How To Reset After Entrepreneurial Burnout
From Jordo's Desk
On a Wednesday night
I was recently interviewed on the Jeff Lerner Podcast where I share (quite vulnerably) being in a phase of life of "searching".
Jeff is a good friend, and it was a safe (albeit public) forum to share what it's like to have pushed so hard that I had experienced some burnout. Most entrepreneurs bottle up their emotions and do not share the "low points" of life and business, so I saw this as an opportunity to self-process, brainstorm, and empower others to do the same.
You can see the full interview here.
I'm an entrepreneur at heart - and feel a strong calling to create tools that change lives.
In 2018, I completed a 3 year journey of producing an award-winning documentary film on addiction, called Church of Felons. We were able to place several people into addiction recovery centers and even have impact on the legal system.
In 2020, I launched DropFunnels to make powerful marketing more accessible and help business owners thrive. We've grown to become one of the largest WordPress networks online, and helped thousands of entrepreneurs make more money and keep more profit.
In 2022, on top, we've launched DropResponder to help you connect with more of your leads and make more sales via Gmail.
On the side, I've been personally working on a bit of a secret project called "Hybrid Savings" - a high yield savings application to earn up to 6% APY on your parked funds.
Just a small sampling.
This is all on top of a young and growing family, faith, and dedicating time with friends.
All-in-all... Massively busy = Fast burnout
Maybe you've experienced the same.
Either by internal desire, or external pressure, we entrepreneurs and visionaries tend to bite off huge chunks at a time.
And it's how we can change the world.
But...
(and that's a BIG but...)
If we don't rebalance ourselves, we risk losing it all.
Just like a high-wire act in a circus. The stakes are high, people are counting on us, and faltering one inch to the left or right can be disasterous.
My teams, my family, my vision... they're all counting on me to keep things in focus and balanced.
So I've had to dig deep, research, and even find unconventional methods to revive after burnout.
I hope that what I've learned helps you if you're in the same spot.
Steps to Reviving Your Fire
I'll be even more transparent with you...
I'm still (at the time of writing) processing my own revival and reset.
It's a process that takes time. Celebrate and honor the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens.
It'll help you really appreciate when things are going great.
Step 1: Step Back and Look Up
Imagine you're running up a hill and you run out of breath.
You stop and take a moment to rest and recover before continuing. Do you beat yourself up for doing so?
Of course not.
The same applies here, when you're in real need for recovery.
Pushing hard for a long time creates physical and mental exhaustion. If you continue to push, you can overextend yourself far into chaos and it can be irreversible.
Your body and mind need permission to create a container for recovery.
We heal in the rest and recovery periods, not in the push period.
I've found the best thing to do is to create a safe container around yourself and give permission to process, journal, escape, and heal.
Don't listen to the "Entreprenuerial Hustle Club" who tells you to 10X everything and push 25 hours a day. It doesn't work.
For you, it might be pulling back on your work hours, taking a trip to refocus, or a sabatical (extended, planned break) to realign yourself before diving back in.
For most business owners, this is the hardest part.
After all, business doesn't stop.
Stabilize and delegate things to buy yourself some space to gain that permission. You'll thank yourself later.
Step 2: Seek Counsel and Vocalize
I love the quote by Brene Brown: "No act of courage exists without extreme vulnerability".
In order to molt their shell and grow, a lobster (or any exoskeleton creature) needs to shed their hard exterior to form a new and larger shield. This requires them to be extremely vulnerable to prey, but if they don't, they never grow and would remain small.
Remaining small isn't an option.
Write out exactly where you're at, how you got here, and how grateful you are for the progress you've made.
Never compare this list to anyone else's progress... it's none of your business. 😉
Seek counsel with trusted allies that you know can listen well, even without giving advice.
Speaking publicly the journey of resetting is quite powerful. It minimizes things we've made too big, and brings to light things we haven't considered.
Step 3: Re-Envision What You Want Life To Look Like In 5 Years
Perhaps the biggest mistake is to fall back into old routines and habits that got us into this burned out state in the first place.
Think about it: What do you want your life to look like in 5 years? 2 years? 1 year?
What does it look like to be in the "zone of perfection"?
You can then reverse architect things you need to change.
For you, it may require multiplication by subtraction - meaning, focusing on removing the things that lead to burnout so you can focus on your strengths and biggest movers.
I encourage you to consider 3 categories:
- What should I delegate?
- What should I automate?
- What should I eliminate?
This might mean hiring new team members, eliminating things that don't actually move the needle, or getting intentionally focused on where your time is best spent.
For example, I'm not good with financial reporting. So I have a great CPA team.
I'm not good with answering support tickets. So I have a great support team.
I'm not particularly skilled with building complex automations and systems. So I have an automations expert on staff.
These people help me focus on my exact zone of genius, and helps them do the same.
So...
Take some time to architect what you want your life to look like, remove the things that are barriers (this takes tremendous decision-making discipline), and implement new routines and habits with the new space you've made.
Bonus: Remember Why You're Here
Do the inner work to remind yourself exactly why you've been placed on the earth. You have a purpose, a meaning, and a job to do. Everyone does.
Not all who are searching are lost. Seeking leads to finding.
If you're not entirely clear on what that is, give yourself space to explore.
Test.
Try.
Keep moving.
Craig Ballantyne says that "Action beats Anxiety". Keep your body and mind moving.
You'll find answers.
And you'll find a new version of yourself that's reinvigorated, refreshed, and back on fire.