Boost Your Productivity Without Burning Out: Effective Strategies for Sustainable Success

Do you feel like you’re stuck in a bit of a weird space? Like you’re ready for your business to grow but you just don’t want to burn out (especially if you’ve been there before.) For this weeks’ blog post I wanted to talk about some ways you can do both, it doesn’t have to be growth with burnout or just floating and having a good work, life balance. If that concept feels like a bit of a unicorn, read on.

Work Smarter, not harder

I feel like this is a phrase we hear all the time but what does it really mean? If you feel like all of your time is allocated to your day to day tasks and there’s just no time to focus on growth, I’d really recommend taking some time to review what you’re actually doing with your time. Look at the tasks that you’re spending time on and think about what things are the most time consuming vs what’s having the biggest impact in your business. Of the things that are taking the most time, is there any low impact tasks that you could either stop doing, outsource to someone else or implement a system to speed it up? For growth, you really want to be spending most of your time on the high impact tasks. If you haven’t already got one in place, setting up a CRM system might help streamline some of your client admin, embracing AI tools such as ChatGPT (be mindful of your use of this and make sure you use it to support your work and not replace the human element) or getting some support with your social media might all be ways to help you utilise your precious time in a smarter way rather than just working more hours to fit it all in!

Set boundaries and learn to say no

As a recovering people pleaser (I’m still working hard on this and really need to take my own advice here) I believe that this is such an important factor in avoiding burnout. In your business it’s vital to set clear boundaries, this will help you to prevent people taking advantage of you but also, it helps you to step letting people push you without even meaning to. If you don’t have any boundaries in place, whenever clients ask you for something, you’re probably jumping straight on it, even if it’s 9pm on a Friday night, sound familiar? Those clients might not be pushing you into this on purpose and actually they’re more than happy for you to pick this up whenever you’re back to your desk on Monday but your own lack of boundaries is causing you more stress, and work, than necessary. I know this is really hard to do so take it slow, start with one boundary at a time and remember, your clients want your business to be successful so you can continue to support them, most of the time, they care about your wellbeing and don’t want to see you spiral into burn out. It’s also really important to learn to say no, again I know how hard this is but it’s so important. If you’re saying yes to every single enquiry and new opportunity regardless of your actual capacity, you’re quickly going to push yourself over that edge, resent the work and likely your business in general. If this is something you struggle with, I recommend looking at each enquiry or opportunity that comes in and having a conversation either with yourself or someone you trust. Imagine if a fellow business owner was telling you about their situation and this opportunity, what would your advice be, should they take it or are they better to politely decline on this occasion?

Embrace breaks and rest

It’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to be working constantly but guess what? It’s a myth. Actually, working constantly without taking breaks or rest is worse for your productivity and energy overall. Explore strategies like the Pomodoro method or time blocking to find something that works for you (and remember, this is not a one size fits all situation) to manage your time effectively to ensure you’re meeting your deadlines but also giving yourself adequate time to take breaks in between tasks and get the rest that you need.

optimise your workflow with systems and automation

I’m a big lover of a workflow and have supported lots of my clients to set up workflows and automations to not only save them time but also improve their overall client experience. If you’re nervous of automation, you can set up systems that support you while still giving you the chance to approve anything before it goes out to clients. There’s so many systems out there that it really depends on your business and your clients needs as to what will work best for you. I personally use Dubsado for my clients but I’ve also supported clients by building ‘job’ workflows using Studio Ninja and creating email marketing automations in Flo Desk and MailerLite.

Nurture your wellbeing for long term success

Making time to nurture yourself outside of your business will have undoubtable positive impacts in your business too. Make sure you take the time to incorporate healthy habits into your day to day life to sustain productivity and energy in your business. Again, this is something that you’ll need to find your own thing but for me, my non-negotiable to nurture my wellbeing include regular gym sessions, journalling, time outdoors with my family and reading. By making these a priority for me, I’m able to approach my business with a positive energy, feeling refreshed and ready to serve my clients.

My Final Thoughts…

Although these are the things that help me to be productive without burning out, it’s important to remember that everyone is individual and will have different needs. It’s important to take some time to try different things and figure out exactly what will help you to perform at your best without sacrificing your health and wellbeing, If you have any strategies that support you then I’d love to hear them!