Article Contributed by Stephanie Fish
Business burnout can be suffered by any business owner, whether you own and manage an online business or brick-and-morter business. Most people would agree that business burnout can occur for many different reasons but the most common reasons are (1) When a person tries to do every task on their own or (2) They don’t know their limitations and try to do everything for everyone, and actually end up neglecting themselves.
Here are 3 common ways to get control over your “business burnout”:
1) Chart- (also known as “plan”) Make a list of every task that needs to be accomplished, whether its personal, household or business related. Once you have everything written down assign a day of the week that you can solely focus on that specific task. Remember, every task should help you reach your goal. Charting your tasks and goals are very important for any size business. Here’s a little exercise that can help you chart your way to success. Get a large piece of paper and draw a bulls-eye with about 5 rings. The middle ring is your ultimate goal, from there each ring would be a step towards your goal. The most outer ring would be where you are today. Beside each task you should give yourself a date that represents the date you would like to begin and end each goal. Making sure you are giving yourself ample time to get a task completed makes you more focused and relaxed, there’s nothing worse than getting yourself upset over a task that wasn’t completed in an unrealistic time frame to begin with. Charting takes a little effort and some getting used to, but the pay off in the end will be worth it. If you are completely unable to focus on charting by yourself, then utilizing the assistance of a virtual assistant or business coach will be to your best advantage.
2) Outsource- Outsourcing isn’t just for the “big businesses” anymore! Every business can benefit from outsourcing, if its done correctly. If you look at your competition or perhaps a company that you admire, you’ll see that they have a team in place, with most projects and tasks being outsourced to another company. The owner does not do every task himself, infact his business is so large in part by having a team of specialists in place so that he/she can now focus on other aspects of the business. Outsourcing does not have to cost you a small fortune, if done correctly in the beginning. That’s why its so important to have your chart inf ront of you at all times.
3) (Be) Purposeful- Did you know purposeful means “compulsive, determined, driven”? To be successful in business every decision you make should be made on purpose and with a purpose. I find it very intreging how some people just jump into their businesses without a purpose and when they don’t see the increase in sales right away they give up. They might have a goal in mind, say for instance “I want to make $1,000 per week in sales” this is a statement, not a goal. What is it that you really want out of owning and running your own business? It can be as simple as you not wanting to work for someone else. Being a purposeful business owner takes time, a lot of thought and an inner desire to make it to the next level and stick with your business. Being purposeful in charting your business must include having a team in place. You can’t do it all yourself.
COPs isn’t just for law anymore, it’s what helps your business succeed in this world and help you fulfill your business dreams. Remember the next time you feel like throwing in the towel, hanging up a “closed” sign and shutting your business doors, that COPs is right here waiting on you.
About the Author
Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. offers virtual assistance in marketing, research, and consulting to business owners who are ready to take that next step in business. To learn more about outsourcing and building your business team, be sure to sign-up for our newsletter at www.buckeyeva.com
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