How I Overcame Business Burnout

I have been unfortunate to suffer from burnout twice in my life. Once as an Ironman Endurance Athlete, and second as a Business Owner. 

While vastly different stressors led to the feeling of burnout - the symptoms presented the same: 

• Overwhelmed 
• Overworked 
• No work/life balance 
• Strains on relationships (friendships, family, intimate partners)
• Weight fluctuations 
• Disrupted sleep cycles 
• Mood swings 
• Unmotivated 
• Bitterness/resentment to what has caused you to feel this way 

Maybe you are nodding your head along in agreement as you too, feel the symptoms of burnout. 

So how did I overcome it?

Well since I didn’t learn my lesson the first time, I will share with you what I did the second time around. 

Step One - Set Boundaries

 When I first started out in my business, I didn't even know business boundaries existed...

As a result, I would always: 

• Say yes to any business requests (even when I really wanted to say no) 
• Work late into the night and on weekends
• Prioritized my client's happiness above my own
• And more

Now, I make sure any big business decisions operate in alignment with my core values and boundaries. 

If something is going to take too much of my time and energy, or if I'm not excited about it, I have no trouble saying no thanks, it's not in alignment with my core values. 

And before working with a new client, I will tell them how they can contact me, the hours I work, and other boundaries I now have in place before working with them, so expectations are managed. 

Step Two - Create the business YOU want

One of my favorite quotes is "Don't take advice from people who are not qualified to give it"

I made this mistake with my first business, and would constantly ask my friends and family for business advice. 

I even let my clients vote on how I should run programs in my business, which led me to feel overwhelmed and overworked as I tried to please everyone. 

In the end I not only lost my passion for the business, I wanted nothing to do with it.

You have full permission to design your business however you want and set the rules. 

If you want to work only 4 days a week - you can! 

If you want to only do the strategy & behind the scenes - you can! 

Create the business you want, not the one your clients want. 

If someone makes a suggestion, definitely take it on board, but look at it objectively and ask yourself, is this in alignment with how I want to operate my business and my core values?

And if not, then let it go. 

After all, it is your blood, sweat, tears, and equity that built this business from the ground up. 

Step Three - Prioritise your business around your life, not your life around your business. 

Do you enter the week with a long to-do list, and exit the week with an ever bigger to-do list? 

Maybe you constantly find yourself putting out fires every day, rather than actually working ON your business? 

If so then it looks like we have a time management problem. 

A big mistake a lot of business owners make, is they don't schedule their days, weeks & months, and leave it to chance.

I was the same, in fact, I didn't like committing to anything, because I thought it took away my freedom.

It was only when I started creating my CEO Calendar that I realized, the more I planned, the more freedom I created. 

Step Four - Duplicate Yourself

As a former perfectionist and slight control freak, this one was probably the hardest one to work through. 

We have been told we can’t do everything ourselves - yet we still try to. 

We have been told you can say no - yet we still say yes. 

The thing is, this mentality is going to keep you trapped working in your business and on the path to business burnout.  

So what does duplicating yourself look like? 

• It’s systemizing your business so tasks can be completed by someone other than you
• It’s automating a bunch of repetitive tasks so they work seamlessly in the background. 
• It’s delegating and outsourcing non-incoming producing tasks so you can spend your time and energy on income-producing tasks that are going to move your business forward. 

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 Fastrack to Freedom. 

Over 7 days you will unblock the 7 mindset beliefs that are keeping you time-poor & trapped in your business. 

Click here to get access to the free course

Amy x