5 Ways to Beat Business Burnout and Re-Energize

Is your work time feeling stale? Are you bored, uninspired, or unmotivated when it comes to your business? Experiencing burnout happens to all business owners at one time or another. But instead of letting it linger and creating more stress, there are a few simple things you can do to overcome burnout and give yourself and your business a refresh. In today’s post, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite ways to beat business burnout and re-energize yourself and your business!

 

5 Ways to Beat Business Burnout and Re-energize Yourself and Your Business

Experiencing business burnout, exhaustion, stress, or lack of motivation is a normal part of owning a business. But you don’t have to suffer endlessly! Today, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite ways to beat business burnout and re-energize. These activities will have you feeling refreshed and excited to get back to working your business in no time!

Clear the Clutter!

Clutter is an energy zapper. It constantly competes for our attention and keeps us from focusing on the important tasks at hand. The fastest way to beat business burnout and re-energize is to clear that clutter!

Brain Clutter

Yep, your brain gets cluttered! You know the feeling: your brain is fuzzy and feels too full. You can’t concentrate because of all of the tasks and projects and things to remember swirling around your mind.

But thankfully, there’s a simple technique that can help you to clear the clutter taking up space in your brain: a brain dump.

Take out a piece of paper and a writing utensil, start a timer for 15 minutes, and write fast and furiously!

Try to write down everything swirling around in that vortex in your mind: things that need to be done, projects that must be completed, appointments and events and parties that need to be remembered…write it all down!

When the timer goes off take a deep breath and decide if you feel relief from the clutter in your brain. If you’re still writing items down or if your brain still feels foggy and full, start the timer and write fast and furiously for another 10-15 minutes.

Once you’ve cleared your brain clutter, take the list you wrote and highlight top priority tasks. You can add them to your to-do list for the day or week or write them on a piece of paper and file them in the appropriate Action File.

Keep checking in with your brain dump throughout the week, so that you can continue to complete and cross off top items and add new ones to your list, if necessary.

Complete a brain dump anytime you need to clear your brain clutter. I like to complete one each Sunday as part of my routine for preparing for the week.

You can learn more about my weekly preparation routine here: 6 Things To Do on Sunday for the Best Work Week Ever.

And if the term “Action Files” is new to you, you can learn more here: How to Use Action Files to Manage To-Do’s. 

Desk Clutter

Just like we cleared the clutter from our brains, we need to clear out the physical items cluttering up our workspace!

Declutter your desk, and you’ll be more eager to start work the next time you sit down at your desk. You’ll also be able to work without shuffling items around or knocking them to the floor! #beenthere #donethat

Filing Drawer Clutter

Take a little time to clear the old folders and papers from your filing drawer, box, or cabinet. Not only will it make filing a breeze, you’ll be able to file your papers faster!

Digital Clutter

Clearing your digital clutter will free up space (and make your devices work faster and more efficiently) and keep you from feeling overwhelmed each time you open up a file or folder!

Remove old files, images, apps, emails, etc., from your computer, tablet, phone, and any other digital devices you use on a regular basis.

For a more detailed tutorial on how to clear your digital clutter, check out this post: Kick Your Digital Clutter to the Curb.

Clean and Shine

There’s something refreshing about deep cleaning my office! Seeing clean and shiny surfaces instead of dusty ones, no longer having my elbow stick to my chair where I spilled soda, not stirring up dog hair every time I walk around my office… It’s an energizing feeling!

Give your office or work area a good scrubbing and feel the energy and excitement to get back to your business bubble up!

Here are a few tasks I complete when my office needs a good spit-shine (FYI, I don’t use spit to clean my office ;)):

• See item #1 above: clearing the clutter first makes cleaning your work area much easier. And it makes the job go faster, too, because you aren’t working around all of the stuff!
• Put away any items that are strewn around on the floor.
• Empty the trash and recycling bins.
• Dust all surfaces with a microfiber cloth and a dusting spray. Move items and dust under them.
• Wipe your desk top with a sanitizing spray.
• Vacuum thoroughly.

