Well, here it is 2017 and I am still doing the Hustle.
As a service based business owner, there are always activities to keep the proverbial pipeline full.
Attending networking events, reaching out to potential gate openers, following up with clients – past and potential, speaking at events, writing newsletters, posting on social media…lions and tiger and bears…oh my.
Most of the time, the hustle is fun. Thanks to many mentors and coaches, I know what to do, and am pretty good at it…it is just a matter of staying in consistent action.
What happens when you don’t feel like doing the hustle?
This past month, the excitement of participating in these activities have waned.
So as a coach, I naturally became curious with myself.
Hustle Burnout is real and an integral part of building a business. It is not the burnout itself that is the problem, it is how you treat yourself when it appears.
Monday is the best day to plan productive activities. Follow-up Friday’s to wrap up my week. Tuesday-Thursday are coaching days, and speaking engagements are sprinkled in throughout the week
Something very different happened in February. The month was filled with a lot of… downtime, that I was effective in turning around to productive days.
This presented a choice – beat myself up or learn from the experience You know what I did – I chose to learn…okay, maybe I beat myself up a little, yet realized very quickly that that was not helping the situation.
Here is the thing, if you are experiencing Hustle Burnout, the best thing to do is-
1. Accept that this is where you are – laying expectations on yourself that you should be someplace other than where you
are, is crazy-making. When you can approach the situation with more curiosity, than judgement, you’ll begin to uncover answers to
help you move forward. For now, be where you are, and be as easy on yourself as you would on your best friend or child.
2. Practice extreme self-care, while doing what it is necessary in your business – often burnout happens when your fountain
is empty. What is one thing you can do to fill your fountain so you can feel good again? Take a walk, bath or vacation? Read a
poem, book or magazine? Call a friend, your mother or a coach? Taking the time to do something for you, will give you the renewed
energy to perform the next right thing to do to move you towards your goals and intentions.
3. Figure out if there is something specific triggering the burnout – when you are curious with yourself, without
judgement, you can clearly see what may be causing this burnout. Take an inventory of your activities over the last week to
discover which are satisfying and which are not. At this time, spend more of your energy on what feels good and either delegate or
put aside the draining activities.
4. Make a few small shifts in your routine – This new awareness will let you to begin to make small adjustments in your
schedule and activities. Making change is essential to receive different results. Begin the new habits and practice them for at
least two weeks. Then move to the final step….
5. PDSA- Plan Do Study Act – this is the Deming approach to continuous improvement. As a business owner and as a person,
this part of the plan is essential. Imagine if Julia Child did not taste her Beef Bourguignon before publishing the recipe. You
know she did. She created the recipe, tasted it, adjusted it, tasted again and again before putting it on her show and in her
book. The same is true for each of you. Experiencing new habits allow you to experience new results.
Moving from burnout to contentment to excitement needs a new plan. Just like I have a new hair style – no more feathers for me, I had to do things a bit differently to get the new results I wanted.
By hustling to a new song, joy, fulfillment and excitement are now my moves. This is the best kind of rink to roll on – this is where the magic happens.
Everyone sing along… “Do the hustle…”
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