Are you in the Burnout Danger Zone? You work hard, but there are endless hours of more “stuff” that needs to get done. You’re under pressure. And you’re uninspired to create and build new opportunities within your business or life. How do you avoid burnout as an entrepreneur?
Here are five tips to avoid burnout.
1. Identify Your Most Significant Stressors
Procrastination on tasks can be a strong signal that you aren’t the right person to be completing it.
Take note if you consistently put certain tasks at the bottom of your to-do list. These are prime tasks for delegation to your Highly-skilled Executive Assistant or other members of your team.
Even just identifying those dreaded tasks can help get you to a healthier place. By remaining aware of the stressors in your life, you can more successfully avoid burnout as an entrepreneur.
2. Create an Action Plan
Creating an action plan with clear milestones is the first step in any successful project. This type of planning leads to more mindfulness and less stress as you work through challenging projects.
Break down big steps for tasks into smaller steps, and focus on the task at hand, knowing the next steps can wait their turn.
Write things out of your head. When you have a thought or concern, jot it down on paper, record a voice memo, or type it out. Then store it away for when you’ve finished the task at hand. Let your mind focus on what’s in front of you.
3. Use Your Calendar as Your Ally
Time management is often used as a planning tool, but it can also be key to avoiding burnout.
With a quantifiable timeline, you can objectively measure your success rather than letting fearful estimations tell you whether or not you are staying on pace.
4. Embrace Delegation
There are precious few tasks that are truly best suited to you. Delegate any task that you can’t bring unique creativity or effort to.
Mark O’Donnell of EOS Worldwide stresses just how critical delegating tasks is to freeing up an entrepreneur’s time and energy. He states, “Finding people to whom you can delegate will also give you the bandwidth to step back and see the bigger picture.”
Just because you can do everything doesn’t mean you should.
5. Limit Time Available for Work
Finding downtime is one of the hardest things to prioritize, but it is also the best way to maintain balance.
If work expands to fill the time allotted, be sure the time you’re allocating isn’t expansive. Schedule blocks of time to spend with friends and family so that when it is time to work again, you come back refreshed. You’ll be able to see your team performs in your absence, and you’ll come back feeling even better than before.
Conclusion
It can be hard to get to the other side when you’re just surviving in the Burnout Danger Zone. Your business and relationships suffer when you don’t have mental space to think strategically and recharge.
Our Superpowers Executive Assistants can proactively help you avoid burnout so you can be a hero to those who are counting on you.
