When you are a business owner, it can be overwhelming at times. If you are not careful, that overwhelm can turn into burnout.
Burnout doesn’t just happen if you are struggling, it can also happen when you are successful. Especially if you don’t have the right support.
When you are a contractor, it can feel like your business is draining your energy. You provide quotes, sell yourself and your services to new customers, deal with vendors and unexpected problems and by the end of the day you are exhausted and don’t have anything left for your family.
To avoid burnout, we have some tips for you that we think will help:
- Get the right support – you can’t do it all yourself. There is only one of you and many places to be. You need to look for the right support and hire people that are experts in the areas that you are not. This enables you to focus your time and energy on the things that only you can do. Be ready to delegate to them also. You can’t hire them and then still do it all yourself. Have confidence in your team and let them take some of the weight off your shoulders.
- Get Organized – If you don’t have control of your business administration activities, files, and other data, it can be a major source of anxiety. Take time to get organized and then take time to train someone to take over these areas for you. This new person will be organized and a self-starter. He or she can take on what you need them to and keep things running smoothly whether you are in the office or not.
- Set Priorities – It can seem like there is an overwhelming amount of things that have to get done each day. We often give ourselves more than we can handle and tasks that don’t have to be done that day. Look at your list and choose the top 3 items that have to take priority and be done that day. Then organize the rest in order of priority if there is still time left over. If you don’t get it all done you can then easily switch that second list over to the next day and start the process all over again.
- Make sure you have down time – You can’t pack your schedule and not leave yourself any time to think. Schedule in breaks for eating and block off family time or time for activities you enjoy. Then hold those times the same as you would any other appointment and don’t block something else over it. Remember that you are your number one asset, and you need to take care of yourself too.
- No is a complete sentence – No one likes to say No but it needs to be done sometimes. If you are at capacity and there is a new job, you need to let the person know that you would have to schedule it out a bit as you don’t have capacity to start on it right away. If you are asked to volunteer or do something that you don’t really want to, you can say no in a nice way. Thank the person for thinking of you but let them know that you are at capacity and just can’t put in the time that would be required. Most people will understand this and there will be no hard feelings.
Protecting your time and energy, taking care of your health and wellbeing, and focusing on your priorities so you don’t overload yourself are all ways that you can begin the process of recovering from burnout or avoiding it all together.
If we can help you with any of your insurance needs, please reach out to us here at Contractors Insurance Agency.