Last updated on June 21st, 2023 at 05:00 pm
Burnout is as real as it gets. 65% of adults in the US said that they had felt burnout. Startup burnout or startup exhaustion deteriorates not only professional life but also affects personal life.
If startup burnout goes unchecked, it can take a toll on your productivity and relationship on both personal and professional fronts.
Can you do anything about it? Is there any way to overcome burnout?
The answer is a big resounding YES. How?
In today’s post, I will share with you seven proven ways to fight startup or small business owner burnout. After reading this post, you will know how to overcome it
How to Fight Startup Burnout
1. Be Realistic in Your Goals
Startup burnout is a product of fatigue and/or disappointment. If we take care of our fatigue and disappointment, we can avoid burnout.
If we dig deeper, we will find that fatigue and disappoints are often the outcomes of trying to achieve unrealistic goals.
Jayson DeMers said,
The solution is to set more conservative expectations for yourself and your business, in terms of your goals, hopes, daily tasks and everything in between.
There is nothing bad about being optimistic and setting high goals. But we should understand that there is no shortcut to success. Things take time. Your growth cannot be double overnight.
If you set an unrealistic target, you tend to feel fatigued due to overwork. And when the target eludes you, there will be disappointment. All this will lead to startup burnout.
So always be realistic in your goals to keep burnout at bay.
2. Set Boundaries
The entrepreneurial journey is never easy. You need to take care of both personal and professional life. A fine balance is a must between home and work.
But, many times, startup owners are not able to maintain this balance. They mix up their personal and professional lives, which is also a common reason for startup burnout.
You should make sure that there is no work when you are home or on weekends. Also, setting boundaries around using digital devices during off-hours will help you avoid burnout.
3. Delegate Unimportant Tasks
Being a startup owner doesn’t mean you should entangle with petty tasks and exhaust yourself daily. If you keep doing unimportant tasks, you will drain yourself.
And many times, you will not have time and energy for important tasks. Incomplete important tasks can make you feel disappointed. If this continues for a long period, you will feel startup burnout.
So, you should never do tasks that you can easily delegate to others. You can hire a virtual assistant if you don’t have enough people to delegate tasks.
Related: Tasks Startup Owners Should Stop Doing Immediately
4. Motivate Yourself
Even if you love your startup, you might feel burnout from time to time. Perhaps, your products are not creating a big buzz in the market, or you are losing sight of your original motivations.
The best way to deal with it is to remember why you launched your startup. You started because you believed in your idea, you started because you believed in your vision, you started because you wanted to be your own boss.
Thinking about why you started can give you the needed push to overcome burnout. Incorporating regular breaks into your workday can help you overcome burnout and stay motivated.
5. Sleep Well, Eat Well, and Play Well
When burnout sets in, your body and mind need sleep more than you think. Make sure you get plenty of good sleep to restore body and mind.
The same is true for food as well. You might be skipping meals due to excess workload. It is time you should get your eating on schedule and start eating healthy stuff like lean protein, greens, fruits, and veggies. And minimize caffeine and sugar intake.
Also, getting a life helps overcome burnout. Take a fitness class, play a game of chess with your buddy, and hang out with your friends.
If you sleep well, eat well, and play well, there is no reason why wouldn’t be able to fight burnout.
6. Consider a Support Group
When I say support group, I don’t mean you should go for a therapeutic group. In fact, you don’t need that one unless you are not able to keep your head above water.
You can take the help of organizations and startup blogs, which offer mentoring. Also, meeting your casual friends and venting and sharing ideas can help fight burnout.
Rediscovering your passion can also be a great help in overcoming startup exhaustion.
7. Go for a Vacation
Many of us feel guilt when we stop working. However, a break from work is necessary to avoid burnout.
Richard Branson said,
Ditch any guilt you might feel about stopping work”, schedule some you time in your planner and “make this relaxation time a priority.
There are scientific reasons that vacations are good for your health. Not only you will feel rejuvenated after spending quality time with your family on a vacation but also you will strengthen family bonding.
So, the next time you feel startup burnout, go for a family vacation. I guarantee that you will feel a lot better after that.
Related: How To Manage A Remote Team Efficiently In Your Startup
Conclusion:
Entrepreneurial burnout is common. Startup owners feel frustrated at some time or other in their lives. But a good thing is you can fight burnout.
Being realistic in your goals, knowing your limits, changing the routine, motivating yourself, taking the help of a support group, and going for a vacation are a few proven ways to overcome startup burnout. Also, sleeping well, eating well, and playing well help a lot in avoiding burnout.
What about you? Have you ever felt burnout? If yes, how did you overcome it? Do share your thought in the comment section. I’d love to hear about it.
Additional Resources:
sleeping well is a very well put point. I have seen most startup entrepreneurs including myself lose sleep for the sake of “hustle”. when i started fulfilling my sleep quota, i saw an exponential increase in the quality of fresh ideas i started incubating. thanks for sharing
Thanks Sid for sharing your thought.
Hey Sandeep, this is indeed a very useful post. You have rightly pointed out the important of going for a vacation. I’ve personally felt that this is one of the best ways to overcome burnout.
Thanks Summer, you liked it.
Your posts on startup are really helpful for me. Going through your posts on startup have helped me in gathering profound knowledge about this field. Thanks for this post.