'An investment in your personal life is an investment in your business': Managing burnout at the top

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A recent study found that 79 percent of employees globally feel some level of burnout. That’s an astronomical figure. Executives and HR reps are wringing their hands finding ways to combat the problem and keep workers engaged and happy. 

But what sticks out to me in this is that those same executives, entrepreneurs and business owners are not immune from burn out themselves, and they often have fewer resources at their disposal to combat it. Taking an extended leave of absence is rarely an option. So how can someone both continue operating their company and teams, and still reduce their feelings of being burned out? 

I spoke with Julie Morgenstern, a productivity expert, about this, and she divulged some practical tips to help managers and business owners who are facing this issue. Below is an excerpt from our conversation. Be sure to read further down for other news happening in the small business world this week. 

It can be hard to discern if you're burned out or just going through a moment of intense stress. How can you tell the difference?

When you’re burned out, there are certain symptoms that are pretty recognizable. The biggest one is that your brain is operating a much slower rate. It takes you a really long time to do things—way longer than it ever used to. Your brain is burnt out and you can’t process things. Another is that you are dreading going in every day. It’s not fun anymore.

I think the other thing is you no longer have the perspective to analyze and solve the problems that are creating the overwork. Business owners are overly extended, it’s just part of the nature of the work. You are growing a business and there will always be problems. When you are no longer able to step out of the day to day to analyze and solve those systemic problems, you have a serious problem. You’re a hamster on the wheel with no time to build a better wheel.

What can a business owner do to address their burn out, particularly if they are unable to step away from the company for an extended period of time?

The very first thing is you have to let go. When you are in this state, you really are not being effective at all and it can feel like business suicide to take an evening or weekend off or go out with friends or go to the gym. But you have to because when you step away from a problem and are in a completely different environment, that’s when the solution comes.

You need a hobby—an activity that instantly absorbs you because it’s going to be competing with a head full of worries and to-do lists. Always start with this, even before sleep. Even though you need sleep, the quickest way to recharge is to go to that escape place. The life part of work-life balance tends to get neglected when we are working hard and that is the source of energy.

The second thing I recommend is identify up to three things they are spending an inordinate amount of time on. They’re usually operational, administrative, finance or marketing related. Don’t look at the small things but the big strokes. In one stroke, having help with this thing would buy back three or four hours a day, or 12 hours a week. One could hire a temp, it doesn’t have to require a job description and a permanent position. No business owner who is in a state of burn out can handle that. Make a list of the big things, the one-stroke relief things and look for the lowest hanging fruit. 

How can a business owner ensure their own workers don’t burn out?

Establish boundaries around work and life. Small business owners are in more empowered positions than even executives of multinationals in controlling the values and time culture at their company. Define the edges for employees, which will create a container where everyone has to work smart.

The other is ensuring there is role clarity. When it comes to managing a team, it’s the number one thing that prevents burnout. It allows everyone to bring their best selves to work and for you to evaluate if someone is able to do their job or not. Let’s say you have a team of five but there’s really seven jobs to do. Those final two are what I can phantom roles and it hasn’t been made clear who is doing them. That’s who people get burned out: They will fill in those gaps but they don’t get acknowledged. 

As a business owner, you have to build in time to manage your team. It’s a common mistake small business owners make. As you grow, starting with the first employee you have to build in time everyday to strategize what you are going to delegate and give people feedback so you can develop them and see their shortcomings to either repair them or replace them. You have to spend time on that or everyone is going to burn out. 

Any final tips or thoughts?

It can be hard for a business owner to take a week or two of vacation, but you can take maybe three or four long weekends as year. Build in that cadence of stepping out of the everyday environment and going somewhere else. It creates these kind of mini deadlines in the year that help structure your time. “What do I want to get done this quarter before the next three-day weekend?” It doesn’t take a lot of time but it's critical for gaining perspective.

And you have to recognize that an investment in your personal life is an investment in your business. 

How have you managed burn out either for yourself or with your employees? Do you have advice for others or things you know now not to do again? Let me know in the comments.

Other news I’m reading this week:

What responsibility do cities have for businesses losing income from construction?

Should government's compensate small businesses for lost income due to construction? Local shops in Toronto that are fed up with construction from a new infrastructure project say absolutely. The majority are retail storefronts that have lost income due to reduced foot traffic along a stretch the city has been working on since 2013. Others have even closed their stores entirely. | Here’s what people are saying

Small businesses are challenging big tech

Amazon, Google and Facebook are facing another congressional hearing, this time in front of the House Small Business Committee, to address questions of whether the tech firms are damaging small businesses. News of the hearing comes on the heels of allegations that Amazon tweaked its search engine to favor its own products. The tech companies are being investigated by multiple government agencies over whether they violated antitrust laws. | Here’s what people are saying

Grubhub fails to delivery for restaurants

New York City legislatures are examining allegations that Grubhub charges for phone calls that don't result in orders and is unfairly profiting from delivery orders. Restaurant owners say that at present, commissions charged by Grubhub, Seamless, DoorDash and Uber Eats – constituting 15% to 30% of orders – cut too deeply into already thin margins. The apps counter that they “expose restaurants to new customers,” via massive customer databases. The New York State Liquor Authority is set to begin discussing capping commission rates at 10% next week. | Here’s what people are saying