3 Tips to Avoid Becoming Overwhelmed as a Solopreneur: Be gone burnout!

Running your own business can be exhausting – especially if you’re a solopreneur. You wear ALL the hats – marketer, sales manager, customer service representative, chief officer…just to name a few. While that’s exciting and empowering, it’s also overwhelming at times.

Being busy is one thing, being buried is another. So, how can you do it all without doing yourself in?

Here are 3 tips to help you avoid burnout:

 1.    Take a time out

It sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? If you’re over your head in “to do’s”, taking a break will only put you further behind in your work, right? Possibly, but stepping away from the laptop and clearing your head will more likely give you the physical and mental time and space you need to think more clearly. Run an errand, work-out, call a friend, or escape for a short time doing something else completely non-work related. Upon returning (yes, you do need to return), you’ll tackle tasks more quickly after making a fresh start.

2.    Break it down

Don’t let your obligations and undone tasks jaunt around in your head untethered. When we’ve got a lot on our plates, it’s common to think the situation is worse than it actually is. Write down everything you need to get done and estimate the time it will take you to accomplish each task or project. Next, look at your calendar and start planning what you’re going to tackle and when you’re going to tackle it. Having a visible action plan will put it all into perspective. You’ll probably find that you really do have time to get it all done – and if you don’t, well then it might be time to outsource a thing or two.

3.    Bring silly back

Working for yourself is serious business, but don’t lose your sense of humor. If you inherently can’t find the “fun”, seek it!

• Watch a video (music or other) that cracks you up (Those E*TRADE baby spots and a certain LMFAO video do it for me!).
• Read the comics. They arrive with your morning paper every day and they’re online, too. Have you looked at them recently? Simple and silly – perfect therapy!
• Play charades. My daughter and I recently incorporated this into her bedtime routine. Result: Belly laughs that help alleviate the stress that accumulated throughout the course of the day.

Of course, you can’t tip the scales too far on the side of levity or leaving it for later when dealing with the demands of being a solopreneur. But a healthy combination of putting your nose to the grindstone and giving it a rest now and again will make you better able to step up to the challenges.

How do you do to avoid getting overwhelmed?