Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presented his second Autumn Statement, but with a very different tone to the gloomy announcements made this time last year. The Chancellor announced initiatives with a massive focus on pushing growth in the economy. The main question you’ll all no doubt have is… “how does it affect me?”, let’s take a look…
How to Avoid Business Burnout
4 December 2019
Mark Friend
Payroll, People, Building a Business
Avoiding Burnout
In today’s “always-on” society, business owners and managers are under more pressure than ever.
Stress related workplace burnout is now recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an official medical diagnosis. Here are some tips to help to avoid burnout.
Manage your time
It’s impossible to sustain long-term happiness without appropriately balancing your professional & business time alongside your personal time. Avoiding burnout means using that time wisely, both now and in the future. Use an Outlook calendar or scheduling tool to keep close tabs on how you’re spending your time. Regularly assess your week: How much time are you spending in the business? How much work do you do at home? How much time do you have fully to yourself? If any of those numbers look out of line, that’s a sign that something needs to change. Check out our top ten time saving tips as well.
Use your full holiday entitlement
A high proportion of business owners don’t use any or all of their annual leave days and they’re paying the price for it. Time off work can provide a big boost to your productivity, creativity and overall job satisfaction. Working through your holiday might feel like the right thing to do for your business, but only increases the likelihood of burnout in the long run. Take holidays that will be good for your overall mental health – go somewhere relaxing and new. Even if it’s just to a nearby destination, a change of scenery can go a long way toward helping you gain perspective on where you’re at in life.
Separate work and home life
One of the most common ways burnout occurs is through work creep. When your responsibilities as a business owner start to creep into your out-of-the-business life, whether it’s in the evening, over the weekends or on holiday, that’s a sign that burnout is approaching. People who work from home are most susceptible as the dividing line between work and family time is merely a closed door.
One way of avoiding creep is by disconnecting. If your phone and laptop are always on and at the ready while you’re at home, then you’ve never really left the office at all. Make an effort to fully unplug from the job when you’re on your own time, and you’ll notice a shift in how much you get from your time at home. Also, focusing your attention on different aspects of your life will help you feel more invigorated and creative when it’s time to work again.
Embrace remote working
On the same note, you can get a change of scenery without fully leaving work behind. While it’s important to completely disconnect during holiday time, working remotely can give your work the breath of fresh air it needs without fear of falling behind. Remote work has other benefits as well, such as increased productivity and a boost in company culture.
Taking a step back from the business allows you to work at your own pace and dictate your own style – and that can make a big difference in your overall job satisfaction. In order to make the most of your business, you need to be prepared to take a long term approach to how you work. Burnout cuts things short. Owning and growing a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint.
There are lots of tools that you can use to keep track of the business whilst you’re away and digital cloud accounting is a perfect example. Call Darren to find out how you can get out of the office but still have an eye of what is happening.
The content in this blog is correct as at 26/11/19. See terms and conditions.
