Business Owner Burnout: 7 Techniques to Master Before It Hits

In May of 2019, the World Health Organization listed burnout as an occupational phenomenon in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This announcement confirmed what so many professionals were already feeling: that the constant pressure of daily work hours can cause stress that bleeds over into someone’s personal life. According to Mayo Clinic, “Job burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

Anyone can experience burnout. Most people will deal with it at least once in their lifetime, if not more. But small business owners are especially susceptible to burnout. After all, most small business owners work long hours, and they’re under a lot of stress to keep things moving forward. Running a business is hard.

Often, entrepreneurial burnout impacts a person’s physical well-being. Common signs of burnout include regular tension headaches, trouble sleeping, low energy, and even physical illness. It’s not uncommon for burnt-out professionals to deal with ongoing health issues. But burnout also has a mental impact, too: mood swings, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and a lack of motivation (even for loved things) are all common signs.

Thankfully, with healthy boundaries and the right strategies, many business owners can avoid burnout (or at least improve their chances of avoiding long-term business burnout). Here are seven techniques to help a business owner set boundaries, maintain healthy self-care, and regain clarity before burnout impacts the long-term sustainability of their small business.

1. Decrease distractions

The pressure of building a business on top of normal day-to-day stressors is enough to wear anyone down. When a professional starts to feel business owner burnout creeping up, they can schedule some distraction-free time to sit and concentrate on why they do what they do and why it’s important to them.

Technique to Try: Deep Work

Deep work was defined by Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University. In his book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Newport defines deep work as:

“Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.”

When a business owner practices this technique, they can push themselves to force away distractions. For many, that means taking real, practical steps like stashing their phone in another room or utilizing the “Do Not Disturb” settings on their laptop. Some might even go so far as to turn off their internet temporarily. Once a space is distraction-free, a business owner can devote all of their energy to the task at hand. This can help maximize cognitive capability and build motivation for the business.

2. Be intentional about taking breaks

When a person has an overwhelming task at hand, it can be easy to lose motivation and procrastinate with a “quick break.” They might fall into the trap of detachment: taking a break to check a phone, tackling other items on the to-do list, or even handling household chores. Before the business owner realizes it, the whole afternoon might have sped by, and they didn’t accomplish what they needed.

For many business owners, it’s helpful to set a timer for breaks.

Technique to Try: 52/17

Desk Time completed a study and found that people who worked for 52 minutes straight and then took a 17-minute break were 10% more productive than others. This technique was derived from the Pomodoro technique — 25-minute work periods followed by short breaks. It’s a favorite for office workers. These 17-minute breaks give workers time to rest their minds, incorporate physical activity into the day, and replenish their creativity.

3. Envision the day ahead

From maintaining client relationships to keeping an eye on budget, it can be easy for a business owner to get caught up in their own busy schedule. Many professionals find that a great way to stay on top of the day-to-day schedule is to carve out a few minutes at the beginning of the day to reflect on the day before and plan for the day ahead.

Technique to Try: 7-Minute Life

Some business coaches are proponents of the seven-minute life philosophy. This philosophy revolves around leveraging 1% of the day — so 14 minutes — to reflect on life and how to spend the other 99% of the day. The philosophy also urges workers to divide those fourteen minutes into two seven-minute sections: morning and evening. In the morning, seven minutes can be used to reflect on personal and professional goals for the day. In the evening, those seven minutes can be used to review the day’s events and prepare for the next.

4. Delegate tasks in the small business

Chasing business success can feel lonely at times. Between outlining plans, finalizing paperwork, and earning clients, a lot of business owners feel the weight of the entire company resting on their shoulders.

For many, the solution is both hard and easy: delegating. On one hand, it can feel tough to entrust certain tasks to another person. But the smartest business owners relieve some of the pressure by delegating: they handle the most important details themselves and hand off less pressing tasks to others.

