A few weeks ago, I shared a bit about my journey dealing with business burn out since late 2019. It was a gradual progression — a slow burn, if you will. I felt a lack of direction and a lack of motivation, and that can be a deadly combo for any business, but especially one you run by yourself (it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me).

While some of us can put an entire business on pause while we explore other options (usually thanks to a partner's income, which is great!), that certainly is not an option for many of us (myself included). There is no magic pill or secret formula to follow to dig yourself out of burn out, but there are some tools that can help you make the trek.

Here are a few things that have helped me deal with burnout in the last few years:
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Being intentional with your time.

If you're a calendar person like me, try scheduling in your free time or time for hobbies right on your calendar among the rest of your responsibilities. We have time for the things we make time for. I have a general "Work on Pottery" task in my Asana calendar that recurs each week. And if I notice a busy week coming up, I'll add in a task that just says REST on the lighter days so I don't forget to build it in.

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Remember your why.

Ok confession, I actually hate it when people use this phrase! It feels very cliche. But it boils down to a simple question: why did you build your business? Not just to make money, but maybe to have more financial freedom? A flexible schedule? The ability to quit work at noon and go to the movies with your kids? If you remind yourself daily (literally say out loud to yourself what the point of all this is!), it can help you appreciate the time away from work without feeling bad about not working. A practical way I did this, just a few weeks ago actually, was to comb through old notebooks and Evernote files from when I was first starting my business. Reading through the ideas I had, the iterations of projects that came and went, the first clients I worked with, the type of content I was sharing. That's what I loved most about starting a business, it felt like this new frontier I was exploring. Ten years in, that newness has worn off, and it can be hard to catch that spark again. But looking back at where my mind was in those first few months and years helped light the fire in me to keep going. To remember why I fell in love with running my own business in the first place.

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Give yourself grace.

It has taken me literal years to get to the place where I have hobbies and time for myself, and that certainly wasn't the case when I was first laying the foundation for my business (and especially when my daughter was little little). And it can also be hard to move away from what your business originally looked like. You worked so hard to create that version of it, it's your baby! That can be a scary shift, so I want to acknowledge that too.

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Take breaks when you feel those burn out feelings creep back in.

This can be breaks from your business, but also breaks from hobbies or other activities if needed. I even took a break from pottery for a couple months recently because I was happily busy with some book projects. During my free time, I didn't feel like making pottery for awhile, so I spent it doing other things I love (reading, being with friends, house projects, etc.). When I felt that itch again to make something with my hands, pottery was there waiting for me (although I was definitely out of practice!).

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Again, I'm not an expert on this, I'm in the middle of figuring out how to claw out of burnout myself. But just knowing and reminding myself what lights me up in my work — experimentation, variety, creativity, even time away — can be just what I need to stay on track to that elusive work / life balance. I'm becoming more open to changes and shifts in my business now, and I'm not as afraid to take risks and see where the experimentation takes me.

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​This was actually part of a series I wrote about burn out last year, if you want to check out all 3 parts, here's your links:

• ​Part 1 (my burnout story)​
• ​Part 2 (my burnout story continued)​
• ​Part 3 (how I'm dealing with burnout)​
• I was also interviewed on my pal Abbey Ashley's podcast last year all about this very topic, so check that out here if you wanna listen in to our vulnerable convo.​

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If you're feeling burnout or boredom creep into your business, you're not alone! You've cared about your business a lot for a long time, and that seems pretty darn normal to me.

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Thanks for being here 💛
Kelsey