Doing what you love - and really, truly dedicating yourself to your work - is an amazing feeling. Unfortunately, it can also be hell on earth if you don’t take the steps necessary to take care of yourself. A few years ago, I found myself in that position. I had been working 60-hour weeks for years and I was burned out.
I knew I had to make some serious changes if I wanted to be a happy, productive business owner again. So I stepped back, took a breath, and really reflected on what was important to me. The changes I made ultimately helped me battle my burnout and win.
It’s a sad truth, but you may find yourself in a similar position in the future. Maybe you’re just tired of the rat race. Maybe you’ve been working too many hours, leaving you feeling exhausted and unmotivated. Maybe what use to fuel your passion now bores you to tears. Regardless of how you got burnt out, you can recover. Here are five things you can do to recover from career burnout:
Take a Break
One of the first things I did was evaluate my position at Single Grain, the digital marketing agency I was running at the time. I decided the work was no longer in line with my goals for myself, and I made arrangements with my partner that I would step down and leave him in charge.
You may not need - or want - to completely leave your current work, but you definitely need a break. If at all possible, find a way to arrange an extended vacation or sabbatical. Take a leave of absence if you can. If absolutely nothing else, try to arrange for at least 3-5 days away from the office. One way or another, get off the hamster wheel so you have time to really think about your priorities and goals.
As you take this break, fill your time with things you love. Spend time with your partner, your friends and your family members. Eat good food and drink more beer. Visit new places and use your time to check things off your bucket list. The goal here is to bring the good back into your life. The more you encourage it, the less burned out you’ll feel, and the more insight you’ll discover into how to change your current situation to permanently prevent burnout.
Slash and Burn
Once you’ve taken a break and had the time to refocus, you should have some new level of clarity into the specific aspects of your work that are contributing most to your burnout. Use this insight to map out your way forward.
For example, suppose your sabbatical reveals that, while you love serving your business’s customers, you’re burned out by the demands associated with running a staff. If that’s the case, bring on a HR employee or consultant who can help relieve you of some of your management work. Alternatively, if you love coming up with new product ideas, but hate marketing them, a marketing employee or freelance marketing consultant can help free you from the things that are leading to your burned out state.
Be ruthless with this exercise. Remember, a burned out business owner won’t be in business for long. It’s tempting to think that you’re the only one who can handle your company’s needs, but that’s rarely the case. Expanding your team to help minimize the burdens that are keeping you in a negative place is a positive investment in your company - ego be damned.
Focus on Diet and Exercise
When I was working 60 hours or more a week, I was seriously neglecting my own health. This only made the energy drain of the burnout worse, and I found that I had a hard time recovering from even a common cold. After I stepped back from Single Grain, I took the time to really focus on my diet and exercise, nursing myself back to full energy and health.
Working too many hours or working too hard at the same tasks without variety for years at a time takes a toll on your health. As you navigate your burnout, make time to eat nutritious, good food and get your body moving. You’ll feel much better as you make yourself a priority again. You’ll recover your energy, get sick less often, and be able to think more clearly about the future.
Find a Hobby and Invest In It
One of the things that contributed to my burnout was the fact that I had been so laser-focused on my business that I had no variety left in my life. All I did was get up in the morning and go to work, and then go home at night and worry about work. Sound familiar? My work had made my life boring, which was sad, because I love learning and trying new things.
To combat the effect, I took up a variety of new hobbies over time, including racing cars and Muay Thai. I’m not looking to make a career out of either of these - they’re just fun for me. But I love to try to be the best I can, and the challenge of learning a new skill or hobby like this keeps me feeling fresh and motivated for my actual work.
If you’re feeling burned out because your life is nothing but work, try finding a hobby and investing yourself in it. It doesn’t have to be a deep, life-long passion - although it can be if you want. Whether you take up rock climbing, a musical instrument, or amateur auto racing, do something that will take you away from work and give you some variety in your life.
Get Outside Yourself and Help Others
Finally, take some time and energy to do something for another person or group you care about. Burnout can be like tunnel vision, where your world has narrowed and only involves you, your work, and your emotional struggles. To overcome burnout, expand your vision and reach out to others who need your help.
I like to spend time mentoring other entrepreneurs on clarity.fm, and their passion for business reminds me why I love my work so much. For you, it might be an industry-related charity or even a cause you love that’s completely unrelated to work. You’ll help yourself overcome burnout every time you help someone else, because you’ll start to understand the meaning of your life beyond your work and your struggles.
Overcoming burnout is not simple, and it’s not a 1-2-3 process. However, these four steps helped me overcome burnout, and I think they can you too. Give them a try. Over time, you’ll probably find yourself coming out of your funk with more passion and energy than ever before.
How do you overcome burnout? Share in the comments!