Technique to Try: The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent-Important Matrix, was created by president Dwight D. Eisenhower. This relatively basic system sorts a business owner’s priorities into quadrants based on urgency and importance. This system helps determine which tasks a person should complete themselves, schedule to complete later, delegate to someone else, or ignore entirely.

Here’s how those quadrants break down:

• First Quadrant: Priority tasks that must be completed in the next 24 hours.
• Second Quadrant: Secondary tasks that should be scheduled for completion later on.
• Third Quadrant: Less important tasks that need to be completed, but can be delegated to someone else.
• Fourth Quadrant: Non-important tasks that don’t need to be addressed or can be delayed indefinitely.

These quadrants can help business owners prioritize which tasks to tackle and which ones to delegate.

For many owners, one of the best things to delegate is the task of actually registering their business as an LLC or corporation. Many use a business formation service like ZenBusiness, which can help form an LLC for free (just pay state fees). Bizee and LegalZoom are similar companies, too.

5. Visualize the work

When a business owner is managing multiple clients, the tasks can add up quickly. To stay organized, many business owners find it helpful to visualize the workload.

Technique to Try: The Kanban Method

The Kanban method utilizes a Kanban board. This board has three columns: “Requested,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” This simple organization can help a business owner see where tasks are throughout their workflow. Many find it helpful to limit the number of tasks sitting in the “In Progress” column to avoid bottlenecks in the process.

6. Front-load the day

For many professionals, the best time for creativity is early in the day. For business owners, this often means spending time in the morning doing creative things like brainstorming or tackling tougher tasks.

Technique to Try: Fresh or Fried

The “Fresh or Fried” philosophy was created by blogger Stephanie Lee. It considers mental energy when planning for productivity. For example, early in the day, most people find that their brain is fresh. But as hours pass and that mental energy is expended, the brain becomes tired. But if a business owner uses the “fresh or fried” technique, they’ll try to front-load the day with creative tasks that require a lot of mental energy, leaving the more tedious or less important items for the afternoon and evening.

Examples of Morning Tasks

• Brainstorming for a client
• Writing a blog post
• Designing a logo

Examples of Evening Tasks

• Completing invoices
• Answering emails
• Plan out social media posts

7. Reflect at the end of the day

Reflection. It sounds so basic, but it’s incredibly helpful for an entrepreneur who’s trying to avoid burnout as they run their own business. Reflecting on the day can help a person be more effective the next day and avoid (or limit) the tasks that drain their energy.

Technique to Try: Ivy Lee

in 1918, Charles M. Schwab decided to work on his productivity, so he hired a business consultant named Ivy Lee. During that consultation, Lee sat down with each executive for 15 minutes and laid out the simple (but effective) Ivy Lee method:

1. A professional should take a few minutes before checking out for the day and jot down the six most important items that need to be accomplished the next day. This list shouldn’t include more than six items.
2. Then, it’s time to rank those six items in order of importance.
3. The next morning, the professional can focus 100% of their time and focus on that first task. After it’s completed, they can move on to task number two.
4. Then they can continue working down the list until it’s finished (or the workday ends).
5. Leftover tasks can get moved to the top of the next day’s top six tasks.

How to Spot (and Combat) Business Owner Burnout

Starting a business can be stressful, demanding, and can wear anyone down. To prevent business owner burnout, professionals can learn how to spot early signs, take time for self care, and implement time management techniques to stay organized. Eventually, anyone will be able to make small adjustments that help them stay on top of their days before the worst of the burnout hits.

Finding ways to combat business owner burnout is crucial for maintaining both personal well-being and company success. By implementing structured techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix for delegation or the Fresh or Fried method for scheduling tasks, anyone can regain control over their workday and rediscover their entrepreneurial passion.

A business owner could also consider starting an LLC as their business expands, providing personal liability protection and tax flexibility while adding credibility to the brand.

Ultimately, building systems that protect both the business and the owner’s mental health creates the foundation for long-term success that aligns with an entrepreneur’s original vision and purpose.

Sources: NCBI

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.