As a creative entrepreneur, there are going to be many days where you want to throw in the towel. Without setting up the right boundaries to help you manage your days, working all the time might be your reality. Burnout can be a real thing for small business owners. When you pour your soul into your passion or work, it’s easy for it to take over every area of your life. Today, I want to give you a few tips for how to prevent burnout for entrepreneurs so you can keep building the life you dream of.
How To Prevent Burnout For Entrepreneurs
1. Time Block
It might seem tedious, but time blocking can be really useful. First, let’s talk about what time blocking is. Time blocking is “a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks.” When you time block, you are committing to accomplishing chosen tasks in a certain amount of time. Typically, you can set a timer and focus in on only the tasks that are dedicated to that time slot. When the timer is up, you would move on to the next thing on the list and begin again.
Time blocking is helpful because it removes all other distractions if it’s done correctly. If you aren’t sure where to start, I created a FREE Daily Planner Worksheet to help you begin to time block. When you schedule focused time to accomplishing daily tasks, getting more done is inevitable. You will feel more productive and you will likely get more done. Plus, you might realize that you don’t HAVE to work a lot of hours in one day to get everything done. Typically, a few solid time blocked hours will do the trick.
Check out the Daily Planner Sheet right now! It’s FREE and will help you begin to time block and is one way how to prevent burnout.
2. Gratitude Journaling
Focusing on gratitude is one step that cannot be missed. When you practice daily gratitude, you take the opportunity to slow down enough to be thankful. Many times, creative entrepreneurs simply burnout because they don’t take enough time to slow down. Small business owners can be so consumed with reaching the next goal, that it’s hard to see all that they have today. Therefore, when you practice gratitude it allows you to slow down a few minutes a day which can really help in preventing burnout.
My favorite tool to help me practice gratitude is the Make Every Day Stellar 31 Day Gratitude Journal. With ample space to write and a lot of room to process, this journal is an excellent way to begin to form a gratitude habit.
Burnout doesn’t have to happen as an entrepreneur. Making space for gratitude is calming to the heart, mind, and your spirit. Striving to reach goals is awesome. But, it’s equally important to take a few minutes to be thankful for where you are and how far you’ve come.
3. Take A Bath
So, something I always tell my team when they’re having a bad day is to “Have a glass of wine, take a bath, and go to bed!” And guess what? It works!
Sometimes what you need is a solid reset to your day. When days like this happen, it’s really important to recognize it and to actively take the break you need. The misconception here is that in order to be refreshed, you need to take an entire week off. While a vacation might be in order, that’s not always possible. Don’t confuse the need for a vacation and simply a good night’s sleep.
Have you had a bad day? Just decide that your work day is done today. Go get your favorite glass of wine or beverage of choice. When I’m having wine, I love Barefoot Moscato. Draw a hot bath and soak for a good long while. Light a candle. Use a bath bomb or this awesome Herbal Mineral Bath. Get out and apply my favorite body butter. Pamper yourself and go to sleep after that bath. You’ll wake up in the morning feeling somewhat if not all the way better. If your problems aren’t solved, you’ll at least have a refreshed mindset and clearer focus.
4. Create A Morning Routine
While we aren’t all morning people, I think creating a routine in the morning that works for you is essential. Dedicate that short amount of time to a few simple things that aren’t work related. You could get a workout in or practice meditation or journaling. Drink your coffee hot and sit in the quiet if that’s what get’s you going. Maybe you love to read and you could use the mornings to get a chapter or two in!
Whatever the case may be, setting up some type of routine is one way how to prevent burnout. In order to read more details about creating a morning routine, check out this blog post I did.
5. Take Time For Regular Breaks
If you are working 24/7 and don’t create any space to breathe, you will burnout. Making space for breaks daily is good, but some days it just isn’t possible. When you can, take those small moments to take a break. Make an iced coffee, do a 15 minute workout, or simply don’t forget to eat lunch. The struggle is real! Take little breaks wherever you can to refresh your mind.
More importantly, it’s important to schedule longer breaks. To start, set a bedtime and stick to it. Get up in time and get a jump on your morning routine. Set boundaries in your day for mealtimes or schedule an occasional coffee with a friend. If you are time blocking correctly, you can time block small daily breaks that help refresh your spirit.
On top of that, schedule time to take a vacation. While this isn’t always possible, even a quick day trip somewhere close by can really help. It’s inexpensive and not a large commitment. But, it can help refocus you so you can keep going with creating your business. Regular breaks are essential to sustaining the world and life of an entrepreneur. But, no one is going to schedule these breaks for you. You have to take charge and make sure you’re taking care of yourself.
There are many more things that you can be doing to help prevent burnout.
It’s important not to get overwhelmed. Find even one way to step into creating space for yourself, and you’ll see how much it can truly help.
As a creative entrepreneur, you can drive however fast or slow you’d like to go. No matter what speed you are going, it’s important to learn how to prevent burnout. Listen to your body. Make space to hear your mind. Days of building your goals can be hard, but one thing is true. The only way to fail is if you quit!
Have A Stellar Day,
Jess xo
PS: Don’t forget to join the Make Every Day Stellar Facebook Group! It’s where I share daily health, wealth and ways to find joy. Would love to have you!
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