"I'm so burned out."
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that (or said it myself), I'd be ... well, I'd be taking a few more days off.
Burnout is defined as "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration" (Merriam-Webster).
Prolonged stress or frustration.
Most people describe burnout as a function of overwork. A result of too much time spent burning the candle at all ends. Too much time doing stuff. Too much of your schedule being dedicated to productive efforts for your business.
Now, certainly, if you are blocking your schedule full of work every day to the extent that you don't have a minute free to think, rest, dream or plan? Absolutely, you'll be exhausted, both physically and mentally.
But I think there's another reason for the feeling of burnout that persists regardless of how hectic your schedule has been or how voluminous your work is.
It's the reason that business owners still come to me talking about burnout even when their work schedule is not overwhelming or overburdened.
Curiously, I've begun to think of burnout not solely as a product of overallocation but instead as a product of a lack of vision or purpose, having no long-term plan.
This is why, even when business owners change their schedule or claw back the volume of their work, they often end up still feeling the same way - and, to add insult to injury, even further behind.
Here's my hypothesis (because #science)…
We're going to work hard, no matter what we're working on. But when we're working hard on something that isn't aligned with our purpose, or we don't see what we're working towards, we get burned out.
Especially when you’ve been at this for 5-7 years and can’t see where you’re headed.
It’s always surprising to me how many clients come to me with no idea of a future and no cohesive business model. And often they are ready to shut things down, or they are asking to sell, because they can’t see where they can go from here.
To them, it feels like a never ending hamster wheel of the same thing, day in and day out. The same patterns, the same problems, the same repeated activities and expenses and time spent on things that don’t feel connected.
When we create alignment in their business model, and/or develop a long-term strategy (or exit plan), all of a sudden their energy returns. They can see what they are working towards, and their work feels purposeful and directed.
No human is meant to do rote, routine work over and over again. That got left behind in the Industrial Age when we were first learning we could innovate in production.
No, we are meant to be creative architects, and entrepreneurs are especially drawn to purpose and vision, and the relentless progression of their work.
So, when you’re feeling “burned out”, ask yourself if it’s truly overwork or if you really just need to see a longer term pathway, and have a plan to build something that has a purpose.
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