Now, breathe a sigh of shiny and clean relief!

I try to do a quick office straightening and cleaning at the end of each work week, but I always know when I’ve gotten busy and missed a week or two…my office feels stagnant and nasty. A declutter and clean almost always has me rarin’ and ready to get back to building my business!

Try a New View

Getting a new view shakes things up, helps you to focus, beats business burnout, and is re-energizing!

Rearrange your office or workspace

Change your view, not just when you enter your office or work area, but also when you’re sitting at your desk working!

Rearrange the big items in your office:

• Spin your desk to face a different direction,
• Move your shelves, printer, etc., to a different area of your workspace,
• If you have the room, bring a comfortable chair into your office. You’ll have an additional place to sit when you can take a break from working at your desk.

Don’t have the energy or the space to rearrange the big things? Try reorganizing the items in your desk drawers, the items on your shelves, or on your desk top. It’s energizing to have a fresh view when you sit down to work. And it’s SO calming to open a drawer and find it beautifully organized!

Work outside of your office

Really change up your view by leaving your office or workspace completely!

• Visit a local coffee shop with your computer and headphones in hand!
• Check out your local library or the one in the next town over. Libraries often have study rooms, work tables, or quiet rooms. You’ll leave the distractions of your home and office behind and hyper-focus while also shaking up your view!
• Sit on your front patio or back deck.
• Find a park or nature area where you can complete some of your weekly tasks (I like to do my blog post brainstorming outside).
• Take a break and go for a walk outside to refresh your mind and your body!

Having a new view can be incredibly energizing and refreshing. Not only will you kick that burnout, you’ll boost your productivity, increase your creativity, and get some much needed inspiration!

Add Color and Visual Interest

It’s easy to add color and visual interest to your office, and it’s also incredibly helpful when struggling with business burnout!

When you can’t leave your office and need to work productively, adding a pop of color and visual interest can help.

You can:

• Add art or change the art in your office or work area,
• Put up a bulletin board and fill it with images that inspire you,
• Color code your calendar to add some fun, a little visual interest, and to make it easier to identify tasks and appointments,
• Find new and colorful organizing printables (I might know where you can find some of these, hint-hint ;). Check out our Printable Gallery!)
• Pull out or purchase a new energizing, colorful office supply (I especially like highlighters, markers, or a new pen for everyday writing—try a fountain pen for a new tactile sensation).

It’s often easy and inexpensive to add color and visual interest to your work area, and you’ll be amazed at how a little color can refresh your work time!

The Power of Scents

Scents can be energizing or relaxing. And they are powerful tools in your burnout beating toolkit!

My favorite way to use scent in my office is by diffusing essential oils!

I use the highest quality essential oils so that I’m not bringing brain-numbing toxins or chemicals into my office (definitely NOT re-energizing), and I keep a list of my favorite oils or blends of oils for specific instances. I’ve even created essential oil blends to bring the aromas of holidays to my office!

You can learn more about my favorite essential oils HERE.

And check out these diffuser recipes for inspiration:

• Home Office Diffuser Recipes
• Autumn Diffuser Recipes: The Easiest Way to Bring Fall to Your Home Office

Flowers are another way to bring a burnout busting scent to your office. Try Peonies, Geraniums, Lilacs, Carnations, or Roses.

Don’t resign yourself to exhaustion, stress, or lack of motivation. Give these 5 ways to beat business burnout and re-energize yourself and your business at try. Clear your office clutter, give your workspace a deep clean, change up your view, add color and visual interest, and harness the power of scent. You’ll reclaim your excitement for your business and get back to enjoying your work time!

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Related Posts

If you enjoyed today’s post, you might find these related posts helpful:

• 6 Tips for a More Productive Work Day
• Supercharge Your Organization and Productivity with Office Zones
• Conquer Home Office Paper Clutter

Thanks for joining today! Let’s beat business overwhelm and re-energize ourselves and our businesses!