How to Avoid Burnout as a Solopreneur

Burnout. A word everyone knows but no one wants to apply to themselves.
It’s especially important to avoid burnout as a solopreneur when you’re the one-human band running the show.

Burnout by definition is when you are so overloaded with stress that you become emotionally, physically and/or mentally exhausted. The simplest of tasks become daunting and unachievable.

So, how do we avoid burnout as a solopreneur while keeping our empire afloat? I’ve got 3 tips to implement TODAY to start lowering your stress levels while continuing to grow.

Mindset

I will say this till I’m blue in the face:

Mindset Is Everything

In life and in business. For me, I’ve come to realize that mindset is 75% of my business and strategy is maybe 25% but that’s being generous.

Overcoming my limiting beliefs was the start of my transformation to being a successful Virtual Assistant. That’s why I created my course, Mindset Magic to help other service providers unbrainwash themselves and start to believe in themselves and their services.

I’m not a fan of “self-care” since it’s such a buzz word but what do you do to practice mindset? Do you journal and visualize your days? Set small attainable goals so you know you’re making moves towards your overall goal? Personal development is like a plastic bag, when you stretch it, it keeps expanding.

Ask For Help

No one expects you to be an expert in everything. I’ve had clients who kill it on live videos. They can sell themselves better than any high ticket closer I’ve ever met. But maybe they don’t know how to set up a sales funnel to automatically take the payments from everyone trying to buy.

There’s a few ways you can ask for help in business. My preferred method is hiring a virtual assistant. Not just because I am one, but I also have one! Practice what you preach and all that good shit.

Hire a VA that compliments your strengths. My first hire was for my graphics because I would rather not.

If you’re not ready to have a semi employee to delegate, you can also hire out one-off projects. I hired someone to set up my Dubsado(have you seen the back end of this system?!) and beautify my website. Aesthetic is not my forte. I’m what you’d call practical, logical. Graphics and colour schemes? No thank you.

An alternative to hiring someone to do the work, is asking for guidance. A lot of coaches offer 1 time intensives and this can help you gain clarity if you’re stuck on your next move.

Set Boundaries

That should say set boundaries from the start. It’s a lot easier to tell yourself you’re not allowed to do something you’ve never done over stopping yourself once you’re in the game.

Examples of my business boundaries:

Morning routine before answering/opening any client messages.
No work on Sundays.
Business can’t get in the way of having a life.

Despite having it in my contracts and telling my clients, I still get messages on the weekends for work. And it doesn’t bother me at all.

I know that my clients will respect when I say “I’ll do that on Monday.” This helps me avoid anxiety around saying no and trying to please everyone on their schedules.

And that's it!

Let me tell you, burnout is not pretty. And it’s hard to not punish yourself for slowing down or not being motivated. I personally would rather avoid burnout all together over trying to dig myself out of it.

Recognizing that you’re reaching your limits is another part of mindset that will help you avoid burnout. Stopping the cycle before you’re all the way at rock bottom.

Have you hit burnout yet? I’d love to hear how you managed to pull yourself out of it. Comment here or send me a DM about your experiences with burnout!

About Felly Day

Felly Day VA is a dual business whose goal is to help ambitious service providers and coaches grow through digital marketing in a way that feeds their spirit.