Feeling exhausted and wondering how much longer you can take this crazy season? For mom entrepreneurs, it’s balancing business growth with the nonstop pace of parenting. Burnout affects both work and family life. But there’s a way out! Learn these five action steps to avoid burnout and keep your spark alive.
1. Recognize the Red Flags—And Act to Avoid Burnout
It starts with recognizing you’re on the road to burnout.
Sometimes, it’s the little signs—like when skipping lunch becomes routine because the to-do list is just too enticing. Pushing back your bedtime to get in one last email. Having less patience with your kids and turning down invitations for anything not work-related because you have “a lot” going on. If you work out, you might even feel tempted to skip it to accomplish more with your workload. Sound familiar?
Now, you may have noticed that these actions do not necessarily mean you are burning out. But when you start to get so off balance that your behavior and schedule are starting to be consumed by your work, you are setting yourself up for an unsustainable work balance that will lead to burnout. We want to avoid that!
Awareness is the first line of defense against burnout.
Take Action: Take time to reflect on your own personal clues that burnout is around the corner. What are they? Once you know these patterns, it’s time to anchor yourself back to balance. Create a proactive plan to avoid becoming burnt out. In my Free Goal Planning Templates, I have a section for Obstacles to Overcome, as well as a Start, Stop & Continue section where you can easily write in burnout behaviors that you will prevent from standing in your way of success and overall joy. This is a FREE digital Download, so be sure to grab it if you currently do not have an action plan to help you avoid burnout.
Personal Note: I love to work, so I have to be very careful to have a plan in place to avoid burnout. Mine consists of having accountability partners and ensuring I have activities on my schedule outside of work that I commit to no matter what. Yes, it’s hard some days to break away from work, but it is necessary to avoid burning out.
2. Pivot by Reassessing Expectations That Focus on Reality
Don’t hesitate to readjust your expectations to fit your business goals (or motherly responsibilities). I often see women who are pursuing their goals unrealistically.
Let’s use Growing Your Social Media as an Example.
I often see women trying to grow a social following for their business. They spend hours trying to attract their ideal audience on these platforms. The time spent is not necessarily a bad thing (if they have the right strategy), but their expectations might need to be reassessed.
I see women posting quality content all the time but not getting a lot of traction. Since the content is great, they expect to have more growth than what they are getting. So they start to feel defeated and burnt out quickly.
So, what is causing the actual burnout in this scenario?
It isn’t their hours necessarily causing burnout, but their expectation of the outcome.
As consumers, we see all these online courses marketing how “easy” growing a social following is. You might have even taken a few of these courses or free masterclasses yourself!
The problem with this is that we have seen so much marketing claiming it should be easy and so many accounts with massive followings that we are telling ourselves it “should be easy.” This causes us to underestimate the work and time it takes to find our audience online.
Some of you reading this, may not even realize that these social accounts often have a TEAM creating and pushing out content. (Just because you see someone’s face talking does not mean they created their scripts, did the research, edited, and posted. Now note, some do- so I am not trying to take away from that. But are you starting to get the picture?)
If you pour 4 hours into social media each week and a highly educated social media team puts in 20 hours for the account you are comparing yourself to, you will burn out trying to reach the same level they are achieving. You do not have the time or the amount of content needed to drive the results you are expecting.
Does this mean you quit? No!
It means you readjust your expectations with a strategy that is right for you!
We forget that organic growth (with the right audience, not just numbers) takes time. Yes, viral is great, but viral does not equal clients, it is just a number. Stop creating unrealistic outcomes because- unrealistic outcomes will cause you to work harder to achieve your goals. And if you continue to strive for what is not likely, you will burn out for lack of results.
Take Action: Reassess your current expectations in your business and personal life. Dream big, but base your goals on the reality of what’s possible. Set challenging goals that don’t tie you down to constant work. And readjust where needed to set yourself up for success not burnout.
3. Schedule Like a Strategist to Avoid Burnout
Productivity isn’t about packing more into your day; it’s about prioritizing what truly needs your magic touch. Control your schedule by being unapologetically selective about where your energies go. Ask yourself, does it serve the bigger picture? If not, delegate, outsource, or reschedule for a season where you have greater capacity. Flexibility in the non-critical areas can be a tactical game-changer to avoid burnout.
Take Action: Take a step back and look at your processes at home and work. Can you automate certain tasks? Outsource? Delegate? Implementing systems can ease the load, freeing you up from chores or business tasks that don’t require your unique touch. This is not shirking responsibility—it’s elevating your role to focus on where you shine brightest. If you need help prioritizing your week, grab my free digital download to help you prioritize your weekly schedule and get more scheduling tips!
4. Set Firm Boundaries to Prevent Burning Out
Okay, I am going to use the B word, so prepare yourself… BOUNDARIES are a must to avoid burnout! There is no way around it. If you feel like boundaries are hard to implement, the greatest thing you can do is learn to set them and stand firm to keep them.
Take Action: Set clear limitations without mom guilt. These boundaries honor your needs—they’re non-negotiable lines drawn with love for your well-being and respect for your personal peace. And at the same time, draw boundaries on what you say ‘yes’ to with work. Remember, ‘no’ can be a complete sentence.
5. Make Self-Care Nonnegotiable
Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s crucial. It’s like building a strong shield that protects you from stress. It’s more than just sleeping and staying healthy; it’s about finding moments of calm where you can relax from being a mom or the CEO of your business. Whether reading, painting, or jogging – whatever makes you feel good should be a regular part of your day. Or, at minimum, find an activity you can do once a week.
I want to be very clear on this- if you are a mom, it is so easy to put your needs aside so you can pour into your family. Do not do this. One, you are teaching your kids to do the same. You are teaching them to set aside true self-care needs, and we need to break that cycle. Two, your family deserves the best version of you, and the best version of you is on the other side of self-care. So, if you can not find the self-motivation to care for yourself this season, focus on how it will benefit your family to be around a mommy who takes care of herself.
Take Action: Write down a list of ways you can implement self-care. Even if you are starting small. Next, schedule that time and protect it with boundaries because it is needed. It might not be easy initially, but it will be worth it!! YOU are worth it!
Give Yourself Grace
When your burnout radar starts flashing, pivot with grace. Adjust expectations, tweak the schedule, tighten boundaries, and double down on self-care. It’s a graceful dance that keeps you performing at your peak—both in business and in motherhood.
Mompreneurs, burnout should not be your storyline. With these five strategies, you can continue to rise, inspire, and shine—because the world needs your passion just as much as your family needs your best self. Here’s to your strength, resilience, and ongoing success! 💖
