PopUP! Series Part 1/2 Business Owner Burnout: When your business drains you

In this episode, we dive into the concept of burnout. Learn how burnout is created for business owners and how to burnout proof your business for good. 

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Transcript

Ilonka Ras (00:00.046)
Welcome to this series on burnout. If you've been feeling disconnected from your business, constantly tired or stuck in a fog of what is the point, this is for you. We're talking about burnout, where it really comes from, how to get yourself out of it if you are currently there, and simple practical shifts you can make in your business to avoid burnout in the future. Let's go.

Welcome to the Effortless CEO podcast, the only show that teaches South African business owners how to improve their operations and design a business that can run without them. If you're interested in leading your team more effectively, creating more operational efficiency, delivering with excellence while getting some of your life back, then you're in the right place. Here's your host, strategic intervention coach and operations specialist, Ilonka Russ.

Now we often think burnout comes from overworking, putting in too much effort, grinding too hard. And yes, physical burnout is real, but for most of my clients, burnout actually is mental. Burnout comes from wanting to do something to create a result to move forward, but then spinning in indecision, going back and forth on what you should do. And in essence, fighting with yourself in your head, which is really exhausting.

Now I haven't made a business owner yet who burn themselves out, working long hours, doing what they absolutely love to do inside of their businesses. When we do what we enjoy, work that lights us up, it actually gives us energy. Now we might be physically tired at the end of the day, but it's a good kind of tired. Burnout feels very different. Burnout feels like disconnection. You're unmotivated, uninspired, maybe even a little bit cynical.

Finding it hard to believe that change is possible and even if it was, what is the point? Now inside of my coaching program, this is one of the first things we work through, helping business owners to reconnect with what actually energizes them. Because burnout doesn't just happen all at once, it actually creeps in slowly. And it happens when you are spending too much time on work that drains your energy and not enough time on the work that gives you

Ilonka Ras (02:23.682)
you life that gives you energy. Now, one thing I see that most people do to try and fix burnout is they resort to typical time management hacks, things like time blocking or trying to be more productive. They tell themselves that they aren't good at managing their time. And if they can just figure this time management thing out for once and for all, then they will get out of this cycle of burnout. Sometimes they take a vacation because they have worked themselves to the bone.

And that's what they tell themselves. And they just need a break. And the problem with this is they go on vacation, but the vacation doesn't actually feel like a vacation. They still find it really hard to switch off. And it's because the burnout is happening in their mind. It isn't the physical burnout, right? You can remove yourself from your office and go to this pretty amazing tropical location and still feel like you're working, still feel like you can't switch off. The other thing that I see is that

Business owners think that there is a perfect morning routine. If I can just create the perfect plan for my week and stick to that plan, then this will fix burnout. But none of this actually fixes burnout because it doesn't fix the root issue. Burnout isn't caused by doing too much. It's caused by doing too much of the wrong things and fighting with yourself in your head. I always say that burnout happens in your mind before it shows up in your body.

And they are actually three big drivers of burnout for business owners that I see in my coaching practice. The first is lack of energy. And we've touched on this briefly. This is basically the amount of hours that you're working inside of your business and how many of those hours are filled with tasks and activities that drain you, that tire you out, that you're like, I do not enjoy doing this. Even if you're putting in the time,

It's not the kind of work that lights you up or gives you life. It feels like you are doing things that's a total drag. You're not actually enjoying it. So that's the first big driver. The second driver of burnout is lack of progress. And this is where you're putting in a ton of effort. You're doing a lot of work, but you don't feel like you're actually making any real or meaningful progress.

Ilonka Ras (04:42.018)
And the problem that I see with many of the owners that come to me is that they aren't actually even sure how to measure progress. So they are telling themselves they're not making progress. They feel like they're not making progress. But when I ask them to tell me how they are measuring progress, how would they know whether they've made progress? They can't tell me. And this is a very typical thing that I see. And it's because our brain loves to show us that we are behind, that we are

not making progress. The third driver is spinning in indecision and confusion. And this is where you're at war with yourself. Second guessing yourself, doubting yourself, overthinking things, talking yourself in and out of things 20 times a day. It's the mental ping pong. Bang! This is exhausting. This creates burnout. Now, if you want to get out of burnout and also avoid it in the future,

we first need to reassess what you're giving your time and attention to. Because in essence, we want to turn down the volume on the things that drain you. And the way we do this is by either deleting them off of your calendar or schedule entirely, deferring them for later, or delegating them off of your plate. Now inside of my program, we actually do an in-depth action order to help you see where your time is going and how to shift it back towards

those high impact, high energy activities that actually bring joy and aliveness to you. Here's what I want you to do for this episode. Think about your typical week. How much of what you're doing, do you actually enjoy? Not just the things that you tolerate, things that you actually find invigorating inside of your business. Now it might be hard for you to think about things that give you energy and that's okay.

I would then suggest that you start with the things that you know drain your energy. It's often easier for us to start with what we don't want and don't enjoy and then go from there. The second question you can ask yourself is how are you actually measuring progress inside of your business? How do you know that you are moving forward? Because as I said, your brain is going to tell you that you're behind unless you give it proof that you're not. In the next episode, I'm going to share five

Ilonka Ras (07:04.898)
practical tips that you can implement to find your energy again, feel more focused and in control and start burnout proofing your business long-term. And if you're already thinking this is exactly what I need and you want help applying this to your specific business, you can apply to work with me privately. Inside my program, we simplify and streamline your business so it no longer drains you. We simplify and organize your business for more time, more profit and more joy.

You will find the link to apply in the show notes. I'll see you in the next episode.