Anyone who runs a business knows about burn out:  It’s mearly an inevitable part of being at the helm.

No matter how big or small the venture, if you are running things, it’s difficult at times balancing life and what is can throw at you, expected or not.

When I first started pulling the magazine together, I was up at all hours of the night trying to stay ahead of myself.  I was juggling a day job, responsibilities and this project…but oddly enough, I never grew tired of it.  I think this goes back to an earlier mention of doing what you are passionate about.  Doing something you love is both invigorating and empowering—it nourishes your soul.

Utilizing your God given gifts is not supposed to be a drain on your spirit.

Although I was excited and eager to get things off the ground, there were also times where I would get frustrated when things weren’t going right. I understood, after a day like that, I needed to walk away, get some rest, exercise…have some fun and interact with people.  It was knowing when to say when, that prevented me from entering into complete burn out.

I often get tunnel vision when my mind is set on something.  I go and go until I reach the end goal and get into a mode of drivenness:  This is not good and I have learned how to recognize the signs that I have gone too far into the abyss and out of the world (read: too far into my head).  The signs for me are in my personality: I sometimes get grouchy, tired, anti-social.  When these three things occur, I know I need a break.

Some people I know, also in creative fields, have said they get a mental block where the project they are working on is concerned. Luckily, I am not one of those people.  My writer’s might tell me they are late with a piece because they have developed writer’s block…I suggest they put it aside, go for a walk or have some fun and then come back to it after they have had some time to relax.

I rarely (rarely) get writer’s block.  For me writing is less of a process then it is for others.  I don’t think much about what I am setting out to say…I just let it come from within:  Trusting God’s hands are leading mine and turning over control to Him.  Even interviewing others, interpreting what they say and turning into something interesting to others, comes much easier when you let go of it and just let it flow.

I am grateful for this ability and it definitely makes my life and time at the keyboard, more enjoyable and easier!

Another clue some have they are putting too much thought and energy into their work, is losing interest in the tasks at hand.  I know in my case when I am about to reach burn out, I start to dissociate with what I am attempting to do.

For instance,  at one time I was working day and night, night and day on something I wanted to accomplish with the magazine. After I finished, I was DONE! I didn’t want to look at, think or hear about anything having to do with attribute for days afterward.

After this happened a time or two, I decided I needed to space out my time to prevent this from happening again.

It couldn’t happen again…

I am the only person on staff who can do my job.  I am the only person running things on the daily.  If I walk away for a week, that could lead to disaster.  I cannot go on strike.  I cannot expect others to do their part if I’m not, therefore learning how to avoid becoming disinterested, was a large feat for me.  I was bound and determined for this to be a success…and the only way to achieve this was to stay on track, focused and interested.

I started to look for ways to distribute responsibility among others working with me.  Admittedly, once upon a time, was a bit of a control freak.  I knew what I wanted done, how it needed to be done and thought it was just easier for me to go ahead and do things myself.  I wasn’t utilizing the talent around me.  I had to learn to trust that others could and would, follow my lead.  They would take on tasks and accomplish them, the way they knew I wanted them carried out.  After I learned to give up some control, distribute work to others and TRUST them…my life became a lot easier and I got a lot more sleep at night.

After this terrific discovery, I was also able to diversify my own routine: I was able to write more articles, thus freeing me up and keeping me interested in researching new topics for the other writers and looking for future articles to feature.  I still wore the Editor’s hat, but I was also able to contribute my true passion, which is writing.

Keeping yourself on task, accomplishing goals and being successful are all stressful aspects to running any business but avoiding burn-out and becoming disinterested don’t have to become a part of that if you pay attention to the signs that you are getting to that point.

Take care of yourself in order to take care of business!

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Next time: Opening doors and creating opportunities.