Job burnout is a very real thing, whether you work for a large company or you work for yourself. Slowly, over time, you start hitting the snooze button; you procrastinate about starting projects; you suffer from writer’s block when it comes to creating products; and you don’t look forward to your coaching calls. It may seem to come on suddenly but these easy-to-miss signs start slowly and snowball until you question if you still want to continue being a coach.
No one is immune to this dilemma, but there are ways you can prevent it from happening.
Preventing Burnout
1. Interview coaching prospects carefully.
The interview process is crucial for weeding out high-maintenance clients and to eliminate those who don’t want to do the work. I like to call them “soul-sucking clients”. They suck the energy right out of you with their constant complaints, excuses, and questions.
Trying to get a handle on this type of client in an interview process allows you to reject their business up front or to express your boundaries and expectations right away, allowing them to decide if working with you is the right decision for them.
2. Automate, delegate, or eliminate time-consuming tasks.
Running your own business alone can be time-consuming and stressful. Not only are you coaching clients but you’re in charge of your billing, your monthly newsletter, your social media marketing, your real-life networking events, and product creation. And this isn’t even a full list of all the background tasks you probably do! Taking some of these tasks off your daily to-do list will free up time and eliminate some stress.
For example, allow your clients to schedule their calls online with an online scheduling program. If you have a budget, hire a remote assistant and/or a bookkeeper.
A Remote Assistant can also help you streamline your processes so you might be able to combine or eliminate some tasks that are unnecessary.
3. Plan your days.
Use the time blocking or the Pomodoro method (Google it – worth a moment to do so!) to focus on your projects each day. Create a list for the following day at the end of each day. Write in a journal about any negative events that happened and how you can handle these situations better in the future.
Knowing exactly what you have to do the following day allows you to leave work at the office (even if it’s just closing the door of your home office) and enjoy the evening with your family and friends.
4. Calculate your prices carefully.
Uggggg this is the one that I teach right away to my clients: when you pull random numbers out of thin air because they “sound good to you”, chances are you’re underpricing your time and devaluing your services (fact). And if you happen to let an energy soul-sucking client slip through onto your client calendar, you’ll quickly start to resent them because they underpaid and you’ll feel like you’re losing money every time you talk to them. Promise.
5. Take care of yourself.
Self-care is essential when running a business because if you’re out sick, there’s no one else to take over. A simple thing like going to bed an hour earlier can help you wake up feeling refreshed. Unplug from electronics two hours before bed to allow your brain to slow down.
Daily exercise and water intake are also important to flush out any germs and to keep your body healthy and flexible.
Burnout doesn’t have to be inevitable. Trust me, I know personally, which is why I teach this winning strategy!
Get proactive by following these steps and learn how to relax and enjoy the special moments in life.
Need Help Setting Your Prices? No worries, that’s what we’re here for.
I have spent many years helping my clients reshape their businesses setting the correct prices for profitability and helping get the fun back into their business.
If you’d like an introduction to this process, join my livestream next week on Friday, Ap. I’m sharing my “5 Steps to Set Your Coaching Rates” and you’ll be all set to start this process for yourself.
Be sure to send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll send you all the details so you’ll get a notification about this live stream planned for April 21, 2023
