When having a business of your own, you more than anyone understand the importance of not allowing yourself to burnout. We try to avoid this at all costs due to the consequences it can have on our employees and business value. So what can lead to a burnout? Most of the time we think we have everything under control but there are some things we can keep on top of that will limit the risk of you burning out. These include: constant financial and emotional stress, overworking and pressure. These lead to brain fog, reduced motivation and lack of direction for your business. So what can we do to avoid this? We explain how!

The 4 Vital Steps

We’ve compacted the ways into which we can work towards avoiding burnout into 4 vital steps. By following these steps you’ll be managing and taking care of your business much more efficiently in no time.

1. Define specific goals

When working out your own personal goals , we advise that you work them out over a midterm (12 month) basis but also over a weekly and daily basis. This way you don’t become overwhelmed by such big goals that seem entirely out of reach. Also, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck with mundane little goals which feel too easy. For daily tasks, tackle the most difficult task first and then focus on the smaller tasks thereafter. When reaching one of your goals you also have to make sure you celebrate! This way your hard work is noticed and praised instead of just looked over.

2. Delegate responsibilities

“I’ll do it myself so it’s definitely done properly” is a common mindset for business owners and it almost always leads to overload and unnecessary stress. So to avoid this, we advise that you work out what’s taking up the majority of your day and work on a plan on how you can delegate some of the easier tasks to your team. Maybe, if you can, even document it either in writing via some simple steps or screen record the instructions so that anyone can pick it up in the future. You’ll be surprised how many of the tasks which consume your day you can actually delegate.

3. Exercise

It’s plain to see that making sure you do some form of exercise everyday can improve your health and mood. Even just making sure you leave the office to go outside into the sun and fresh air once a day will provide you with tons of benefits. By making sure your mental health is kept in check, the benefits will feed into your work and fellow employees. Everyone being happy and reducing stress will help avoid you burning out.

4. Time management

Lastly, forming a schedule that includes your work, breaks and everything in between, will allow you to feel less stressed. Try to stick to this as close as possible but also make sure that on those busy days that run away from you, not to be too hard on yourself if you couldn’t follow it exactly. When you’re planning, make sure to set aside some time where you can activate your off switch. This will allow your mind to relax and reset so you can think more clearly and work more efficiently.