8 ways Avoid burnout when Starting an Online Business

Let me tell you a little story about when I first started my business.

One evening, following another long day (of many) searching and applying for design jobs, I came across an entire community of designers that had their own online businesses. After about an hour of research, I felt it in my bones that this is what I was meant to do - build my own online design business. From that moment on I decided to give my all to creating my business. 

For the following weeks, day in and day out, I was working on my business; building my website, creating my blog, creating social media content, building my email marketing, engaging with people on Facebook, creating freebies. Basically anything and everything you can think of to jump-start an online business. In the first month of my business, if I wasn’t at my part-time job, I was either marketing or working on my site. I worked 12 hour days for multiple days in a row. If I wasn’t working on my business, I was constantly thinking about my business. I couldn’t seem to take my mind off my website traffic and what I could improve on. One thing I knew was that I wasn’t lacking was focus, drive, or dedication.

This extreme focus can be nice but it can also come at a price.

After about a month into my business, I could feel myself getting irritated easily, super emotional, and exhausted. One night I had a complete breakdown. 

At this point, I realized that I was coming dangerously close to burnout. I thought if it had only been a month into my business and I was already feeling burnt out, something had to change. 

Here are the 5 steps I took to avoid complete burnout. 

Set Work Hours

One thing that is extremely important for avoiding burnout is to have set work hours. Many entrepreneurs think it is important to be available to your business 24/7. Even if you are the sole owner of your business and work remotely doesn’t mean you have to be working all the time. 

This was one of the hardest things for me when first starting. I had a part-time job which made it very hard to make set hours for work. This would lead to 12 hour days and complete mental exhaustion. But once I realized the importance of self-care and rest, I forced myself to take at least one day off from both my business and my part-time job. 

Of course, it is important to be a hardworking, dedicated entrepreneur and as an entrepreneur, you really have to hold yourself accountable, however, it is truly just as important to have a self-care day. If you reach burn out you will be doing no favors for your business and may even face failure due to complete loss of motivation. It is a scary thought so be sure to prioritize your mental health by giving yourself one or two days off a week.

Take a Break

In addition to making time for self-care week-to-week, take a vacation! If you’ve been working hard and reaching your goals, reward yourself with some time off! 

As an online business owner, you have the freedom to take time off work whenever your damn well please so do it! When you are first starting out it can be hard. There is a lot to do and it seems like you can never keep up with marketing, but once you are on a role, schedule some blog or social media posts and walk away from your computer for a few days. 

For me, personally, this is why I started my business in the first place. I wanted to create a life that allowed me the freedom to work wherever, whenever I want. So when I wish, I take a few days away from the computer and my business and enjoy life. When I take the time to step away I can see the bigger picture. It makes me grateful for my work and my business. As a result, I am excited to get back to work when my break is over. 

Socialize

One of the best ways to truly take a break from your business, meaning also giving your mind a break from your business, is to make sure that you are making time for friends and social activities. Being social is engaging, which helps you focus on something else besides your business. If you put yourself in a social situation your mind becomes more present on what is happening in the current situation. 

Having a self-care ‘you’ day is also important but when you are relaxing by yourself, you may find it hard to take your brain off your business and you may even end up picking up your computer. 

Then there is the guilt. You may find yourself feeling guilty when you are socializing instead of working on your business. Having a normal life is nothing to feel guilty about! I promise you can still be a successful entrepreneur and still have friends! The thing is, human connection is important for mental health and your mental health is important for your business! 

Avoid Work Notifications at Inappropriate Times

If you find yourself balancing your social life well, great job! However, if you are with friends or family, don’t go checking your email or analytics.

This is something I actively have to remind myself not to do all the time. When I first started my business I was constantly checking my website analytics even when I am with friends! It’s absurd and not healthy. 

I have also had days completely ruined by checking my email at a time that was super inappropriate and I was not supposed to be working. 

Yes, the act of checking analytics or emails only takes a few seconds, but you may find something that instantly causes stress when you should be taking a break. 

If you also find this to be an issue, turn off your notifications when you aren’t supposed to be working. If you are going to take a break, make sure it is a high-quality break. 

Meditation

Have you tried meditation? 

If you’ve never tried mediation or don’t believe in it, now may be the time to change that mindset. 

Mediation is a great way to manually train your brain to switch off from thinking about your business. On the other hand, It can also be a great time to reflect and be grateful for all that you have accomplished as an entrepreneur. The nice thing about meditation is that it can really be what you want it to be. It can be a time to rest, reflect, rejuvenate, focus, manifest.

You can use mediation for closure to your workweek or you can use it to get into the right mindset to start your workweek.

Focus On One Marketing Strategy

When it comes to the way you run your business, optimize your workflow. Note which tasks are the most important for the success of your business and which ones your business can survive without. If you are running the show all by yourself, don’t try and do everything. It really is impossible. Plus, it is also not necessary.

 One thing you learn quickly as an entrepreneur is that marketing can be exhausting. You don’t need to implement every marketing strategy there is. Choose one, maybe two, and focus on that. This will not only help you avoid complete and utter exhaustion but it will also lead to greater success in your marketing strategy. 

Find what marketing isn’t doing much for your traffic and stop wasting your time on it. I don’t get that much traffic from Instagram so I simply don’t stress about posting on Instagram. I get most of my traffic from Google and Pinterest so I focus on blogging and my SEO! 

Automate

A great way to optimize your workflow is to automate tasks in your business and at every point in your process. When it comes to scheduling appointments or calls, make sure you have a website where people can go and book with you based on your availability. This minimizes back and forth emailing and confusion. 

When someone schedules with you, create an automated response. 

Once you have signed that client create a project pipeline that has other automations such as reminders. Automated payment reminders are the best! I use Honeybook to automate my business. Check out my blog post - Why I Love Using Honeybook To Run My Online Business - to learn more about how you can optimize your workflow. 

When it comes to marketing, you can batch your content creation then schedule it out. You will find there are many tasks in your business that you can automate which will make it easier for you in the long run and increase your productivity. 

High Ticket Clients

Last but not least, the best way to avoid burnout is to sign high ticket clients. If you sign one client that pays more you will have more time to focus on that one client which is a win-win for both you and your client. 

When you are first starting out in your business you might lower your prices to get those first few clients. After those first few clients, you will realize how valuable your time and skills are and you can double your prices quickly. In the end, it will be worth it to wait for that high ticket client than to take on a bunch of low paying clients that will make you do the same amount of work. Be sure to charge enough so that you can focus on one client at a time and have time to focus on other things in your business while also having a life. I find that working with more than one client at a time can be very stressful and I find myself constantly replying to emials.

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Running a business is a marathon so you have to set boundaries for yourself so you aren’t sprinting out of the gate. It can be tempting to get ahead but I guarantee you, you will not make it to the finish line. As an entrepreneur, prioritizing your mental wellbeing is essential for the success of your business. 

If you have started your business and still need a website where you can send clients, feel free to check out my services to learn more. Having a website is a great step in automating your business. It makes it easy for potential clients to book with you and not to mention, your website is your 24/7 marketing strategy.