Navigating Burnout As an Entrepreneur

Building Roadblocks Into Your Routine To Preserve Mental Wellness

We were a bit more than halfway through the year when I was forced to confront something I don’t typically feel until 4th quarter: I was exhausted. In fact, I was so exhausted that a friend had to tell me that perhaps I was burned out because I didn’t recognize the signs myself.

To be honest, it seemed way too early in the year to feel this way, especially as the last few months of the year tend to always be the busiest. Thankfully, (or perhaps unfortunately?) I’ve become a bit of a pro at managing burnout, as it manifests within me at least, even when it peeps its head in at the most unexpected time.

The first step? Identifying my unique signs of burnout:

Lack of Interest in What I do For A Living

So here’s the thing, I love my job. If I didn't, I definitely wouldn’t have started my own agency in this field. But every now and then I find myself avoiding my computer, muting the sound of emails or blocking out my calendar with nonsense because I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with work matters. Once work starts to feel like a chore, I know something is off.

To-Do Lists That Seem To Never Get Done

When I’m beginning to enter my burnout zone, it becomes impossible to even conceptualize the tiny errands and administrative tasks that need to get done. My brain becomes fog and either I get stuck in a loop trying to remember what I said I needed to do, or I actively avoid any to-do lists I may have written down in more productive periods. In this stage, I often feel overwhelmed and unstructured and will resort to taking midday naps.

No Motivation To Do Anything Else

Sometimes, when I’ve managed to complete my work assignments, I find myself sitting on my couch with no plans or ambition to do anything but remain still, scroll through my phone or watch mindless television. While it presents itself as a moment of rest at first, this sedentary choice of action can eventually spiral into several hours, and sometimes even multiple days. When this occurs, the task of planning things to do, even if for fun, feels like a heavy burden that requires too many brain cells- so instead I do nothing.

Work that Takes Longer Than Usual To Finish

When I’m well rested, I have almost supernatural-like abilities. I can see the work that needs to be done and anticipate what my outputs should look like because it all comes together like a picture in my head. In burnout mode however, I struggle to do the simplest things which causes me to get through work much more slowly. Despite this, I will sit in front of my computer all day, determined to "force" the information out of my head, usually to no avail. I often give up around midnight and sacrifice sleep by waking up first thing in the morning to try again.

Work That Suffers

I take a lot of pride in the work I produce for my clients. But when I'm on the verge of burnout, it results in outputs with typos, mistakes or layouts that are not optimal. If I’m lucky, I’ve built in time for edits which allows me time to present new polished versions of my work, but not every project has this built-in flexibility. When this happens, I tend to lay awake at night unhappy with my efforts, scrutinizing every part of the work I’ve submitted.

A Permanent Curmudgeon

The final level of burnout shows itself in my moods. I can be a bit broody at times, but for the most part, my typical disposition in optimistic and happy (with a side of realism of course). But if I find myself complaining about the projects I’m working on or having an attitude about my client interactions, it forces me to take a look in the mirror and ask myself- okay, what’s going on here?

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Unfortunately, I'm not always aware when burnout is happening. Due to the way I immerse myself into my projects, I find that it's often too late once I've realized I'm exhausted or in need of a break. However, I think we all know that pouring from an empty cup yields the worst results. While I haven’t been able to completely shift my way of working, I have been able to design ways to shake up my routine and prevent myself from spiraling into the negative side of burnout.

What’s the secret? Anticipating burnout.

I know that sounds… like an obvious answer but let me explain.

My family was not a vacationing family. Outside of a handful of military sponsored retreats, vacationing was not a word we ever really used in our household. When I got into corporate America, I was shocked at the fact that 1) people actually took vacations, 2) bosses yelled at you for not taking vacation and 3) people had money to take vacation ( I was very underpaid at the time). I eventually learned how to incorporate trips, travel and staycations into my routine, but it always felt forced and unnatural for me.

Now however, I welcome vacation but I have to trick myself into doing so. Often, it’s not until we reach the point of actually needing a vacation that we think “I time to disconnect ASAP!”. For some this may lead to spontaneous trips or random sick days they feel the need to cash in. For entrepreneurs however, it's just never that easy. Because we are the backbones of our businesses, our clients’ main point of contact and the sole source of our income, we don’t always have the luxury of taking off when we feel we’ve had enough. Add to this the fact that it’s not always easy to stop pursuing leads or new potential clients, especially during times when business is slow.

As I enter my 4th year of entrepreneurship, I’ve learned how to be at home in the chaos of comfort and worry. But what has helped ease my nerves significantly is planning ahead and to anticipate my needs before I even know they’re there.

Establishing Quarterly Financial Goals

Now that I’ve gotten a better idea of the types of projects I can sell and the amount of money I can potentially make, I am able to more confidently create quarterly goals for my business. This allows me to see and focus on a bigger target especially when revenue feels uncertain. Instead of fixating on one month to save my revenue dreams, I am able to focus on three months instead (60 more days!) at to accomplish my goals.

This perspective is the same as telling someone they have to figure out how to make $500 in one day vs. 1 week. While it's not guaranteed, the chances of accomplishing the goal increase with more time. Positioning things in this way not only lifts the burden of stress off my shoulders, but, if I make my monetary goal within the first month, it allows me to rest for the remainder of the quarter. Additionally, when I know a project is ending I'm able to anticipate breaks in my schedule and hustle a bit less aggressively. This is drastically different from previous years where I felt the need to do some kind of work related activity every day and every hour and judged myself for not doing so.

Vacation Light Houses

I’m an early planner. And I mean, early. By Jan 1 of each year, I know exactly all of the big-ticket items I’m planning on spending my money on. If I were to wait to plan a vacation at the time I’d need it, I know I’d talk myself out of it. When I do it this way, the money has been spent, the hotel and activities have been booked, and I have no other choice but to commit to the plan I've made for myself.

I also use this time to block out days in my calendar several months in advance which creates immovable barriers around my time and helps to preserve my personal wellbeing. When new RFPs come in, for example, I am able to tell clients upfront the days I won’t be available and they have the ability to plan around these dates. I think the thought of this might be scary for most entrepreneurs, which is understandable, but I’ve never met a client unwilling to make it work. I've even had a client wait three months before beginning a project with me because it was the soonest I’d be able to start working on it. From this process I've learned that I effective at the services I provide my clients which has emboldened me to remain firm about my "me" time.

I call this process creating “vacation light houses” because when I’m lost in a sea of work but know a planned getaway is coming, it’s like seeing a light house up on the shore there to guide me to shore (even if briefly) and to let me know that an end to the storm is near.

Taking Breaks Wherever I Can

My last strategy for dealing with burnout is to give in and stop fighting the inevitable. Sometimes there is a need to listen to our bodies and do the thing that feels unconventional.

In recent years I have come to see how we have been trained to work and/or be stimulated at all times as this was, at some point in our burgeoning society, an indicator of usefulness and importance. But this was true in a time where always-on technology did not exist, and things naturally happened much more slowly. So when I find that I can't concentrate or "go" any longer, occasionally, I give in and choose to do something else, or, like many of my friends, I go to sleep to start strong another day. I call these my spontaneous but much needed days of rest which can happen on a Tuesday or a Friday- the choice is up to me really.

In conclusion, navigating burn out can be tricky, especially if it’s hard to identify. Do whatever works for you to cope, but start by identifying your triggers and signs of burn out and don’t be afraid to let the soft life in every now and then.