6 Ways to Avoid Feeling Burned Out On the Job

August is a great month. Summer is at its peak. The call of the beach and the smell of the eternal barbecue can sometimes be hard to avoid this time of year. Good times like these make it difficult to stay inside and focus on growing our businesses and being productive.

It happens to all of us at some point. Business slows down and we allow the pull of summer’s greatest features to take us away from our businesses and work. And even though you’re sure you love what you do you start to resent it for keeping you from doing the other things you enjoy. Small business owners and the self-employed are especially vulnerable to burn out because they have massive amounts of responsibility and pressure placed squarely on their shoulders.

People who get burned out by their work and personal lives can experience depression, severe mood swings, loss of interest, fatigue, and disillusionment. When you’re burned out, problems seem insurmountable, everything looks bleak, and it’s difficult to muster up the energy to care–let alone do something about your situation.

These symptoms can have negative effects at your job or business thus exasperating your problems. If you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout in yourself, remember that it will only get worse if you leave it alone. But if you take steps to get your life back into balance, you can prevent burnout from becoming a full-blown breakdown.

Make sure to take care of #1. If you feel run down, you’ll burn out faster. When you eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep, you have the energy and strength to deal with the demands at your job and in your personal life.

A sure fire way to burn yourself out quickly is to never take a break. We all need time to relax, refresh and rejuvenate. August is the perfect time to take a vacation. Two weeks is ideal but an extended weekend will help ease some of your burnout too. Sometimes taking a break from your work will help you realize what’s important and what you can do better when you return. Take the time to identify the areas that cause you the most stress and problems. Then take steps to deal with the problem, either by changing your work environment or changing the way you deal with the stressor.

It’s also important to take breaks during your work day. Always take a lunch break, even if you’re not hungry. Take a 20 minute walk around the block or parking lot. Turn off your cell phone, don’t check email, and put away your laptop when taking a break. Take a over-all break from work related activities. Taking just a few minutes can help you to maintain a fresh outlook and perspective.

Business may slow down a bit in the summer but I’m sure you feel busier than ever. Summertime comes with increased family time, barbecue, outdoor parties, and more social gatherings in general. All of this cuts into your work time. In the winter you could probably get away with working 10-12 hour days without much grief from your family and friends, but not in summer. If you’re starting to feel a little burnt out trying to squeeze everything, try to maintain a good work-life balance. Ask your family which parties and gathering are the most important to them that you attend, communicate ahead of time with your clients and colleagues if you are going to be out of the office for family or social events, realize your can’t do everything and adjust your expectations. You can always play catch up in September when the kids go back to school and the weather doesn’t tempt you quite as much away from your office.

If you are already burned out, ignoring how you feel won’t make the problem go away. Instead feed your artistic side. Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Take a painting class, start up an old hobby again, or decorate a room. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work and allow you to express your creative, artistic side.

An extension of that is to try to think out of the box. This makes you challenge yourself and spices things up! Find innovative ways to do the tasks you loathe, tweak your current offers in a new way to get better results, or imagine new products or services you can add to your business. The trick is to get your brain out of its rut and to think in new ways that will ultimately uplift your soul.

Until Next Time…

Ethan Warrick

Editor & CEO


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