Whether you’re employed or self-employed, burnout is a common problem in the workplace. It often manifests itself in an increasing lack of enthusiasm and engagement and typically leads to lower productivity, lower self-confidence and feelings of ineffectiveness.
Although “burnout” is a common term these days, real burnout can cause serious mental and physical health problems. In this article, we share tips on how to avoid burnout, as well as advice on maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Table of contents
- 6 Signs of Burnout
- Success does not have to mean constant work
- Frequently asked questions about how to avoid burnout
1. Delegate tasks
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a team leader, delegating tasks can be difficult. However, if you start to feel burnt out at work, it’s important to seek help, taiwan email list whether that’s by hiring new team members or outsourcing tasks.
When delegating, try to hand over tasks where you are less efficient than other employees or outside resources. If you are a new business, incorporate multi-channel marketing you may want to focus on customer acquisition rather than spending all your time on accounting. In this case, hiring a bookkeeper or using accounting software can take a lot of the burden off your shoulders.
That’s what entrepreneur Sonja Detrinidad did. After starting her online gardening business Partly Sunny Projects, she was getting more orders than she could handle. So she started outsourcing some work to her husband and eventually hired an employee to handle shipping. “I like to focus on the one thing I’m really good at at the time,” she says.
Investing in the right tools to automate processes is another great way to make your job easier. In fact, Shopify offers a number of tools that can help you. For example, Shopify Flow can help you automate tasks like reordering inventory and managing fraud risks, while Shopify Experts (currently not available for Germany) can help you find specialists to help you with your business.
2. Stick to a fixed schedule
To ensure you don’t overwork yourself while still having time for your home and loved ones, set limits on your work hours.
If you’re supposed to work a 40-hour week, china phone numbers work 40 hours. Your company may give you the option to work as many hours as you want. If so, create a schedule that works for you and helps you maintain a balance between work and play. That could be four 10-hour days or five 8-hour days.
If you are self-employed, think about how many hours you want to work each week and then divide those hours between each day. You can have a long weekend of three days so you can split the hours from Monday to Thursday. Or you may prefer to work four hours every day, including weekends.
Make sure you stick to a consistent schedule that won’t cause yourself to burn out (i.e. create a realistic schedule that isn’t 9am-9pm every day). And if you need to work more during your busy periods, that’s OK; just make sure it’s a short-term adjustment and plan ahead.
If you’re having trouble figuring out the best schedule, it can be helpful to get input from those around you (like your partner). “My wife used to set a clear boundary and say she wanted me to be home by 6 p.m. every night,” says Tarik, founder of TY Fine Furniture.
“This boundary has made a huge difference. We’ve both adjusted our work week to coincide with my showroom hours, so I now work Tuesday to Saturday.”
3. Take time to switch off
Just because you are an entrepreneur, team leader or key professional does not mean you need less vacation.
According to Dr. Sahar Yousef, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, free time is the only cure for burnout.
“Burnout is a long-term phenomenon … that can ultimately weaken us, which is why regular time off is the only solution,” she says.