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Nearly all of us have been there. Over time our hard work somehow turns into a feeling of complete mental and physical exhaustion. Dedication and a strong work ethic slip into an almost paralyzing feeling of being tired. That is what we refer to as burnout. If you are achievement oriented with clear goals and a respect for hard work, good for you, but know that you are at risk for experiencing burnout.
This is especially true in professional life where there always seems to be more pressure to get the work done in less time, with fewer resources. The result is that you work so hard, so blindly, that you fail to see the signs of burnout beginning to show up. Here is the good news, it is preventable. Furthermore, if you fall into a period of burnout, you can climb your way back out, and become refocused, positive, and productive. So, let us start watching now.
Entrepreneurs juggle so many problems at the same time that it can be difficult to identify the root causes and solve the problems. Your business began because you saw a problem and knew you had a solution. You know you're a problem solver but it seems as if the problems keep growing as your business grows. Continuous problem solving instead of continuous improvement can lead to burnout. Here are some tips on avoiding burnout.
1. Recognize that "firefighting" is not an effective management style. Fire prevention is the preferred effort. If your days are filled with putting out fires, you can finish a day and look back to see all the fires you put out and feel a semblance of pride and satisfaction. If, when you turn your attention in a different direction, those same fires that you already put out flare up again, you're losing ground. You're missing out on opportunities. Every minute that you spend firefighting is a minute you're not spending on building relationships with customers or improving your process. One client, when I mentioned how convenient it was that a new request for a quote was from a company not too far away for the designer to visit with the salesman, said, "We don't have time to visit with customers." Do you think not having time for your customers might be an issue that could have unwanted consequences?
2. Recognize that it takes time to save time. When you're working long hours to try to wrestle with all the challenges that keep coming up, the idea of adding anything to your to do list feels counterproductive. Truthfully, it does take time and focus to fix things. But, as you fix things, one at a time, you'll be able to see the load lighten. Progress will be visible. Pick any one problem that seems to keep happening and solve that one. You could wrestle with it alone or bring the team or an outsider in for brainstorming. Sometimes, it only takes a single meeting to come up with a solution. Every solution provides more time for productive work. In one case, three minutes with the top level diagrams for a system specification exposed a problem - a missing function. Less than an hour for revisions to that diagram and the supporting text addressed the issue.
3. Recognize that there are better ways to spend your time. As you reduce the number of problems, you'll probably still spend about the same amount of time on your business. That's part of who you are. Identify the better ways to spend your time - the ways that will improve your processes or build lasting relationships with your customers. The pleasure and benefits that you'll get from having time to delight your customers will go a long way toward helping avoid burnout. The relief that you'll get from knowing that you've addressed a problem effectively will go a long way toward helping avoid burnout. Being able to look back at your day and measure successes that are real, successes that won't flare up into a problem again when you look away is motivating. Motivation is the opposite of burnout.
Conclusion: Stop firefighting, take time to address problems, and reassign your newly found time to motivating efforts that will put your company in a strong position for growth, profits, and acquisition. Get more insights from this eBook!
Nearly all of us have been there. Over time our hard work somehow turns into a feeling of complete mental and physical exhaustion. Dedication and a strong work ethic slip into an almost paralyzing feeling of being tired. That is what we refer to as burnout. If you are achievement oriented with clear goals and a respect for hard work, good for you, but know that you are at risk for experiencing burnout.
This is especially true in professional life where there always seems to be more pressure to get the work done in less time, with fewer resources. The result is that you work so hard, so blindly, that you fail to see the signs of burnout beginning to show up. Here is the good news, it is preventable. Furthermore, if you fall into a period of burnout, you can climb your way back out, and become refocused, positive, and productive. So, let us start watching now.
Entrepreneurs juggle so many problems at the same time that it can be difficult to identify the root causes and solve the problems. Your business began because you saw a problem and knew you had a solution. You know you're a problem solver but it seems as if the problems keep growing as your business grows. Continuous problem solving instead of continuous improvement can lead to burnout. Here are some tips on avoiding burnout.
1. Recognize that "firefighting" is not an effective management style. Fire prevention is the preferred effort. If your days are filled with putting out fires, you can finish a day and look back to see all the fires you put out and feel a semblance of pride and satisfaction. If, when you turn your attention in a different direction, those same fires that you already put out flare up again, you're losing ground. You're missing out on opportunities. Every minute that you spend firefighting is a minute you're not spending on building relationships with customers or improving your process. One client, when I mentioned how convenient it was that a new request for a quote was from a company not too far away for the designer to visit with the salesman, said, "We don't have time to visit with customers." Do you think not having time for your customers might be an issue that could have unwanted consequences?
2. Recognize that it takes time to save time. When you're working long hours to try to wrestle with all the challenges that keep coming up, the idea of adding anything to your to do list feels counterproductive. Truthfully, it does take time and focus to fix things. But, as you fix things, one at a time, you'll be able to see the load lighten. Progress will be visible. Pick any one problem that seems to keep happening and solve that one. You could wrestle with it alone or bring the team or an outsider in for brainstorming. Sometimes, it only takes a single meeting to come up with a solution. Every solution provides more time for productive work. In one case, three minutes with the top level diagrams for a system specification exposed a problem - a missing function. Less than an hour for revisions to that diagram and the supporting text addressed the issue.
3. Recognize that there are better ways to spend your time. As you reduce the number of problems, you'll probably still spend about the same amount of time on your business. That's part of who you are. Identify the better ways to spend your time - the ways that will improve your processes or build lasting relationships with your customers. The pleasure and benefits that you'll get from having time to delight your customers will go a long way toward helping avoid burnout. The relief that you'll get from knowing that you've addressed a problem effectively will go a long way toward helping avoid burnout. Being able to look back at your day and measure successes that are real, successes that won't flare up into a problem again when you look away is motivating. Motivation is the opposite of burnout.
Conclusion: Stop firefighting, take time to address problems, and reassign your newly found time to motivating efforts that will put your company in a strong position for growth, profits, and acquisition. Get more insights from this eBook!
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940163144341 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Smart eBook Shop |
| Publication date: | 12/28/2019 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 627 KB |
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