How many hats do you wear between your business (or work) and personal lives? You might be a business owner, assistant manager, social media marketer, parent, spouse, household Instacart shopper, tutor, and family Lyft driver. With so many tasks to complete each day, having more than one role and set of responsibilities can be difficult and weigh on you physically and mentally making it hard to stay motivated and feel accomplished. There is a point many of us “multi-taskers” reach called ”burnout”. Burnout is defined as, ”physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress”. It’s easy to end up in a burnout when there are so many things to accomplish during a day, a week, or a year, but there are some proven tips to help you overcome the ongoing stresses that can help you avoid reaching collapse and propel you to thrive.
#1 Take a Vacation and Unplug
Sometimes the best thing might be to take a step back and press pause on the things pulling you in so many directions. It is easy to get caught up in the mentality that it isn’t the right time to take a break, or once you reach level B from A you will feel ready to unplug for a moment. Instead of pushing the idea further and further down your timeline, take a moment and decide when you’ll benefit from a vacation most within the next year, plan the trip, and then be deliberate in making your schedule leading up to the vacation so that you won’t be abandoning anything that absolutely cannot be abandoned.
#2 Change Your Environment
If you work from home, move your work day to a local coffee shop once in a while. If you always help your children with their schoolwork around the table, try to travel to the library one evening or weekend afternoon. A change of environment can provide a new perspective and may rid you of your regular distractions providing for a more productive day. Although routines have been found to be paramount in success, burnout can come from repetition which may lead to a negative attitude or dreading completing certain tasks. A small change of environment can quickly change the way you approach the task at hand.
#3 Do What Makes You Happy
This goes without saying but do something that makes you happy! Find what you’re passionate about and go and do that! Of course, be practical. If you can’t survive from your handmade underwater baskets then skip that attempt as full-time employment but in general, the more excited you are for your day, the more motivation you will have to accomplish each goal. When you are motivated it can be easier to work hard and get the work done and then you will have the extra time to yourself that you need to avoid feeling burnt out.
#4 Build a Great Team
Your team could be your family, your customers, or your work team. No matter who is helping you get something done, or who you are helping get something done, make sure that there is mutual respect and rapport and that you are both helping each other. Are there hats that you can pass off to others to wear and help take some things off your plate? For example, you may consider hiring a social media marketer for your business to handle those backend tasks. Or, you might create a chore chart in your home so that not all the chores lie on your shoulders. No matter what type of team you are creating, if you all work together towards the same end goal, everyone’s lives will be better at the end of the day.
#5 Take a Nap
The easiest thing may be to take a little time to yourself to relax and unwind. Take 15 – 30 minutes for yourself whether that’s spent taking a nap, reading a book, or listening to music. Regroup and prepare for the next part of your day. This may not be acceptable in the workplace but if your company has a wellness room or a private meeting room you can sneak into it may just do the trick.
It can be easy to fall into the rhythm of life and as each day passes to get more stressed about all that needs to be accomplished. Don’t let yourself spiral down that blackhole and instead be proactive about taking the time you need to avoid becoming burnt out.