What to Do When Work is No Longer Fun.

Burn out is the defining symptom of our generation. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business owner, or a corporate employee, we’ve all experienced times in our career where work becomes, well… work.

With small business owners and creatives, we often see an accompanying symptom: guilt. Why? Many small businesses are born out of a passion. An entrepreneurs passion fuels creativity and growth, fulfilling deepest desires and monetary wishes. We are taught to believe our passion and skills should be enough. They will create success for our business. We’re doing what we love so we shouldn’t feel burnt out, right?

Are we allowed to complain about our own business or career?

YES! Here’s a little secret. 0% of our clients have fun in their business 100% of the time. 100% of our clients wish they could spend more time focused on their passions, doing what they love, versus operating a business.

The reality is… running a business or becoming a great leader quickly becomes more about operations and less about passion. Particularly for growing businesses, in those 1-5 years of first-time profitability (before we have enough money to hire other people to do our work well).

Yet hope isn’t lost. There are tricks that set us up for success as your career grows, allowing you to focus more on your passions and less on operations.

Let’s get your groove back!

Tip 1: Improve your Time Management Skills

The second defining symptom of our generation: poor time management skills. Maybe it’s because we live in the technological age of constant information and multi-tasking (you’re probably reading this, while texting a friend, checking Instagram, and watching Netflix), but our younger clients often rate Time Management as their biggest opportunity.

Here’s the hard reality. No tool and no process will solve your problem. Why? Because Time Management is personal.

Step One to Time Management: Understand your “non-negotiables.”

To truly get “good” at Time Management, you need to look within. What are your personal and “non-negotiables” - the items, appointments, people which come first, no matter what. Maybe that’s checking in with your mentor or business coach every week, dedicating 50% of your business doing your craft / passion, or spending 30-minutes a day journaling or podcasting.

Understand and define your 3-5 non-negotiables.

Step Two: Schedule your “non-negotiables” first.

Once you understand the items or actions that give you the life you desire, schedule them first. Make them a priority. Seriously… schedule them in your calendar right now.

Step Three: Find a system that works for you.

After your non-negotiables comes everything else. Play with tools and processes to help you manage your time. Here are some ideas:

• Utilize your calendar (seriously, this is a big one) and sync it to your phone

• Explore time management tools like Monday or Clockify

• Create trackers in project management tools like Trello

Tip 2: Delegate Everywhere you Can Afford (Personal & Professional)

When growing your career or business, we recommend delegating as much as you can afford. Just in case you need to hear this… It’s 100% okay to delegate tasks in your life. Give yourself permission to let go.

This goes in your professional and personal life. Saving just 30-minutes a week gives you back 26 hours in your year. Think how much you could accomplish or learn in 26 hours! Here’s some areas we recommend delegating:

• General admin work, office supply ordering, etc.

• Invoicing / bill collection

• Customer service follow ups (handwritten notes, thank you emails, etc.)

• Marketing, social media communications

• Housecleaning

• Grocery pick up / delivery

• Child care (where applicable)

Remember: Delegation only works if you properly create processes that are easily replicated by others.

Can’t afford delegation? Find tasks appropriate for an intern and delegate (after training them)!

Tip 3: Hire a Business Coach

Your business is a valuable asset. The world’s most profitable corporations don’t rely solely on their internal teams and CEOs to guide decisions. They hire consultants and have a Board of Directors, consisting of leaders within and outside of their industry to give perspective and challenge the status quo.

This is common practice for corporations for a reason. Having external perspectives expands thinking, introduces expertise, and grows profits. Entrepreneurs and business leaders should craft their own version of “Board of Directors.”

Where to start? We recommend all entrepreneurs and serious professionals hire a Business Coach. Why? Business Coaches, due to their nature, have a plethora of experience working with entrepreneurs across different industries. A good Coach will bring bring fresh perspective, connections, and ally-ship to your company.

Summary: Practice!

Every career and business will ebb and flow, consisting of both bliss and burn-out. But with practice and techniques, we can work to minimize the low moments and craft an intentional career.

Interested in learning more about a Business Coach? Read more here!