What do business owners and new parents have in common?
Exhaustion, being constantly surrounded by people who can’t seem to anything themselves, never having enough time, and having to multitask a million different things at once every waking hour of the day. It’s no wonder business owners and new parents burn out.
Unfortunately for you, you can’t call a babysitter to watch your business when you’re on the verge of a breakdown.
But there ARE some things you can do to avoid burning out at the hands of your business. With these four new tips (and one you’ve heard 100 times already but refuse to actually DO), you can have it all … including your sanity.
Tips to avoid burnout that will actually make a difference
- Do a gut check – Are you still inspired by your work? Not every day running your own business is going to be a trip to Disneyland, but they shouldn’t all be like a root canal either. If you’re on the edge of burnout, ask yourself “What’s really the issue?”It may just be a lack of sleep that’s driving you to the edge, or it may be something deeper. Is something in your business out of line with your own values or dreams? You got into business to fulfill yourself, not just to take home a paycheck. If your business or its practices have veered off the path you believe in, it may be time to make some changes.
- Give energy-vampires a garlic bomb – Your staff may be filled to the brim with the brightest minds in your industry, but if they spend all day scowling at assignments, criticizing their coworkers, or just generally bringing “bad energy” to the office, you may have unwittingly hired vampires – energy vampires. Negative people can suck the life out of anyone and make any bad situation 100 times worse. Don’t let these energy vampires drain your brain – inspire them to be more positive or send them out the door.
- When you invest in you, you invest in your company – Take a vacation already. Stop making excuses! When you drop dead of a heart attack from stress at 40, all your hard work building your company will amount to one thing – a nice funeral that you won’t even get to attend. So go ahead and do things for yourself that will relax and energize you. A vacation, a motorcycle, a yoga class – whatever makes you forget about work will help you focus on work, too.
- Delegate, delegate, delegate – James Bond has Q. Batman has Robin. Will Ferrell has John C. Riley. Even the greats need help to pull off their most-impressive feats. So do you. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Hire great people, train them, and then trust them. When you have highly trained, highly skilled people on your team, they’re not just your employees, they’re your support system.
- Listen to the easiest, most common-sense advice that nobody takes – When you eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep, you’ll function better (and so will your business). It’s tempting to stay up all night eating junk food and coffee to get everything done, but, in the long term, it’s just going to damage your ability to manage your business. When you take care of you, you’ll be better able to take care of business.
About Capital Solutions Bancorp
Capital Solutions Bancorp provides working capital funding to businesses just like yours every day. If your company needs working capital to grow, or if you’d like to have a backup plan in place for unexpected expenses, call Capital Solutions Bancorp today at 800-499-6179 or visit us online at www.capitalsolutionsbancorp.com.
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