Just about all ads that fall in the “be your own boss” category bring up the fact that running a business can unchain you from the burdens of your current lifestyle. While this sounds great, anyone who actually runs their own business knows that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As an employee of a company, you may have a ton of responsibilities. But at the end of the day, the fate of that company isn’t resting on your shoulders. However, when you’re actually running the show, that’s exactly the position you’re in. Because of this constant pressure, it’s common for business owners to experience what marathon runners refer to as “hitting the wall.” This is the point where you feel like every shred of your mind and body is telling you not to go on.
Although a business owner metaphorically hitting the wall may not have the same dramatic impact as a marathon runner literally collapsing in the street, the result of burnout can be just as severe. If you feel like you’re teetering on the brink, here are some tips that can help you get back on the track that you want:
Take a Vacation
While you probably feel like everything is going to fall apart if you’re away from your business for more than a few hours, the truth is that thanks to everything you’ve built, you should be able to go away for a week or more without any issues. If you can’t remember the last time that you took a vacation, this may be all that you need to clear your mind, bring down your stress and remember why you started your own business in the first place.
Deal with Issues Outside of Work
Many people who work 12 to 16 hours a day do so because they’re trying to avoid issues in their personal life. If this is the situation you’re in, regardless of how many hours you work a day, those issues are still going to be there. Unless you actually tackle them, they’re always going to be a cloud that’s hanging over your head.
Strengthen Your Life Outside of Work
Even if you don’t have any issues in your personal life, the fact that you’ve been working so hard for so long means you’ve probably neglected friends, family, activities and other things that you used to really enjoy. By once again making these parts of your life a priority, you can remind yourself that there’s more to life than just working.
Delegate
If your business has grown a lot but you’re still trying to micromanage everything, it’s time for you to start delegating. You’ve hired smart and capable employees, so do everyone a big favor by letting them do their job.
Automate
Along the same lines as delegating, if you’re getting burned out because you find yourself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over again, it’s time to take a close look at your business and find out if there are time consuming tasks that a developer can automate for you.
Jeff Adcock is the president of Veritrans Merchant Services which is a online credit card processing firm headquartered in Houston TX. Go here for more information.