I recently discovered this article in which Forbes.com is interviewing #GIRLBOSS Sophia Amoruso.
A quote from the article when asked about how she avoids burnout, “Being aware of your limits is powerful, and sometimes, the only way to know them is to reach them. Calendar reminders are great too. Sometimes, it helps to put self-care reminders on the calendar.”
Thats a great way to go about avoiding burn-out. It naturally goes hand & hand with stress & the amount you have piled upon your desk. Organization is a good way to compartmentize things. By staying organized you can prioritize what is necessary now & what you can save for later.
A tip from me would be, remind yourself why you began your business to begin with. Why did you choose the industry or role you are in. Sometimes we get off track & we loose our way. It is a natural thing to get distracted & stumble off path. If we can refocus & revisit that original passion that we felt when we first began, then we can recreate that feeling. That vigor can help give us a fresh start & reignite that fire.
Ladders did an article on the top industries that employees experience burn out the quickest in. Can you guess them? One or two took me by surprise. The one I knew would be on there was sales. Anyone in a sales role will tell you that its brutal getting told “No” a million times a day. It really effects one mental well being. I had a old colleague/boss that used to tell me all the time, “Kat, one day you will be in sales.” I would laugh & shake my head because he was always telling me to switch positions. I never thought I would actually be in this type of role. Don’t get me wrong I am out-going, assertive and naturally have the ability to talk to anyone but the idea of talking about myself & my services is what made me hesitate. I had to be reminded that its business, business runs off of people being able to sell their goods & services. With out the ability to talk about a produce then consumers do not know details & information in regards to it & can not therefore make a thorough decision or decipher one product from the next. Now it took getting used to but guys & girls I’m here. Despite those initial hesitations I am now a Sales Recruiter! I guess I have always been in some capacity.
Did you know Recruiters get burnt out too? Back 14 years ago when I was recruiting in a more blue collar setting I remember getting stacks of job orders that needed to be placed in that day. I would get up & be at work at 5AM, not take a lunch but rather eat at my desk & then leave at 5PM. I also worked Saturdays & some Sundays (always felt badly working on the Lord’s day). I was adamant I was going to get each order placed every day, no matter what it took. I did but I quickly got that worn out feeling. So I thought it was interesting when I ran across the article that hiringsolved.com wrote this past year. It talks all about how Recruits get burn out, how to know when you are reaching that limit. Also, what to do when this happens to you. Do you know when I was working those insane hours that I would dream about work. I would wake up in a cold sweat not because I was being chased in my dream by a murderous clown but because I didn’t fill all my orders! It was a bit much that work was beginning to seep into my subconscious in that way.
So back to the topic of burn-out; we all experience it. Parents experience it daily with their small humans taking over their households. Children/Teenagers/Young Adults experience it through academics & athletes experience it through sports they have made careers out of. As humans it is natural to face burn-out but its how we deal with that burn-out that can have a lasting effect & separate the masses!
