It happens to everyone who has ever been a business owner; you’re working day in, day out on your business, and then one day you feel like you have just hit a wall. You don’t even want to come into the office; when you do, it’s hard to keep your daily tasks in focus. Business burnout has set in.

Here at FocalPoint Business Coaching & Training, we have helped a lot of business owners conquer their burnout and get back to being their usual energetic, inspirational selves. Worldwide bestselling author Brian Tracy has some helpful tips on exactly that topic, which we’re excited to share with you. Here are five big reasons why burnout can happen, along with Brian’s tips for beating each of them.

Cause #1: You’re working too hard.

You are used to working long hours but lately you have been coming in at the crack of dawn, working without a break, and only going home to rest when you’re on the verge of collapsing. There’s nothing wrong with hard work, but this is getting out of hand lately. Running a business isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. You have got to pace yourself. In fact, if you don’t stop and rest for a few days, you may run yourself straight into a breakdown.

Cause #2: Nothing new is happening.

Here we have the opposite of Cause #1; you barely feel like you need to come into the office anymore, because you have gotten your business running smoothly all on its own. Before long, you’re starting to feel that familiar hunger to achieve something new. You blaze new trails, even in small ways. Optimize a process. Train an employee. Land a client. Put something new into the world, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

Cause #3: You have got a “what” but not a “why.”
Back when you first started your business, you probably filled out a worksheet that asked you not only what you wanted to accomplish, but also why you wanted to accomplish it. That “why” might still be meaningful today, or it might not; one way or the other, you have stopped feeling the love. You need to define a new “why,” a reason to come into work to solve a problem that matters to you.

Cause #4: You’re not sure how to reach your next solution.

You know, in the back of your mind, what needs to be done; you just don’t know how to get there, exactly. You’re missing a step on the way to the goal. The way to address this problem is to break your journey down into sub-journeys, and define a specific goal for each of them. Then tackle the hardest things first, day after day, until you start to see the change you’re aiming for.

Cause #5: Your original goals don’t feel relevant anymore.

Sometimes, you keep working on a goal for so long that it stops feeling meaningful. You forget that before your business existed, nobody was solving the problems you solve, in exactly the way you solve them. In other words, you have started to take your goals for granted. To get that energy back, you have got to find a way to connect emotionally with your goal; re-experience the original problem for yourself, or spend some time talking with people your business is helping.

Start by working down this list, and seeing if any of the above burnout causes apply to you. For lots more tips on managing and growing your business, check out more of Brian Tracy’s articles on the FocalPoint website or call for your free no-obligation consultation with a FocalPoint Business Coach.