How to recognize (and overcome) small business owner burnout
When it comes to understanding business-owner burnout, there’s plenty of research that shows how it leads to work-related issues such as job dissatisfaction, poor decision making, and higher employee turnover. It also impacts a person’s mental and physical well-being. And even though most research generally focuses on employees in large organizations, there are even more concerns when looking closely at entrepreneurs and small business owners.
In fact, some studies suggest that entrepreneurs are at a higher risk of burnout because of how personal their work is and how passionate they are about it. When people take the risk to strike out on their own, they also seem to become more socially isolated, have less safety nets and higher uncertainties.
Burnout exists. Even more so in the lives of small business owners. That’s why it’s so critical to recognize the signs of burnout, learn the best ways to manage it and maybe even build some capacity to help avoid it in the future.
Signs of burnout
While burnout might not be a diagnosable medical condition, the World Health Organization does list it under the category of occupational phenomenon. If you’ve been feeling more exhausted and less productive, you are not alone. The focus of employee wellbeing tends to be just that - on the wellbeing of employees. But what about business owners? Whether you are selling a product or providing a service, small business owners are ‘always on’ for their business. That’s enough stress to flatten any normal person - add on the burden of a global pandemic and too many mandates to keep track of, it’s no wonder we’re all starting to see signs of burnout in each other.
Seeing these signs is not always straightforward, but asking yourself some simple questions (and answering them honestly) will give you a good place to start:
Are most of your days leaving you feeling drained and overwhelmed?
How are you sleeping? Is your sleep disrupted or are you having trouble falling asleep?
Are you having trouble concentrating? Is that lack of focus affecting your ability to get things done and amounting to lower productivity?
Is your life outside of work starting to suffer? Are you able to enjoy down time or time spent with family or friends?
Overcoming burnout
No matter how much superhuman effort we put into our work and our businesses, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Trying to squeeze in more time for work might be an okay strategy in the short term, but very quickly turns into a recipe for chronic stress, less-than-stellar performance, and worst of all… apathy towards these businesses we’ve built with so much passion and care.
With so many resources and support at your disposal, for someone already overwhelmed, it can actually feel more like a burden to try and pull yourself out if you’re already experiencing burnout. So, here’s a place to start.
Strike a balance
That same study from Harvard Business Review that warns small business owners of their increased susceptibility to burnout also found that those who were “harmoniously passionate” about their business fell on the opposite side of the spectrum.
These business owners, instead, maintained that much needed balance between their work and other activities without feeling guilty about it. It can feel difficult to set aside that effort to build your business, for even a moment, but how are you prioritizing life outside of work? What if, next time, you chose a date night over a networking event? What if you took the day off to read a book or walk your dog? That time off could be everything you needed to go back to being ‘always on’ when you’re at work.Put everything on a calendar
Saying someday instead of setting a date or deadline often leads to nothing getting done. This applies to both work and personal life. If you’ve been talking about that time off or sitting down with your team to strategize, I’m here to tell you it won’t happen unless it makes it onto the calendar. It’s not because you don’t want to. It’s because those thoughts are fleeting unless you’ve got a reason to keep them top of mind.
Schedule everything. Don’t rely on yourself to remember every note or idea. It can be very freeing to relinquish that power and, instead, build in a process to set your schedule. This also helps you actually see where your time is being spent. Going back to striking a balance, if you have the calendar telling you what’s happened and what’s next - maybe it’ll help you think twice about saying yes or no to that next invite.Protect your time
Whether it’s a client you don’t click with or a project you don’t want to do, it’s okay to acknowledge that you can’t do it all. You likely started your business to do what you do best and in your own way. Remember what that feels like.
The shift from “how can I give more” to “how can I give best” can be a game-changer. What if instead of pouring ourselves 24/7 into our businesses, we carve out dedicated, quality time to do our very best work?
What if we fiercely protect our time and choose to be:
~ Efficient rather than productive
~ Intentional instead of reactive
~ Inspired and not simply exhaustedDon’t do everything yourself
When you try to do it all, you spread yourself too thin. Letting go of smaller tasks and learning how to delegate is a skill that will seriously pay for itself in the long term. At Approach, we might be a little biased, but we’ve seen our clients truly flourish when their time is freed up to focus on what they are best at.
Whether your next project can be handled with the help of a virtual assistant or your searching for a partner to review your organizational development or HR goals, know that one way to alleviate your susceptibility to burnout is to find a person or partner you trust to help you. And Approach is here to help you do that.
That entrepreneurial spirit is very real and a force to be reckoned with. A person’s passion drives them to build a career or business that fits them and provides purpose. There can be a dark side to that passion, however, as increased levels of concentration, attention and obsession start tipping the scales in an unbalanced direction.
It is critical for any person, but especially a small business owner (and even more importantly a woman small business owner) to always keep your bigger picture in mind. When you only take from the well and don’t put anything back in, your wellbeing, your employees and, ultimately, your business suffers. Be brave enough to give your best instead of always just giving more.