Stephanie Schwartz is the Founder & CEO of Little Bean Group, a fundraising consulting firm in Washington, D.C.
When you’re in the early days of entrepreneurship, burnout is an easy trap. You chase every potential lead and respond to every email within minutes. Your ear is constantly on the ground, and you’re convinced that working all the time is the only way to be successful. It’s exhausting.
But, speaking from the other side—four and a half years into the entrepreneurship journey—I’m rarely overwhelmed. It’s not because I’ve hired a full-time assistant or decreased my client load.
Here’s what changed: I learned that work always expands to fill the time given, and it’s our job to understand how to set up and structure our days wisely. As leaders, it’s up to us to manage our schedules and workload to prevent burnout. We can do that by creating systems that balance how we work best with the cadence of client work, deliverables and new business inquiries.
The reality of entrepreneurship is there is always more to do, and you have to put guardrails into place that allow you to focus and devote the time necessary to each project, communication or deliverable on your to-do list. Here are seven ways to do that.
1. Get to know your internal clock.
I’ve found that burnout can happen when you force work outside of your natural rhythm, so building self-awareness and getting to know your internal clock is key. You might be your most energetic self in the morning, and the 3 p.m. slump hits you hard. Or, you’re a night owl who feels overwhelmed tackling focused projects in the morning. Structure your day around these energy bursts.
2. Protect the hours you’re most productive.
Let’s say morning is your golden hour. This is when you can crank out work and dive into critical client projects. Block off your calendar until 10 a.m. If you have children, work out a system where your partner takes your children to school in the morning to give you those uninterrupted high-energy hours while you do afternoon pickup when you’re ready to switch gears.
On the other end of the spectrum know when to stop. If your brain stops firing at its highest level at 4 p.m., use that as your natural winding down time. Block off this time from important presentations and, instead, build in short check-in calls, walking meetings and planning tasks that require less focus.
3. Build in time- and energy-protecting habits to reduce being overwhelmed.
Even during your high-energy hours, a never-ending to-do list can lead to burnout. Take proactive steps to develop time- and energy-protecting habits. That could look like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work in 25-minute intervals and then take a 5-minute break. You could implement time boundaries by offering 15-minute meetings rather than 30-minute ones.
When it comes to information and consumption overload, make it a habit to do a quick scan of emails and newsletters at the beginning and end of the day. Don’t be afraid to delete quickly.
4. Develop a prompt response system.
First, close your inbox or hide alerts when you’re in focus mode. Then, develop a system that includes sending a prompt confirmation of receipt. You don’t need to drop everything to craft an answer at that very moment, but let the recipient know that a thoughtful response is coming.
Occasionally an issue may arise that needs to be addressed immediately. Set an expectation with clients that those merit a text or call to reach you even when notifications are turned off.
5. Develop a metric to decide what isn’t worth the time.
You’ve heard it before: That meeting could have been an email. To protect your time, develop your own metric for when a meeting could be an email. Need to send information that doesn’t need discussion? Email. Have a topic that demands collaborative work, coaching and training or a large project check-in? Meeting.
Additionally, there are times when an existing standing meeting isn’t necessary, but you don’t want to set a precedent of cancellations with a client. Set an expectation that weekly check-ins are malleable, and decide on the time frame each week with a specific agenda. The meeting will expand to 45 minutes if you give it 45, but you may only need 25.
6. Spend a little time to get back time.
You can gain time and clarity by taking a little time on prep work. Maybe that’s spending 15 minutes on Sunday planning so you jump in ready to go on Monday. Or perhaps you take an hour on Friday to wrap up administrative tasks and close out the week. Then you can head into the weekend relaxed—the best way to fight burnout, in my view!
Create a standing checklist of those tasks to block time for, like sending weekly client updates, paying bills and following up on invoices. Getting organized and laying out key objectives helps create a sense of focus rather than overwhelming you when you think about the week ahead.
7. Consider non-work time and energy needs.
Of course, the best way to fight burnout is to take time for yourself outside of work. Prioritizing the non-work activities just as much as you do your golden hours of working can help you be a better entrepreneur. It helps you focus both on your life and your work.
Remember, 60 minutes of focused quality time is better than three hours where you have one eye on the clock—and that’s true whether it’s work or life.
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