When we enter winter, small businesses can get super busy. That's great but it also means it's a lot easier to become isolated from friends and family. Burnout is a serious issue for many small business owners who struggle to do it all.
What is burnout?
Constant state of exhaustion and stress as a result of overworking your mental and physical capacity for a prolonged period of time. It cannot be solved with a glass of wine in the evening, it is a prolonged and extensive feeling of being overwhelmed in all aspects of life. Recovering from burnout is a long process, and so prevention is the best way to make sure your capacity isn't effected and your mental health is safe.
1) Set Your Boundaries
This is important in two ways, first setting boundaries with clients as to when you will be in the office over winter. Most people take holiday between Christmas and New Year, but you need to set the expectations early with your clients as to when you won't be contactable. Making sure you set this early solves many problems and disputes before they happen.
Secondly, you need to set boundaries with yourself. Owning a small business often means that there is always more to do, the list is never empty. So to prevent burnout you need to set boundaries with yourself. Whether this be a day off a week, a set time you will leave your desk in the evening or an amount of time per week you will work - these will all prevent burnout.
2) Plan for Fun!
Set yourself fun activities to do to make sure you have things to look forward to this winter. Book a restaurant to eat at, plan a walk with a friend or take yourself out for a spa treatment. These small milestones can make sure you have periods of fun even when work gets stressful. The Enchanted Light Show at Westonbirt Arboretum is a great way to spend an evening in nature (and there's always great hot chocolate available).
3) Break it up - set yourself smaller tasks and goals
Breaking down a task is one way in which you can celebrate the small things, each part of a project is important. Breaking down your projects isn't always easy but you could try using an app like Marvin to help you or Microsoft To Do. These can help you make sure your small business keeps on top of everything despite differing holiday days and Christmas priorities.
4) Delegate tasks you hate
You can always say you don't want to do a task anymore! If you hate it, it bores you or you just can't be bothered anymore you can always look to outsource this to someone else. Whether this be a virtual assistant, an accountant, a professional trainer, outsourcing something you hate can ensure you are left with a more enjoyable time whilst you are working.
Get in touch and let Virtual Diamond help you avoid Winter burnout
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