"I hate this and I hate having to do it every single day"
Have you even found yourself saying this? When we first open a business or start a new job we are generally pumped and excited about the new venture.
You see the sky as the limit and want to do nothing else, but work on your new venture. It's all that crosses your mind and all you can think about.
You find yourself thinking...
"Man I am so lucky to be able to do this every single day, day in and day out".
But as the years progress on and as the you become more and more engulfed into what you're doing there's a little monster on your shoulder that always whispers in your ear...
"I hate this"
or
"I don't really want to do this today"
Why does this happen? In my opinion it's because as you trudge along day after day and as the business grows or fails to grow it requires much more from you than ever before and with that requirement introduces the need for effective systems and staff.
A lot of businesses fail to introduce those systems and to find that staff. So this leaves the business owner as the one responsible for doing everything often for 12+ hours a day.
Now working hard and long hours is okay if it's what you really love to do, but even with that you need to introduce systems and staff to manage the tedious work behind the scenes and to make sure the business grows effectively and that you can take a high level look at everything to ensure optimal growth.
Now, how do you spot the burnout?
- When you start waking up in a bad mood, because you have to go to work or to run your business
- When you find yourself less and less excited to perform your daily tasks
- When you care only enough to put 50% effort into your business
- When you find yourself not trying to grow and build and when you start looking at alternative options
- When you start becoming emotionally damaged and depressed
You're probably thinking...
"What do I do when the burnout hits me?"
I have a few pieces of advice for you.
- Get yourself an exit plan, find staff to replace you and systems to replicate what you do
- Take a 2 week vacation. Everyone should get at least 2 weeks a year to get away from it all, but you have to remember that all your problems will come right back when you get home
- Don't be a shit bag to the people you work with or to those who work under you. I can't stress this one enough. These people are literally there to support you and your business and there is no need to take it out on them. They 100% do not deserve it.
- Don't half ass work that you're paid by clients or customers to do. Why in the world would you take it out on the people who pay you to do a service? They deserve your best effort and if you can't give it to them or you just don't care, then you should not be in business anymore.
If you're feeling the burnout get someone to help you, find a mentor or look to sell your business. The high stress, high workload life of the entrepreneur is not for everyone and if it's not for you that's 100% okay.
You just need to be able to spot the burnout before it becomes a serious problems and takes a toll on not only your business life , but your emotional well being as well.