When you are building a business, or growing your business, there is a tendency to spend extra hours making sure everything is working, clients are served as well as managing all the operations, building your systems, etc. Sooner or later, working long hours without taking time to recharge will lead to what we call, entrepreneurial burnout.

Entrepreneurial burnout can leave you feeling tired and resentful towards your business. It’s essential to get ahead of it early so you can pace yourself and be effective at leading your business.

Successful entrepreneurs know how hard it is to keep up self-care when they’re riding high on success and building momentum, so they form habits that help them stay ahead of things. Budgeting time, like you do your finances, to do the things you love helps keep you fresh.

Entrepreneurial burnout is real! Try these eight tips to help you prevent it:

1. Be on the lookout for warning signs. People feel the effects of burnout in different ways. For example,  you may feel weary and exhausted without the energy necessary to perform. Or maybe you feel sad or stressed out most of the time. Alternatively, you might worry about work all the time, even when you aren’t working. When you’ve found the root of your burnout, it’s easier to take steps to handle it.
2. Take regular breaks. When you feel entrepreneurial burnout creeping up, take a break for your health and well-being. Get ahead of it by working it into your schedule. Anywhere from 10-20 minutes can make all the difference between staying in your zone and getting heavy eyelids while you are working. Try this: Set a timer to work on a task for 25 minutes, when the timer goes off – take a break!
3. Set some goals. Why? Because when you know you have something to work toward, it’s easier to get out of bed in the morning. With goals and dreams, you give yourself a reason to go on, a direction for your energy. Need a little boost to help you set better goals and achieve them? Join my Goal Setting Challenge.
   
4. Try outsourcing. Offload some of your workload to take some pressure off yourself and create more ease in your workweek. Delegate to team members, add consultants, or hire an intern. If you pay someone else to do part of your job, you’ll free up time for yourself—and it will help free your mind to think more clearly and creatively.
5. Identify the source of your burnout and fix it. You’ll have a more challenging time beating burnout if you don’t know what’s causing it. However, it’s easier when you take some time to reflect on where you feel tired, stressed, or resentful. Put some things in writing. Are there things that you’re doing that are causing this feeling? Now that you understand the causes, you can write some goals for removing them.
6. Go on a vacation. Remember: Fun doesn’t have to be expensive. Plan a trip somewhere fun that you can go for a few days. Go for some fresh air, take some time out of your schedule, and return feeling refreshed.
7. Be consistent with your self-care. You can’t expect to get in touch with your feelings and refresh yourself if you don’t take enough time for yourself. Harmony between your business and personal life is critical for mental and physical well-being. Schedule a massage. Go for a walk. Set aside time for meditation. Take yourself to dinner and a movie. Whatever gets you more Zen and less burnout, be consistent with dedicating time to you.
8. Establish firm boundaries. Don’t let your clients or colleagues push you to constantly work late. Instead establish, and stick to, a boundaries of when you will work a little longer and when to say “I’ll schedule that for tomorrow.”

Remember: successful business owners don’t just work harder, they work smarter. They ensure that they have time to do things that are important to them. They make a healthy, harmonized life outside of their business.

Entrepreneurial burnout is real. Plan ahead to stay on top of things and be more effective in your business. You’ll be glad you did!