If you are wishing for more hours in the day, you may be coming down with a case of entrepreneurial burnout.

As an entrepreneur, you want it all and when you see the value at the end of the tunnel — you go all in. As in “all day and all night 24/7” in. But often, going all in can actually be the thing that gets in your way.

“Making sure you take care of yourself and rebuild your energy is very much in the direction of reaching ultimate productivity,” Ezra Firestone said in December during an interview backstage at The Capitalism Conference.

Reaching ultimate productivity is THE goal for most entrepreneurs. Yet, making the most out of every hour in the day is not always an easy task, especially when you’re juggling multiple hats and responsibilities.

And the daily demands of starting, running and growing your own business can be — at times — overwhelming. (To say the least.) But you are not alone. In the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, 45% of entrepreneurs said they “are stressed” and 34% reported they “were worried.”

We can blame the number one productivity killer: entrepreneurial burnout.

“When you’re in this industry long enough, you do see a lot of entrepreneurs burnout,” Firestone said.

The eCommerce marketing expert who founded and runs SmartMarketer.com told the CapCon audience to focus on what he dubs “the 5 R’s” — rest, relaxation, recharge, routine and rootedness.

Here are Firestone’s four pieces of advice for increasing productivity and avoiding entrepreneurial burnout:

No. 1: It’s all about the balance

“If you’re pushing, you got to be pulling from somewhere too,” said Firestone.

Entrepreneurs work, grind, hustle and sacrifice.

“We’re running a marathon, planting seeds and that takes time,” he said. Relaxing, resting, eating well, moving your body and having time for stillness are critical.

No. 2: Place value on rest

Rest actually makes people more productive, and can bring you closer to your business goals.
“Making sure you take care of yourself and rebuild your energy is very much in the direction of reaching ultimate productivity,” said Firestone.

No. 3: Give from surplus

“It is your responsibility as a person to generate not only money surplus, but also energy surplus,” said Firestone.

If you give from something that isn’t surplus, he explains, you end up resenting the person you gave it to and feel bad about it. Yoga, meditation and basic taking care of YOU can give you energy surplus, ultimately leading to financial surplus.

No. 4: Take Care of YOU

According to Firestone, “the nicest thing you can do for anyone is take care of yourself.”

And, when you take good care of yourself, then you do better in your business, creating more cash flow to “do whatever you think is noble.” From employing more people, to creating better products, to doing cool things in the world, it all starts with taking care of YOU.

 

MORE FROM CAPITALISM.COM:
• How Sacrificing Who You Are Is Killing Your Success [And What To Do About It]
• The #1 Lesson Jerry Seinfeld Learned That Led to His $860 Million Net Worth
• What We Can Learn from Entrepreneur and Investor Robert Herjavec