, taking time out for you and celebrating along the way so that you reach your destination. If you ever feel like it is all too much for you then stop and take some time out to reconnect with yourself.
Have you ever experienced burnout? How did it affect you and what did you do to overcome it? Share with us in the comments section below.
Words by Laura Jane.
