How To Avoid Entrepreneurial Burnout

Hey everyone what’s up! Thank you so much for being here. As you know, every single week I share a new video on copywriting, marketing, business and more… so if you haven’t done so yet be sure to hit subscribe over on my Youtube Channel so you don’t miss any future videos from me…

But heads up this post is a little different from my usual and takes a bit of a personal twist. I want to talk about something that is very very real for business owners – and something that I’m battling myself right now – entrepreneurial burnout.

Listen… No matter the size of your business, the struggle to scale is REAL. Whether you’re just starting out or you have a team supporting you, the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur is the lack of boundaries in your business. Unlike a regular 9-5 job, where you can clock out at the end of the day, disconnect, and take the weekends off… When you’re an entrepreneur there are no limits to the work you could be doing. So the dark side about being able to work anytime from anywhere, is that we often work all the time, from everywhere. And if you’re trying to start or grow your business, the blurred lines between life and entrepreneurship can become very, very hard to navigate.

So, I’d thought I’d share a bit about what I’ve been going through lately because I’m going to be honest. I am burnt out. So as I was sitting here trying to figure out what the topic for my video would be this week, the thing that felt the most real and authentic to talk to you about was the fact that I am creatively tapped out.

And I bet a few of you can relate. So if you feel me, comment below and let me know if you’ve ever been here and the number one thing you do to recharge your batteries!

You know, I find so ironic that when we’re physically stressed out, or injured, or sick, giving ourselves time to rest and heal is so obvious. But when it comes to our mental health, it’s so easy to ignore it, we put our heads down we push through, we carry on and we hope it will all get better.

So yes everyone likes to talk about the “Hustle” and the “Grind” but what about the rest and the naps and the self-love that we need as entrepreneurs? Right now, I’m reminding myself of the importance of all of these things…

I’ve been so hell-bent on growing my Copywriting Agency, the Copy Posse launching and growing my YouTube Channel, at the same time running a high level mastermind and scaling another partner business past 8-figures that I’ve completely lost sight of what I NEED to thrive alongside my business… and I’m not talking financially thrive. I’m talking about spiritually, emotionally, energetically thrive. So I can ride that wave and not be drowned by it.

So I want to take some time right now to share the steps that I’m taking to return to myself to feel happier, healthier and more creatively fuelled. Now theses lessons are crazy valuable and trust me, I am telling them to myself as much as I am telling them to you. Because let’s be honest all the business strategies and copywriting tactics that I’ll share with you in the coming weeks won’t matter without taking care of yourself first.

So the first lesson I’m here to remind you of is to…

Lesson #1: Let Go

Here’s the thing. You can not do it all. You can’t. And so much of the time, we take on way more than we need to. Out of obligation to our business, to our clients, to our teams, to ourselves, right? It’s like we’re afraid if we stop doing something, everything will fall apart and the money will stop coming in.

But I bet if you look at your day-to-day tasks, 80% of what you do could be dropped and very little or nothing would change.

So ask yourself what can I let go of? What am I holding onto? Where am I over-committing? What can I delegate? And who can help me?

80% of your creative energy should be spent on what brings you more happiness and of course revenue. We’re all in business for a reason.

But truly everything else should be let go.

Lesson #2: Rest & Nourish Yourself

I am here to say that it’s OK to rest. It is OK to put yourself first. In fact, it’s necessary for the longevity of your business, for your relationships for your health, for everything.

So have you ever found yourself in this cycle… where you’re stressed out so you cancel your workouts, you eat like crap, you get very little sleep, you drink more than normal… Right, the glass of wine or beer at the end of a work day? Necessary sometimes… But then you feel more like crap, which impacts your business and your creativity… and then you’re more stressed out. It’s this vicious cycle that can be really hard to get out of.

And if I find myself in this never-ending loop I know I’m majorly out of alignment and need to return to centre asap.

It’s easy to tell yourself “I don’t have time” when it comes to things like going to the gym or making that healthy meal… but I challenge you to shift the “I don’t have time” in your mind to “I just haven’t made this a priority in my life”. And once you do that everything really comes into perspective. If you’re not prioritizing your health, it’s time to change it. So put “you time” at the top of your to-do list every single day and I promise things in your business will improve.

Ok so that brings me to…

Lesson #3: Re-establish Boundaries

Listen… It’s ok to say sorry, but not right now. It’s ok to be UNREACHABLE for a day. Remember before cell phones when if someone wanted to get a hold of you they’d have to email you and then wait for a response. Sometimes for a whole day? Or they would call your landline and have to leave a message on your answering machine?!

Remember, you train people how to treat you. So if you’re not establishing healthy boundaries with your team, clients or partners, they won’t even know when they’re asking for too much. So set REASONABLE boundaries that you communicate and honor them religiously.

One of my favorite quotes from Brendon Burchard is and i’m slightly paraphrasing here is “Your inbox is nothing but a convenient organization system for other people’s intentions FOR you.” Crazy right?! It’s so true, Your inbox is nothing but a list of what other people want from you on any given day. And we often wake up first thing in the morning, right? I know I’m so guilty of this. And we look at our inbox!! And, we start at the top and answer those emails first which means means we’re training people to email us early and frequently in order to get their tasks accomplished. Imagine if you could send yourself an email that said ‘go make yourself a healthy lunch’ haha… well, maybe you would actually do it. And maybe you should!

But my advice is to block off at least an hour in the morning BEFORE you check your inbox to spend some time doing what you need to do for you first, before diving into other peoples to-do list FOR you.

Ok lastly, that brings me to lesson #4… And this one is my favourite

Lesson #4: Plan An Adventure

So it’s actually proven that experiences, not things bring people more happiness. So when studying what truly makes people happy, Cornell prof, Thomas Gilovich found that experiences like concerts, and trips, and going to the movies, etc. trump material purchases because the good vibes from buying experiences start way before you swipe your credit card and linger long after.

So of course while “living in the moment” is probably the best way to achieve enduring happiness, it’s not all that plausible 100% of the time. So, the next best thing is living in anticipation of an experience – or some moment in the future that you’re looking forward to.

So, while you’re working your buns off – I encourage you to ask yourself what you’re working so darn hard for. If it’s for that new car, or that new watch, you may want to reconsider another goal that involves a memorable experience. Or better yet, get offline right after you watch this video and go on an adventure!

So I’m actually leaving to Europe, I kid you not, in 90 minutes… I’m so last minute guys, classic entrepreneur. And while it does stress me out a little bit that I’m leaving while I’m at my busiest, I know it’s exactly what I should be doing because it’s WHY I started my business.

So guys, unplug, get outside, take some deep breaths and go on an adventure! And comment below and let me know what your next adventure is. And stay tuned because my next few posts will be coming to you from Europe!! Or maybe not, maybe I will actually take a week off… But either way you will hear from me soon.

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So leave me a comment below if you found this post helpful

And of course remember to subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I’ll be in touch very, very soon.

Till then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.