Preventing Burnout: Finding Your Work-Life Balance

Many thriving small businesses are often operated by entrepreneurs who rarely let themselves check out. Approaching day-to-day activities with a fresh perspective and a rested mind is imperative to achieving big picture success. Every small business owner must find a daily work-life balance to ensure they’re in the right state of mind to make decisions. Here are a few tips I’ve discovered trying to find this balance myself.

Get your rest.

Simple, right? You work hard so the idea of taking time (and sometimes putting it on your calendar) to sleep is going to feel unnatural. No matter how important your position, you need sleep. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation, no matter how minor, affects your alertness and judgment. Getting the right amount of sleep is not only good for you, but also good for your business.

Ditch the fast food.

Even though your schedule is jam-packed with meetings, you have to allow yourself the time to eat a healthy meal. A balanced diet will keep your mind and body running at full steam.

Take a stroll.

It doesn’t matter how short, taking a walk when you’re stressed or tired will relax you and increase alertness. Whether it’s a lap around the office or a brief stroll outside, getting your body moving and blood pumping will keep you more alert than that fifth cup of coffee.

Don’t talk yourself out of using your vacation time.

I know, it sounds crazy, but your business can run without you for a week. You may have to do some necessary preparations to get things in order, but taking that week or even long weekend to spend with friends and family makes a big difference and will leave you less likely to become burned out.

Make time for the things you enjoy.

Whether that’s reading a book, exercising, or spending time with the kids, giving yourself a minimum of two hours a day to really enjoy yourself is essential. Work is important, but prioritizing personal time will help you be the content and fully-functional leader your business needs.

What have you found that works in the pursuit of work-life balance?