It’s not uncommon that fatigue starts making itself felt around this time of year. Half the year has passed in no time at all, you’ve been working hard, it is vacation season, and you’re tired. If you let it get out of control, however, Business Burnout, can have some consequences – physical, emotional, and financial.
Business Burnout doesn’t just affect yourself, either. It can impact your employees and their morale. No surprise then that it’s worth keeping a tight control on the workplace exhaustion before it becomes full blown burnout.
As you head into the third quarter of the year, ask yourself the following questions to test yourself for Business Burnout:
What gets me up in the morning?
If you struggle to answer this question, that could be a red flag. Being able to pinpoint what gets you excited for the day is usually a great motivator by itself.
If you can’t think of something you’re excited about, it might be time to try to identify a new goal or passion in your workplace. They say change is as good as rest, after all. The energy you put into pursuing it will help you realize what is important to you, and which aspects of your life you want to change for a more fulfilling future.
What aspect of my job do I like the least?
If there’s something in the workplace contributing to the sense of fatigue, it may be time to make a change. What that change is is entirely up to you. You may want to delegate it to someone else and take on a new responsibility. Or maybe there are technology options worth investing in that reduce its impact on you.
The only thing for sure is: until you identify what you don’t like, you can’t make a plan to fix it.
What keeps me awake at night?
Do you have any problems that keep bothering you? Why haven’t you solved them yet? Do you know how to solve them? Much like dealing with aspects of your job that you dislike, the first part of keeping worries at bay is identifying and confronting the problem.
Reflect on what is bothering you and determine what actions you are capable of doing to alleviate the problem. If it is completely outside your control, then worrying about it is only going to be detrimental since there is no way for you to resolve the problem.
How much time am I spending taking care of myself?
Be honest. Self-care is incredibly important for long-term happiness and fulfillment. Exercising, learning new things, surrounding yourself with great people, and countless other activities are all examples of doing things that positively affect your well-being and make you feel great. If you’re not taking enough time for you… well, it is vacation season.
What things should I not be doing?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by mountains of work. Often, either we feel the need to take on everything personally or perhaps took on tasks that ended up being larger than we expected.
You must reflect on whether these tasks are only able to be completed by you and you alone, or if this is something you can delegate to somebody who is able to do them just as well.
Am I making enough money?
Money can cause stress to any income bracket. Consider how much effort you put into your work. Then, evaluate whether your income is sufficient to compensate for that amount of effort.
If it is insufficient, ask yourself: how are you going to change what you’re doing to make more money?
Be honest: how did you make out on the test for Business Burnout? If you’ve been pushing yourself to soldier on because “there’s just too much work to do,” these questions might help give you a wakeup call.
The reality is that what you’re doing today is going to be exactly what you’re doing 3 months from now unless you reflect and take conscious action to change the things that leave you feeling dissatisfied in your life. Do you suppose that the feelings of burnout might just go away?
Long term, don’t forget these questions, because Business Burnout won’t be something you only have to treat once. You’ll want to recheck yourself periodically, whenever you’re feeling tired or stuck in an endless routine. If you’re struggling with the answers you get, it might be time to set some work aside and implement a little self care.
Are you too close to your business and need a fresh set of eyes? Coach Ken Goodfellow’s In-Office Strategy Events are legendary. Coach Ken will spend time developing an implementation strategy for your team and will guide you with effective execution. Reach out for a complimentary business evaluation!