The Secret to Avoiding Burnout

Let's talk about #burnout.

It's not uncommon for me to feel absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. I start my mornings early (around 4:30/5am) - not by choice, but because my almost 4-year old is a morning person. And therefore, I am a morning person.

But it works, because we get ready, make breakfast, play a bit, and then my husband and I both take our kiddos to daycare together. It’s really a nice, beautiful routine that I’ve grown to love. And then part ways to tackle the work day.

Work, for me, looks different every day. I get to help students think through their business concepts, connect them with mentors and resources, create action plans and strategies for developing their business, accountability, motivation, and forecasting. We do market analysis and research, competitive analysis, we talk about websites, vendors, sales sheets, contracts, founders agreements, IP, logos, outsourcing, packaging, logistics and operations, financials, and everything else you can possibly think of.?

I also get to do strategic planning for our Entrepreneurship Institute, tying our core objectives with that of the University, and ensuring everything we do and build is clearly contributing to and building on those high level goals.

I get to be an intrapreneur, focusing on solving the biggest challenges our entrepreneurial students face. I learn about our “customer”, do research, and use creative thinking and problem solving to innovate new programs, partnerships, and initiatives. I get to ideate, plan, implement, and execute fun and impactful programming, events, workshops, resources, and network-building initiatives. I get to establish partnerships off campus to create a pathway for students to continue to receive support after graduating.

I get to meet generous philanthropists who are inspired to give back and support our programs with their hard earned dollars. I get to meet brilliant industry experts, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors who generously donate their time and talents to support our students.?

I get to attend industry events and training seminars to continue to sharpen my own skill sets and knowledge of the ecosystem, the entrepreneurial climate, and our community.

I get to teach courses on developing a business, entrepreneurial mindset, pitching, and more.?

I get to work with outstanding, hard working, inspired individuals who contribute so much to our department, who challenge me, who support me, and who make the work day so much more enjoyable.

And then, I get to drive home to pick up my kids (together with my husband- which again, is such a sweet and wonderful part of my day) and spend the evening with my family. I cook dinner, we play, put the kids in the bathtub, rock my 2 year old to sleep (playing the switching game as she will request “daddy” or “mommy” every few minutes), wrestle with my 4 year old to get him in his pajamas and pick out a book, and then give a BIG EXHALE when they are both finally asleep.

Then my husband and I turn on a TV show and decompress before heading to bed and doing it all over again several hours later.

Exhausting, right? Yes. But am I burnt out? Absolutely not.

Why not? Because I get to spend most of my day doing things that I LOVE. I love the work I get to do. It inspires me. My students inspire me. My community inspires me. I love empowering and supporting people to chase their dreams. I love how it makes me think about the world and about solving real problems. I love the concept of being able to create value for someone through a business, and be able to generate income for yourself at the same time.?

Raising two young kids is HARD. Especially while balancing a career. But I am blessed with an incredible partner, and we share all responsibilities equally. How incredibly refreshing.

So when it comes to burnout, I’m not even close. Am I overdue for a vacation? Yes. Do I need more time to clean the house, go for a run, read a book, take a bubble bath? Yep. Should I prioritize self-care a bit more than I currently do? Probably.

But I look forward to coming to work. I look forward to the contributions I get to make every day. I look forward to those heartfelt emails and notes from students telling me how much I’ve impacted their outlook and their lives. I do a LOT of things that fill me up, and that’s my secret to avoiding burnout. What's yours?