7 Questions To Ask If You’re Experiencing Burnout

Many of us are feeling burnt out right now. Especially if you own your own business, it’s really easy to get into a place of feeling utterly exhausted. But what can you do about it? Today, I want to discuss with you the questions you should be asking yourself if this is how you feel.

 

Building a Schedule That Gives You Energy

The first question to ask involves your weekly schedule. Is it set up to prevent burnout or is it making it worse? Time management is about so much more than scheduling and checklists. It’s really about managing your energy.

Set up your week so that you make time to receive energy instead of solely giving it out. When setting up your schedule, prioritize the things that excite and nourish you.

 

Don’t Get Lost Inside Your Business

I also want you to ask yourself about the source of your identity. Are you getting your identity from your job, or is it coming from somewhere else? When you invest so much of yourself in your business, it’s easy to get lost inside of it. However, it’s crucial to separate yourself from your business if you want to maintain the stability needed for your own wellbeing.

Sometimes it’s just time to take a break. When you feel the stress of life and work, ask yourself if it’s time to step back for a bit. It’s too easy to get so caught up in the work that you lose track of yourself. Take a break so you can step back and take care of yourself. Plan that downtime in advance to give yourself the chance to pause so you’re not always chasing the next thing.

 

Creating Boundaries and Setting Expectations

None of this is possible if you don’t have good boundaries with your clients. Are you creating those boundaries? If you’re constantly saying yes to clients, even when you don’t want to, you’ll end up exhausted. Establishing clear ground rules and boundaries as soon as possible is the way to avoid this.

You should also ask yourself if you are taking responsibility for your clients’ outcomes. I get it; you are compassionate and want to help others succeed. However, you can only be their guide. It is up to them to do the actual work to create their own success.

 

Create Your Own Definition of Success

 

Also, ask yourself if you’re showing up for work expecting it to be hard? If that’s how you’re expecting your workday to go, it likely will be. The way you perceive things is often the way you experience them. This can even impact the tone of your voice which could further affect outcomes. I urge you to go into your day already imagining that everything will go great.

Finally, ask yourself if you’re comparing your life to how you think things should be. A lot of the time, when we feel overwhelmed, it’s because we’re comparing ourselves to where other people are. This ignores your own achievements. It creates the belief that you’re not doing enough. Allow yourself to be content with the progress that you’ve made and set your own pace for success.

How have you experienced burnout? How has it affected your decisions? Leave a comment on the episode page!

 

Got a question you’d love to hear me answer on the show? Leave me a voice message here!

 

In This Episode

• Creating a weekly schedule to prevent burnout [5:45]
• The importance of separating your identity from your business [14:00]
• Deciding when to take a break from work [21:50]
• Setting appropriate boundaries with your clients [27:50]
• Why you’re not responsible for your clients’ outcomes [33:20]
• Are you showing up for work expecting it to be hard? [39:40]
• Not comparing your life to how you think things should be [47:20]

 

Quotes

“If you’re feeling burnt out, especially in an area where you used to feel passionate, then it’s possible that it’s not necessarily the job or the business itself. There may be some other things going on that‘s causing it.”  [4:19]

“It’s not worth it to have a financially successful business if you yourself are not happy.” [18:07]

“If you don’t take charge of your schedule and calendar, it’s going to create itself. Usually, it’s not going to create something that’s super lowkey and peaceful. It’s going to create chaos if you let it create itself.” [25:45]

“When you show up expecting things to go well, you’ll have a different experience than when you show up expecting it to be bad.” [45:05]

“Struggling is normal. Stop judging where you are and believing that other people are ahead of you or that their lives are better than yours.” [52:39]

 

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