I burned out, here’s how I work from home differently now
Over the past 14 years I’ve:
Hustled my face off as a new business owner (slash circus performer) escaping my corporate job. I found my sweet spot in San Diego as I hyperfocused on growth (my email list hit 22k holy moly). Then I let my undiagnosed ADHD take over, said yes to every opportunity, produced every idea I had (mostly alone). And finally I burned out like a champ. First place with honors, don’t collect $100, go straight to your parents house and stay there for two years.
That was in 2023.
Today I’m back in San Diego with my pup and partner and vowing to never work myself into the ground again.
The short simple answer for how I’m doing that is: habits and setting boundaries with myself.
The tough part is sticking to it even when I don’t want to (ADHD is wildly unhelpful) and remembering it’s okay to go slow when I have the motivation, ideas, and energy to push forward.
SIDENOTE: If you have tons of energy and no brain challenges then hustle away, but do the habits and boundaries too!
Here’s what my anti-burnout protocol looks like this year:
First, I’m very serious about my morning routine:
No alarm clock - Hazel wakes me up at generally the same time every day because she’s ready to eat
Feed Hazey
Make matcha and breakfast *most important part
Watch my Bravo shows in bed
Go for a walk (this has been happening earlier because of the heat)
It’s easy for me to skip breakfast if it’s inconvenient and I need matcha (PureChimp is my go to) and food for the dopamine and energy otherwise my brain and body do not function. It’s such a small thing but it really screws up my day if it doesn’t happen so it’s a big thing now.
I only focus on 3 tasks per day: Today I'm finishing this blog post, working on a new secret project page, and updating my resources page. As a new business owner I worked off an endless to-do list which was almost always overwhelming. When I was working with clients, hosting webinars, and creating courses I used a project management system like Asana to color-code and plan months in advance. Today I have a notebook with one page for the whole week and fewer obligations on my plate.
I don’t work nights, weekends, or during my luteal phase: I wrote a whole post about this because of the realization that hustling during my luteal phase was harmful. I always felt like I was pushing myself or failing at pushing myself. Now my work hours are some time between 11AM and 4PM and it’s okay if I need a week off because...
I take advantage of my ADHD and get extra work done: The first draft of this post was written at 4pm after a long day of resting after a night of being sick. I opened my laptop to check my content schedule, felt the writing part of my brain light up and here we are, brilliant blog content flowing.
It’s been almost four years figuring out my ADHD and burnout so I know the swing between non-stop working and needing days off is inevitable. I’ve finally learned to trust my brain will swing back to creativity, passion, and excitement, and I’m getting good at letting the days off be okay.
I don’t do meetings or calls: When I started my freelance web design business I didn’t take calls or meetings. I had finally escaped the corporate world where meetings were a daily occurrence and my desk phone was constantly ringing. So when I started taking clients on my own we did all of our correspondence via email. Nobody complained!
Fewer tasks on my schedule and everything being in writing was helpful for my ADHD brain so I could stick exactly to what the client wanted and not skip important details. I’ve done multiple types of coaching, hosting webinars, and workshops and I’ve come to the conclusion that I really like being alone with my laptop, quietly creating. Which is a big part of what’s shaped this new era of Dare to Grow :)
I avoid business social media outside of work hours: I am an OG Instagrammer and part of me wants to share everything, every day. But the rest of me gets overwhelmed by all the yapping and selling and advice. To give myself space to scroll without feeling pulled to post, I created a personal IG that I’ve curated full of only brilliant, bold women. I can see what everyone is up to, get a bit of inspiration for things other than business, and leave feeling inspired without adding to my to-do list.
Lastly, things that previously took a week now take 3 months: This website was down for most of July and August while I redesigned. My original launch date was August 1st and I missed it by 24 days and it was totally fine.
In my hustling days I would have been glued to my computer until 11pm the week before pushing myself to hit that deadline. Then woken up at 5AM (literally, ugh) to hit publish on things and watch for the first sale.
This time I stuck to taking nights and weekends off. Anytime I started to stress I slowed down. For the first time I didn’t have to take a week off after my launch. I celebrated with cheesecake and writing more blog posts instead of having to literally recuperate from my own made up rules.
It’s only been six months or so keeping myself on track and getting used to taking big breaks, but my health is better, I stress less, and I’m building a business that feels more sustainable.
I know I’m not the only one who hustled their way through burnout. Feel free to leave your anti-burnout rules in the comments. And if you’re just starting - what part of your business is most likely to be overwhelming?
