This is the time of year when everyone thinks about goals and what they want to achieve in the upcoming year. I am one of those folks that have written a lot about the importance of setting goals and the implementation of those goals.
But I think there is another subject that is important to cover at this time and that is how those same goals can lead to burnout. Avoiding burnout is not as easy as it sounds when you are an entrepreneur. It is the very nature of an entrepreneur to keep going when everyone else has thrown in the towel. Entrepreneurs are known for their refusal to give up. This very trait that separates us from the rest of the folks is the very trait that can cause us to crash and burn.
Lofty Goals
Many of us tend to set big goals in our businesses. In fact it’s not uncommon to set goals that are so big that they would be almost impossible to actually accomplish and still “have a life”. Entrepreneurs aren’t really known for being good at pacing themselves.
What generally happens is that we work until we are ready to drop. Day after day we work late; we work on weekends and holidays chasing those big, lofty goals. Don’t get me wrong; I am a big proponent of setting goals that stretch you. But you have to be realistic at the same time.
Finding Balance
Finding balance can be a tough thing to do. I have found in my own business that when I have too many big projects on the table, I fail to get any of them completed in a timely manner. Having too many “incompletes” weighs me down and actually prevents me from being as productive as I …read more