Founders Series: How to bounce back from burnout

Laura Wilson -

Welcome to our Founders Series, where we aim to give advice, answer questions and provide solutions for people starting their own businesses. If this sounds like you, read on! We've got plenty of content on a wide range of topics, all to help you grow and succeed as a founder.

Occupational burnout is a condition resulting from chronic workplace stress or overwork that has not been successfully managed. And it’s management that’s the key to prevention for an at-risk founder like yourself.

While other employees may be in a position to demand greater flexibility, you’ll undoubtedly encounter periods where you simply have to buckle in and pull an all-nighter for the good of your business. But, there’s a fine line between sacrificing your time and sacrificing your health – and your business won’t benefit from the latter. 

So read on for some actionable advice to help you stop those lines blurring and take positive action against burnout.

Spot the early signs

Surely you’d know if you were on the cusp of a burnout? Well, not necessarily. With deadlines, deliverables and general business maintenance to juggle, you could end up hitting breaking point without even realising. So stay alert to any physical, emotional or behavioural symptoms that occur more regularly than normal, like these:

  • Constant tiredness, insomnia and/or sleep disturbances
  • Headaches and/or muscle/joint pain
  • Nausea and/or loss of appetite
  • Feeling helpless, detached and/or isolated
  • Loss of interest
  • Persistent dread, worry and anxiety
  • Procrastination 
  • Reliant on food, drugs or alcohol to cope
  • Irritability and short-temperedness

Be proactive against burnout

You know all about the usual suspects – setting boundaries and restructuring your days, scheduling calendar space for downtime, taking regular breaks… the list goes on. But these can be easier said than done with all the pressures that come from running your own business. 

Keep those in mind, of course, but rather than just relying on preventative measures, think about getting to the root of how you approach your workload first. Try categorising your tasks with one of the ‘four D’s’:

  • Ditch – does this need to be done?
  • Defer – could it be done at a later date?
  • Delegate – could someone else complete it?
  • Do – this is where your expertise is required!

React, recover and reflect

If you do get bitten by burnout then it’s vital you help yourself quickly to prevent any lasting impact and maintain harmony in your business. So if it’s all feeling too much, push your meetings back and press reset on your burnout with these tips:

  • Engage a circuit breaker – take a few days off, visit family, get away 
  • Regain your spark – think about what makes you happy and spend a day doing it
  • Seek advice – chat to other founders for a fresh perspective
  • Speak to a professional – book an appointment with your doctor, therapist or mental health specialist.

If you’d like to speak to a mental health professional, we’ve listed some options below:

If you think you may need longer term help, you can refer yourself for counselling via the NHS website, chat to your GP, or speak to your HR team to find out if there are services available through work.

When you’re ready, think about what key triggers and behaviours led to your burnout and make a plan for what to do differently in the future. 

Take it from the experts

The best entrepreneurs out there will agree that periods of intense stress and burnout shaped the people they are today – for better or worse. So here’s what some of them have to say… 

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“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” — Caterina Fake, Co-Founder of Flickr

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"I needed to take responsibility for my own burnout and make sure it’s actively managed, like a KPI of the company — and try to do the same for my team." — Steve El-Hage, Co-Founder & CEO of Drop

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“Build a community around you and become involved in all different aspects of your profession. As I started to expand my communities, I gained more information than going to someone solo.” — Chef JRodi, Founder of 3 small plates

Our takeaway? Burnout may be inevitable, but it’s about how you bounce back and learn from it that will determine your success.