Escaping Business Owner Burnout

In today’s world, business owners are increasingly likely to experience burnout at some point in their careers. With supply chain disruptions, inflation, and the ongoing effects of the pandemic, business owners are potentially feeling more overwhelmed than ever before. Burnout is often characterized by complete exhaustion. Not only physical exhaustion but also mental and emotional exhaustion that makes accomplishing what were once simple tasks extremely difficult. Furthermore, people experiencing burnout usually feel discouraged and perform at less than their best. However, small business owners experiencing burnout do not have to continue feeling this way forever. There are ways they can escape it and get back to feeling more like themselves.

Here are six ways small business owners can escape burnout:

1. Prioritize one’s mental health.

Small business owners can take active steps to escape burnout by ensuring they care adequately for their mental health. This means acknowledging when they feel overly anxious and depressed and doing something to alleviate those feelings. This could mean discussing their feelings with family or friends, attending a fun event, or simply having a relaxing movie night. It does not matter what they do if it allows them to unwind and clear their heads.

2. Hire more employees.

A common cause of burnout for small business owners is being overwhelmed with responsibilities and not having enough time to complete. However, they can fight back against this cause of burnout by hiring more employees. If they are financially able to do so, they can shift some of the responsibilities piling up on them to another employee. This will even out their workload and make it easier for them to finish their work. If hiring is not an option, outsourcing or accessing vendors to provide support, such as a payroll provider, could alleviate stressors. Furthermore, this should free up some of their time and allow them to rededicate it to doing something that makes them happy.

3. Know when to take a break.

Small business owners commonly fall victim to burnout when they neglect to give themselves breaks throughout their work days. While pushing themselves to be as productive as possible throughout the day might sound beneficial, it causes more harm than good in the long run. Refusing to take breaks and give themselves time to refresh their minds can lead small business owners to make more errors, take more time to complete tasks, and ultimately become burnt out. Therefore, small business owners must recognize when they must walk away from a job for 20 to 30 minutes to give themselves time to recharge and decompress.

4. Take care of oneself.

Another way small business owners can strive to escape burnout is by ensuring they take proper care of themselves. Although it is not always easy, since many feel like they have to be on the clock at all times, they must ensure they get enough sleep, exercise, and eat a balanced diet. When small business owners take these steps, they benefit not only their physical health but also their mental and emotional health. While it may not always be easy to complete these tasks, doing so boosts one’s mood and makes one feel more rested overall. When this consistently occurs, the symptoms of burnout slowly begin to subside.

5. Go on vacation.

Sometimes, small business owners must remove themselves from their everyday environments to escape burnout. The perfect way to do this is by going on vacation. Even if it is just for a weekend, small business owners can help themselves relax and unwind by taking a trip to a place they love. Whether they wish to go camping or head to the beach, removing themselves from their workplaces to go to their happy places will help them ease the symptoms of burnout they are experiencing. While it may not be a total fix, paired with the other strategies, it will help them begin moving in the right direction toward a burnout-free life.

6. Dive into a new hobby.

Although taking on more responsibilities is the last thing any small business owner would want to do when experiencing burnout, picking up a new hobby may help them relax and give them something to look forward to. When small business owners can focus on something that makes them happy, they spend less time worrying and thinking about their responsibilities that stress them out and make them unhappy. This energizes them and gives them something positive to channel their energy into when they go home each day or need to take a break from work. Hopefully, the joy this new hobby brings them will act as a catalyst for escaping burnout. Experiencing burnout is something many small business owners will go through during their careers. However, that does not mean they should have to suffer through the symptoms. Small business owners should feel empowered to take active measures to escape burnout. When they do so, not only are they benefiting themselves but also their entire businesses as a whole. After all, their businesses can only run as successfully as the driving forces behind them. PaySmart is a payroll provider in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, supporting small businesses in the Central PA region. We are dedicated to helping small businesses take care of their payroll needs. To learn more about how PaySmart may provide payroll solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us at 717-766-1777. Our New Client Concierge is waiting for you!