Hello, December! Time flies when you’re busy running your business, managing your team, and tackling the to-do lists!

You worked hard all year, your clients and customers are happy, you set your sights on big goals and you hit them!

….And you’re tired. It takes a huge amount of energy, creativity, problem solving, and countless hours of networking, planning and implementing to run your successful business. It can be draining, exhausting, and often leads you down the unhappy road to burnout city. Unfortunately, most of us have been there, once, or twice.

December provides us with a great opportunity to personally re-energize, and to create a plan to steer clear of stretching too thin in the New Year.

Here is our End of the Year Burnout Prevention Plan

Acknowledge your Successes

Take some time to look at your numbers. Did you hit your revenue goals? How much did your social media grow over the year? Make a list of what went really well throughout the year; the goals reached; the special wins (big and small). Reflect on what you personally contributed to the overall success.

If you have a team, be sure to share these with them and acknowledge each person for their part.

Schedule Time Off

Now this sounds very obvious, but if you are anything like me, your work brain is always on. How many vacations have you been on where you worked some/most/all of the time?  

Take a vacation that is actually a vacation. Do something you have always wanted to do. Spend quality time with yourself, your family or your friends. Your business will be fine without you for week or two.

While you are at it, why don’t you go ahead and block out a week in the spring for your next vacation, too.

Ramp Up the Self Care

Your business won’t thrive if you are run down, lack energy, constantly get sick, feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. You must make time to take care of your mental health by doing things that you love.

Schedule a massage, plan a hike with friends, go to a concert, go out to a nice dinner.  Think about what would feel fun and nourishing, pick a time and date, put it in the calendar. (I’m serious. You have to prioritize self care just like you would a meeting with a client or a dentist appointment).

Consider getting yourself on a regular schedule of these types of things so you are continuously filling up your cup (i.e. monthly massage, Thursday night bike rides, First Friday poker night, etc)

Make A Plan & Get Supported

Create some time to make a plan for your 2017 goals and how you are going to get there. Look at what has been working, and generate new ideas to make your business even better, even more profitable.

It’s also important to take an honest look at what you need support with. For example, if you hate writing blogs, or waste a lot of time fiddling with Facebook ads, then it’s time to hire someone to help you with those things, so you can focus on what you are really good at.

Fingerprint Marketing has an incredible team of people who can help you not only create a marketing strategy, but help you implement it, too. From business basics, to email marketing, SEO to making sure your website is beautiful and  working for you, we are available to make sure that you reach your goals. Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation.

About the Author: Maggie Ellis

Maggie Ellis is a Marketing and Business Consultant who works with entrepreneurs to up-level their businesses through organization, strategic launches, authentic marketing and building their dream team, so they can have thriving businesses that make an impact on the world. She fundamentally believes that anything is possible in your business (and life) and that in order to succeed, it’s imperative to have a well thought out plan and support in place. Outside of supporting entrepreneurs, she loves running, yoga, hiking and traveling.