Are you on fire or just burnt out?

Feb. 10, 2012 - PRLog -- Entrepreneurs and new business start ups tend to share a common phobia – the fear of saying no. After working hard to get started, wanting to make a great impression, trying to generate business, and looking to nurture positive relationships, it’s very easy to fall into the habit of being a people pleaser. No request is ever turned down no matter how long the to-do list already is or how absurd the task might be. The mentality is “I’m new and I need business, so I’m going to tackle everything that comes my way.” This is an admirable attitude and work ethic, and being a relentless hard worker is very important but it can also dangerous. So many business owners burn themselves out by simply trying to do too much.

One of the first things to ask yourself is ‘Am I hooked on being busy?’ It’s easy to get a rush off of running around like a mad man with never a moment to spare, completing tasks left, right and centre with twice as many to-do items replacing each one you finish. The adrenaline buzz is addictive, and there is a misconception that business equates to productivity. Instead of monitoring how many things you’re doing, evaluate the quality of each thing. Is each task you’ve assigned yourself actually useful for you or your business, and do you have enough time or energy to pay attention and complete it properly. Doing a poor job for somebody and generating a bad reputation can be worse than being honest and telling them no, you aren’t able to help them right now. It’s that old adage of quality versus quantity.

Not everything that comes your way is going to be suitable, and that’s ok. You’re better off putting very good quality work into things that will reward you, than taking something up ‘just because it’s there’. You could end up in the worst possible situation and have to turn down your ideal client because you’re overloaded with other work.

When an offer presents itself or a request is made you need to evaluate it based on your situation:
•   Do you have time to take on another task?
•   Can I provide exactly what this person needs?
•   Is this a good fit for me and my business?
•   Does the payoff at the end justify the time and effort?

This gives you the opportunity to protect yourself and ensures the things you are putting you energy into are going to worth it long term. Taking a pause before automatically saying yes to somebody could make all the difference in the world.

Once you have your to-do list of quality tasks, you also have to make sure you actually getting them done and things aren’t piling up. Schedule time to complete items, and make sure you prioritize things that can be done now, things that can be done later, and things you can delegate to a co-worker. Finally, make sure you take some time to go offline and reflect. Turn off the email and the phone, close the door, and spend some quality time accomplishing a task, reflecting on your situation, setting goals, or (and this is the hardest for business owners) even stop working for a few minutes and relax!

If you keep yourself and your business running smoothly by only accepting challenges that can be done well and will be of benefit, you will have taken another step towards long term sustainability and success.

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ABC Global is an outsourced sales and marketing company based in the heart of Dublin. We work on a local level to increase brand awareness and new customer acquisition for national and international companies.