Has 2020 been the year of burnout for you?

I have 5 tips that may help.

Written by heather@heatherlisle.com

Are you feeling checked out of your business — and maybe life in general?

This year, I’ve worked with clients who came to me feeling exhausted, grouchy, and just lost. Here’s what we discovered in our coaching sessions — they were dealing with burnout.

BIG TIME BURNOUT.

It has been ROUGH.

Sleep is something that is hard to come by these days. You toss and turn and can’t “turn it off.” You think about pivoting your business for the ump-teenth time this year and don’t know how to do that or even what should come first in the decision making process.

Nobody really knows what to expect for the future. You feel like you don’t have ANY control…and you struggle with how to make things work with what you’ve got.

There’s no such thing as work-life balance because you and your partner are working from home…the kids are schooling from home…and it feels like you work ALL. THE. TIME.

You feel isolated at times because you haven’t been able to go to lunch with a friend or have happy hour with a group since February…and you don’t know when that will be able to happen again.

If any of these things sound a bit familiar — what you’re experiencing is burnout.

But…the good news is that you CAN recover from burnout.

HOW?

Well, there’s a few basics that’ll get you started.

Get plenty of sleep, drink your water…and make sure you get in those steps too.

Aside from maybe a vacation…or just a break, you CAN recover by getting clear on your purpose. In other words, why do you do what you do?

Here’s the deal. We’re all in this together…I know that should be the bumper sticker of the year, but ya’ll — it takes a village to figure out how to get your mojo back, especially during these crazy times.

So, let me tell you how to conquer burnout and kick some Covid butt:

1. Get crystal clear about your highest and best use of time and determine how you can efficiently and effectively manage and operate your business. You need to define your values and what’s really important to you…and WHY you do what you do.
2. If you haven’t reached out to a friend lately — do it! Even though you may not be able to meet face to face, cultivate those relationships…it’ll make you feel better. Be an active listener and engage.
3. Find your superpowers and exploit them! What do I mean by this? Focus on your highest and best use of your time and talent. What do you do best? What are you known for in your industry? Focus on what you do best, and you’ll move mountains…I promise.
4. Stop chasing distractions and get focused on what REALLY moves your needle. Look at your numbers — what’s selling? What’s not? What can you upsell? What makes sense for your business? Make informed decisions based on your numbers. If you’re constantly chasing ideas and not planning — those big, high impact ideas you have will stay just that…an idea. Hope is NOT a strategy. Map out your goals and think about your immediate next steps…then, go for it!
5. And finally…let me say that one of the best things you can do to help with burnout is to have a friend or mentor help get you out of your rut. Find someone who you can share your dreams and goals with and have them serve as your accountability partner. Research indicates that when you create a specific accountability appointment with a person you are committed to — the odds are in your favor by up to 95% that you’ll achieve all the incredible things you have a deep desire to achieve.