Leaders in their quest to move the business forward, get to the point where they exhaust themselves. The business they started with passion is eating all their time, they work more hours and days without taking time off.
This article in Forbes talks about how leaders can avoid burnout.
We're certainly in a position to be doing more with less...and have been for a few years now. So what are we to do about it?
Ten Ways Leaders Can Avoid Burnout
Well, the article's author suggested 10 tips:
- Get in the Right Mindset
- Establish Fair Expectations
- Make Progress with Small Steps
- Keep Your Goals in Mind
- Prioritize What You Do Best
- Create a Support Team
- Set Strong Boundaries
- Shake Up Your Routine
- Indulge Guilty Pleasures—Daily
- Take Time Off
Today and tomorrow we'll explore each.
Get in the Right Mindset
Leading, and growing, a business is a marathon. Just like training for such a race, you need to have strong and long weeks with taper weeks and rest days in between. During the next 30 days, choose three days that you aren't going to take any meetings, phone calls, or interruptions. You're at your desk solely to get things accomplished. Those can be considered your long runs.
Establish Fair Expectations
By now you're accustomed to forecasting and re-forecasting and re-forecasting again. Be fair in your expectations, both of yourself and of your team members. Be aggressive, but not unrealistic.
Make Progress with Small Steps
There are business leaders who set aside one day a week to work on the business, instead of in it. The appointment is on their calendars and nothing gets in the way of it. It may take a little bit longer to accomplish things this way, but some entrepreneurs have been able to launch a second business using their one day a week mantra.
Keep Your Goals In Mind
It's easy to be distracted by the economy, the shiny newest tool in social media, or the latest customer fire. If you know what your goals are for leading the business, you'll make more informed decisions when under pressure.
Prioritize What You Do Best
It's sometimes easier to just do things yourself, but does that mean you're the best person for the job? It may be as tactical as sitting at your desk, outlining everything on your to-do list, and determining who is the best person in your office to do the job. If you don't have someone to do something, such as administrative work, consider outsourcing.
Tomorrow we'll explore the last five tips. In the meantime, are there tips you have that work well for you, as a leader?
