There is a lot to love about entrepreneurship. Setting your own schedule. Being your own boss. Doing things your way. But there’s also a reason why entrepreneur burnout rates are so high. Finances can be unstable, the to-do list never ends, and your brain is always on. According to Harvard Business Review, 25% of entrepreneurs have feelings of burnout. Clearly, burnout isn’t uncommon. And yet, it’s not something you’ll hear other business owners openly share about, at least, not publicly. 

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Signs of Entrepreneur Burnout

Burnout is defined as an emotional, physical, or mental state of exhaustion after a period of prolonged stress. And well, running a business is definitely stressful! When you reach the point of burnout, you might experience symptoms like –

• Extreme tiredness or exhaustion
• Lack of motivation
• Brain fog
• Mood swings and irritability
• Headaches and body aches
• Stomach pain and upsetness
• Resentment

Of course, things in your personal life can also contribute to business overwhelm. You may have to “push through” during challenging personal seasons, leading to burnout.

Overcoming Entrepreneur Burnout

So, what do you do if you are experiencing entrepreneur burnout? It might be tempting to burn your whole business down (or crawl under the covers and ignore your business for a while). But there are some productive steps you can take to overcome entrepreneur burnout.

#1 Recognize the Overwhelm

First, you have to recognize the business overwhelm – instead of fighting it. If you’re like me, you’ll go months saying, “It’ll get better when THIS happens” or “Things will get better NEXT month.” But that rarely is the case. 😅

Psychology encourages you to practice acceptance, which means recognizing and validating emotions without judgment. Nothing is wrong with you. You’re just feeling burned out. State the emotion as a fact.

#2 Find a Support System

No one understands small business life like other small business owners. I highly recommend finding a business community that you can vent to, lean on for support, and find encouragement. (Plus, these communities can help you grow your business!)

There are lots of free communities online, but my favorite is peer-to-peer masterminds. Each month you schedule a call with a small group of business owners, and you each get a chance to ask for help. 

#3 Give Yourself Breathing Room

When you’re dealing with entrepreneur burnout, scaling back and delegating are your best friends. This can give you the space you need to breathe, rest, and relax – which your nervous system would appreciate. 😌

I can help you get some much-deserved rest with my Designer Days. Instead of spending weeks trying to tackle a problem, I’ll knock it out for you in a half day or two. I can help you tackle your to-do list, design a website, migrate your website, design templates, and more. While I work, you can take a breather or focus on business tasks that spark your passion.

Learn More about Designer Days

#4 Lean into Systems

Sometimes, you unintentionally work harder than you have to. Maybe you’ve been manually scheduling all of your tasks. Or you’ve been creating products from scratch each time. With systems in place, you can reduce your workload or even automate certain tasks.

For example, in Asana, I have recurring tasks set up, so I don’t use my mental energy on due dates. I also have several Zaps to help me onboard clients and send automated emails. I’d normally spend hours on these tasks each week, but with a solid system, I can focus my energy elsewhere!

Entrepreneur burnout is common, and it makes sense because running a business takes hard work! However, you deserve to feel good in your business. If you feel business overwhelm setting in, try these tips for overcoming burnout.