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Balancing Act: Avoiding Burnout Through Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance

As a small business owner, you’re constantly juggling heavy workloads and employer duties. The weight of all these responsibilities can be stressful, and without relief, you may be at risk of burnout.

Burnout, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress. Those suffering from burnout report feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, negative feelings or thoughts about their job, such as helplessness and detachment, on top of reduced work efficiency.

Physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive issues or changes in sleep and appetite are common, as are emotional struggles like increased irritation, lack of motivation and isolation from the friends, people and things you once loved.

If any of this seems familiar to you — and it’s likely, with one in four small business owners reportedly in “survival mode” following fluctuating market conditions — you can be at risk for burnout. Continue reading to learn more about the factors behind burnout and ways you can avoid it by maintaining a positive work-life balance.

What Makes Us Burn Out?

Gallup, an analytics and advisory company, reveals research indicating the factors most strongly correlated with employee burnout. While a number of these are from the perspective of employees, small business owners can relate to their struggles within their own workloads and responsibilities:

• Unfair treatment at work – Unfair treatment, such as bias, favoritism and mistreatment, can lead to feelings of burnout, harming the psychological bond between workers or a worker and supervisor. It’s important that all employees in your business — including yourself — are treated fairly and feel respected, which helps improve mental resilience in the face of hardship or stress.
• Unmanageable workload – How many times have you walked into your small business confident that you can tackle your to-do list, only hours later to feel a mounting sense of despair at the lack of progress you’ve made? According to Gallup analytics, occupational burnout risk increases greatly once the average workweek reaches 50 hours, and even more at 60 hours.
• Unclear communication – While the Gallup poll specifies that unclear communication from managers can stress employees, sole owners can also struggle with a lack of clarity. You work with a variety of partners and contractors, and when expectations and accountability become ambiguous, the potential fallout for your business can be frustrating to handle and difficult for your mental health.
• Lack of support – Again, Gallup takes the employee perspective, alleging that manager support is central to preventing burnout by providing a valuable psychological buffer if things go wrong. But as a small business owner, who is there to support you during difficult times? That feeling of sole responsibility can be freeing when you have no one else to answer to, but stressful and anxiety-inducing when you have no one else to turn to for help or advice.  
• Unreasonable deadlines and pressure – When employees fall behind on their deadlines, it can trigger a domino effect that puts pressure on subsequent projects. For small business owners, it can be a struggle to keep up with the demands of the job — which you often place on yourself — all while managing your employees, partners and customer relationships.

Attaining a Work-Life Balance

If you imagine your life in two major categories — work and personal — which would you say gets the lion’s share of your attention? As a small business owner, you’re driven by your entrepreneurial passion to succeed, but this can lead you to invest too much time in your professional pursuits at the expense of your personal ones.

Maintaining balance in both sectors of your life is a good way to manage stress, avoid burnout and maintain valuable connections with loved ones. Some ways to achieve this include:

• Planning your work with purpose – With a seemingly never-ending list of tasks and projects, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by your workload or feel like you didn’t do enough if there are still incomplete items at the end of the day. Instead of trying to tackle everything in a single day, highlight three or four “must-completes.” Remember, there will always be more work; what’s important is how you balance all your responsibilities so you’re happy in all aspects of your life, not suffering under the weight of one.  
• Scheduling personal time – When we fall behind in our duties, it can be tempting to cancel plans and push through the night. However, withdrawing can create feelings of isolation, enflame negative self-thoughts and create emotional distance when you need support. By scheduling personal time, you can capture valuable opportunities to de-stress and connect with the activities, people and places you love.
• Exploring outsourcing or delegation – Being a small business owner doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Hiring an outside contractor or using artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks you don’t have the bandwidth to manage, such as accounting, marketing and administrative work, can protect your mental health and give you time back to focus your energies elsewhere.
• Disconnecting and sticking to it – “Just one more thing” is a mantra that leads to diminished boundaries, increased stress and conflict at home. Instead of letting your work responsibilities erode precious time with your loved ones, set clear limits on your work hours. Unless there’s an emergency, emails, phone calls and questions can wait until morning.

Burnout is a risk that all small business owners should take seriously, as it is a harmful phenomenon resulting from chronic overwork. Without taking the proper steps to mitigate the factors behind burnout — such as long hours, heavy workloads and stressful situations — you can find yourself at increased risk for serious physical and mental health problems.

Giving your mental health the same care and diligence you devote to your entrepreneurial duties helps ensure you’ll be able to enjoy your success and navigate hard times with greater resilience.

 

The American Independent Business Coalition (AIBC) helps our members by enhancing three key areas of their lives — their careers, personal lives and general health — through unique member benefits. To explore the health benefits available through your AIBC membership, visit aibcoalition.com.

Articles in this newsletter are meant to be informative, enlightening and helpful to you. While all information contained herein is meant to be completely factual, it is always subject to change. Articles are not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a professional regarding any mental health concerns you may have. Benefits may not be available in all membership levels. For more information, or to upgrade your membership, please call 800.387.9027.

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