Burnout in business can be overwhelming. You find the constant feelings of fatigue, frustration, and stress impacting all aspects of your life, personally and professionally. The smallest tasks feel like the biggest projects, and sometimes, the hardest thing to do is figure out where to start. Now throw in all the changes your company is going through today. Hybrid workforce, new metrics, new processes? All this after 15 months of grinding it out. No wonder burnout is so high.
So how do you turn it around? And more importantly, once out, how do you stay out?
Below are three things I do to help battle burnout:
1. Reduce Pressure on Yourself
Take a breath. The first thing you need to do is make sure you are not adding any additional pressure on yourself. When I start to notice burnout symptoms within myself, I naturally put more pressure on myself to work harder, to "fight through it." Pressure to prospect harder, sell better, to be the best we have ever been. The result? My prospecting sounds rushed, my sales meetings sound desperate, and I am constantly battling a feeling of fear.
Sales Professionals: Take a step back and detach for a minute. Understand that what you are feeling is normal and that majority of the population is feeling it today. Also, understand that your company will navigate how best to build a hybrid workforce over the next few months. There will be things that work and those that do not. Knowing that this is coming and adding any pressure or stress to yourself while navigating through change is detrimental to your performance.
2. Focus On Small Wins
Your routine for the last 15 months will most likely be changing once again. On top of that, you should expect changes within your organization around management, processes, and metrics. As this happens, it would be easy to feel frustrated or burnout. So, how do you fight the burnout feeling? Focus on the small wins and start to build routines for both in the office and at home. Simplicity in business is the best.
Sales Professionals: Eliminate the “noise” of change and break your role down to the simplest form. If you are in business development, what activity brings you success? Probably prospecting (mix of phone calls, emails, LinkedIn messages)? So push yourself to master prospecting in its simplest form. Role practice your voicemail scripts & live objections. Send email templates to your boss and see if your subject line and body message grab their attention. Set a goal of 20 solid and strategic calls, and celebrate when you hit that mark each day. If you can win your play in the simplest form, the rest will take care of itself.
3. Discipline = Freedom
Discipline is an area I am constantly working on. It applies to every aspect of life and can be essential as you enter a hybrid workplace. This section is also “borrowed” from Jocko Willink, a retired naval officer who served in the Navy Seals (I highly recommend checking him out if you do not know him). It is a quote he created, and it is a good one.
Everyone strives to build strong habits. Habits are what make individuals successful. You either have good ones or bad ones, and it is an ongoing battle.
So how long does it take to create a habit? 21 days.
How long for a habit to become muscle memory and part of you? 66 days.
Why are habits so hard to form? Because we lack discipline.
As you navigate the changes within your organization, strive for discipline.
Sales Professionals: Understand that discipline is the key to habits, not motivation. For a long time, I used to think I had to keep myself highly motivated to be successful. Well, after this year, I think differently. Motivation comes and goes. So, does burnout. What allows success to continue in both areas is discipline. Focus on adding more discipline to your life.
Burnout is at an all-time high right now. Chances are, so are changes within companies. If helping your sales reps and leaders navigate through a hybrid workforce is an area of opportunity for you and your group, I would welcome your time for a call to connect.