My Holiday Reflection: The Burnout
Hello Babes! It's your girl Gigi with another article. Let's talk about rest and the "hustle" mentality. I recently just recovered from a week of being sick and it's something that really had me put my life in perspective. As an entrepreneur that works from home and is used to being on my computer 24/7, I had to slow it down. 2015 is coming to a close and I decided that there was one major thing that I needed to change. Here is my reflection during this Holiday season.
As entrepreneurs there is this mentality of "no sleep for the hard working". Quotes get posted all around the web saluting those who are pretty much zombies. We wear our fatigue as a badge of honor associating it with what success truly is. Well, I'm here to put a stop to this myth. You actually need to sleep and rest. Sure, there will be nights when you will have to pull all nighters. However, a lifestyle of no sleep shows your lack of organization in your schedule and also lack of identity.
Many entrepreneurs place their identity in being busy for their business. It's almost as if you get a high from being busy. Yet you are also fatigued and working off of minimal rest. You think you're producing at an amazing level but you're really just living life on a stationary bike. You think you're going somewhere because of how fast you're pedaling but in actuality, you aren't going anywhere. We have this addiction to being busy for the sake of just saying or claiming that we are producing. So where is our identity being placed? Your business does not make you. You make your business.
Never allow how others work to dictate how you work. I'm going to be honest. You need to get your rest. It's easy to get this false idea of entrepreneurship from social media and the web. However, it goes back to letting go and figuring out why you feel the need to be so busy all the time. You have to learn how to take control of your life and your schedule. If you find yourself exhausted everyday, evaluate what and how you're doing what you do. See if there are ways to create systems that will provide peace in your life. Are you doing anything that is unnecessary and needs to be removed from your routine? Some times we are doing things out of habit instead of purpose. I had to sit down and figure out what had purpose and what was just "fluff". I had my hands in too many jars and was wondering why I couldn't get any time to breathe.
The Holiday time is a time to enjoy family and friends. It's not the time to be consumed in your emails and neglecting those who love you the most. Being an entrepreneur is not just about the work. It's about being an agent of change in the world via business. It's about bringing amazing products and services into the world that makes people smile and make their life one step easier. So don't worry. It is possible to make tons of money and still get rest. Don't let these people in the world fool you. Many entrepreneurs and startups burn out usually after 3 years. Usually it's from working so hard and not seeing what they expected as far as the return. You can't create great products/services if you don't give your mind enough time to rest. Your creativity needs to be refreshed.
- Make it a goal to get at least 6 hours of sleep as much as you can
- Drink tons of water
- Learn how to schedule/organize your life
- Learn how to value your time and business
- Stop responding to clients/customers after hours (Shut It Down!)
- Never make a major decision while you're tired (Sleep on it!)
- Eat foods that will give you energy and not the "itis"
- Take out time to give back to the community (Perspective Check)
- Set realistic expectations for you & your business
- Stop procrastinating (Ultimate Burnout)
So what are you doing this Holiday season to rest? How are you changing your schedule and life to allow yourself to rest properly? Let me know!