3 Unhealthy Habits That Lead To Business Burnout

Unhealthy Habit Number 1 - Shiny object syndrome

I don't know about you, but I love going to business conferences.

I love the energy, learning new things, meeting new and old friends, and getting that time away from my business to fill my cup. 

However often I also leave feeling completely overwhelmed. 

There would often be guest speakers on running your own webinar, launching FB ads, how to get free PR, the latest tech tools you can implement in your business, how to be a better leader for your team etc. 

While it was all great info… It was completely overwhelming. And left me in a constant state of OMG I NEED TO DO THIS NOW!

So I would start working on it, and get 70% of the way through, before remembering I was meant to also start working on something else… 

The result is I often had 10 projects on the go and zero of them completed. 

Looking back, I get a little annoyed at myself with the amount of money, energy, and time I spent on these projects that often didn’t have any impact on my business. 

It’s so easy to get caught up in the latest thing, especially when you are in the moment and all your business buddies are doing it too. The FOMO is real. 

It takes a lot to say to yourself at that moment, is this something I need to be working on right now? If not, it’s a pass. 

Just remember a no for now doesn’t mean a no forever. 

Unhealthy Habit # 2 - Building too many bridges at once 

This next point adds to my first one. Building too many bridges at once is a recipe for disaster (and burnout). 

In my first business, I offered: 

• Morning and night face-to-face group fitness coaching with nearly 60 women on a weekly basis between 2 separate locations. 
• At the same time, I was trying to build a magazine (which I absolutely loved) but stopped after 6 editions because it was just too much work and money. (However, it did give me a chance to grow my email list/brand very quickly and get credibility). 
• Shortly after I decided to build an app/membership program that failed because it was too much content for people and no structure. Lots of money was lost on this. 
• Lastly, I created a collection of online courses (over 20), and out of those 20, I now only sell 4 on a regular basis. 

It was complete madness! And I was trying to build all these things all on my own (I later grew a team). 

I felt this enormous pressure to create everything for everyone so no one would be left out, but in the process not only did I lose sight of why I started the business in the first place, I completely burnt out in the process and it took a very long time to recover. 

I grew to resent the business, the coaching, the industry, and some of my more demanding clients. 

So build one bridge at a time until it is humming smoothly without you...before attempting to build another bridge to financial freedom. 

Unhealthy habit #3 - Not scheduling time off 

I know this is a tough one for many business owners. 

There is so much to do, but not enough time to do it, and when you finally sit down on the couch to watch Netflix or plan a work-free day, you are overwhelmed with guilt and “I should’s” and open up the laptop again. 

We all know we need to recharge days. 

So why do we let ourselves get to breaking point before taking one? 

Instead, we let the stress build-up, we take it out on our family, friends, and our team members. 

They tell you you need some time off, but we whinge and complain and say we can’t and we don’t have time, simply too much to do. And the cycle continues. 

Loyal team members quit, friends stop inviting you to hang out, and family relationships suffer because you are always thinking about your business. 

When you schedule time off, you get to fill your cup, you get to breathe, you get to create space for new ideas, and you give your brain and body a chance to recover. 

So right now, you have a choice. 

You can continue operating like a Burnt Out Business Owner doing everything in your business and working 60+ hour weeks just to get by... (In fact, that’s exactly what most people do).

OR 

You can be a Free Founder who owns a profitable lifestyle business that can operate without them. 

If that's you, then I invite you to check out my free email course Fast-track to Freedom.

Over 7 days you will discover the common mindset beliefs that are going to keep you time-poor & trapped in your business, and how you can overcome them.

Click here to get access to the free course

Amy x