PopUP! Series Part 2/2 Business Owner Burnout: 5 Shifts to Burnout-Proof Your Business

Join me in this episode to learn 5 simple shifts to make to burnout proof your business for good.

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Transcript

Ilonka Ras (00:00.29)
Welcome back to this second episode, the last episode in this series, All Around Burnout. In the previous episode, we talked about where burnout actually comes from and the three specific drivers of burnout for business owners. So definitely head back to that episode if you haven't listened to it yet. In this episode, I'm sharing five very practical shifts or steps that you can make in your business to get out of burnout and to make sure

that you don't land back there again. Let's

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 Ras.

So in the previous episode, we briefly touched on burnout and how it starts in your mind. Burnout is created when we spin in indecision, confusion, perfectionism, overthinking, self-doubt, imposter syndrome. It's also created when we spend a ton of our time on things that drain our energy inside of our business. And when we put in a lot of effort, but we don't see

any progress. We don't feel like we're making meaningful progress. And these three things together is like the perfect trifecta for burnout. And in essence, this is happening because our business is running us, not the other way around. Our business isn't designed to work for us. It's designed so that we can work for it. So I want to share five simple shifts that will help you to get out of burnout and avoid it for good.

Ilonka Ras (02:03.788)
I want you to choose one of these that you can take action on this week. Don't let it overwhelm you. You can always save this episode and come back to it at a future time, but choose one of these that you can actively implement in your life and business this week. The first one is to protect the asset. I love this concept and I always teach my clients that you are the asset in your business, not your clients, not your team, not your equipment.

and all the things that you have inside of your business, it's you. If you burn out, it has a ripple effect on everything else. And so we want to look at how you are protecting yourself as an asset inside of your business, how you protect your time, your energy, your brain space, because when you function well, your business will grow. Things will go well with the business if it goes well with you. So that's the first thing.

The second step is to actually stop planning for fantasy time. So often I see my clients overestimating what they can get done in a day or in a week and underestimating how long things actually take. It's almost like scheduling a 90 minute movie on Netflix, but only giving yourself 60 minutes to watch it. Now, unless you're planning on watching it on double speed, why would we do that? Right. And so this is really just about

getting honest with ourselves and looking at what we are actually cramming into our weeks and asking ourselves whether this is actually realistic. Is this realistic and does it fit? Is it aligned with how I actually want to move through my week? So instead of just pushing everything into your schedule and telling yourself that you have no other option than to do it all this week, this is one of the reasons why I always say do not have a to-do list because

It's not useful. Everything on your to-do list is literally weighted equal. And so your brain thinks that these are all the things that absolutely have to get done. There is no sense of priority or urgency. What we want to do instead is we want to plan for real life. want to build in some buffer time, some space. We also want to make sure that the things that we make it onto our calendar, that those things are important to us, that they truly align with the

Ilonka Ras (04:28.896)
outcomes and the goals that we have set out for ourselves to achieve. The third shift is to fill your day with high impact, high energy work. As we said in the previous episode, burnout doesn't come from overworking. It doesn't come because you're putting in too many hours. I will be the first person to advocate for working less, for not putting in 50 plus hours in a week. But I want you to also understand

that if you are putting in long hours, but it's work that you actually love doing, and it's intentional, it gives you energy, it lights you up, then why not work those hours? It's perfectly fine. What we want to make sure is that we are in essence spending our time as the business owner on things that light us up. In other words, it's our zone of genius. It's the things that we do the best in the business and for the business, but also the activities and the tasks

that actually have a high impact on the business. Now, I like to measure this in terms of what's the return, what's the value of these activities? Does it make us money for the business? And we want to make sure that we're not spending time on the wrong things, i.e. things that are low impact and low energy.

because these are the things that create burnout if you're spending the majority of your time on those activities that don't actually light you up and that don't really move the needle in your business. So look at the things that make it onto your calendar and just ask yourself, does this give me energy and does it make money for the business? If it does, if it's a yes to both of those questions, then do those things. Now, of course you also want to make sure that you're giving yourself some time

in your schedule during the week, over the weekend, where you are spending time on things that give you energy, they're not necessarily making money for the business. That's also okay. These are activities that Dan Wartell calls investment activities. And it in essence helps you to be a better person. And if you're a better person, if you feel better, if you're enjoying your life, that will ripple into your business as well. The fourth shift is to build the habit of real rest. Many business owners

Ilonka Ras (06:46.552)
think that rest is a reward, but it isn't actually, it's a requirement. Most business owners don't take real breaks because they either don't see it as productive or they don't trust that their business, our team will be able to handle things without them. And if that's you, we need to change both of these thoughts that you have. I teach my clients to plan their week in advance and to start with their off time, to start with rest, not work.

because when you prioritize rest, you will actually do it. And just remember that your brain cannot make good decisions if it's constantly tired. The fifth shift is to measure progress like a real CEO. Many business owners simply rely on their gut and then they feel confused because they feel behind. What you need is a scoreboard. Whatever you're doing, launching, hiring, restructuring, I want you to define what

progress looks like for you before you start. And to start celebrating the smaller wins, the milestones on your way to those bigger goals, start proving to your brain that you are moving forward. You don't have to live in constant exhaustion. You can redesign your business so that it supports you instead of draining you. If that's what you want and you know you don't want to figure it out alone, I'd love to support you.

Inside my private coaching program, we simplify and organize your business so you can have more time, more energy and more profit without burning yourself or your team out. You can click the link in the show notes to apply to work with me. Thank you so much for joining me. I will chat to you again next week.