When I first started my business, I remember being surprised by how the periods of extreme, heads-down productivity would without fail be followed by Real Housewives’ marathon-fuelled burnout. It took me months but I eventually learned that the all-night work sessions and project binges weren’t actually going to get me ahead of where I would have been if I’d just allowed myself to be realistic with my workload and expectations. In this post, I'm covering 5 ways to reboot your mindset if you find yourself a similar slump.
It’s all about discipline—and not in the way you might think.
Discipline isn’t only about pushing yourself to do more, but about keeping yourself on a steady and manageable pace so that you don’t hit burnout. Sure, I can work late into Monday evening and get ahead of much of my to-do list for the week, but where does that leave me on Tuesday? Tired, and wanting to lose myself in a book instead of tackling anything related to work.
Plus, my quality of work is almost always better when I give myself room for creativity, and THAT is discipline.
This lesson is one of the reasons that I learned that the first element of success in business is mastering your mindset. Whether you’re trying to avoid a slump, or are already in one, this post gives you my five top ways to recharge or change your mindset instantly.
Prefer to watch this blog post instead? Click on the video below!
1. Forge a Connection
Entrepreneurship is isolating, even if you have a small team or are in a mastermind. A lot of the work you do you do alone, and that can make it hard to stay invigorated, come up with new ideas, or even just want to open up your laptop. Because you’re working alone, you may not even notice the slip into a slump until you’re already deep into it.
The fastest way out? Reach out and connect with a business friend, or make a new one through a mutual connection or online business group.
Quick Action: Send a, “Hey! How’s everything going? Was just thinking about you!” message to a biz friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
2. Help Someone With What You’re Good At
Two benefits here: You get to share your expertise and you get good karma by helping someone. Anytime I’m in the dumps or am having doubts about my business direction, helping someone who needs it is the quickest medicine I know for nipping those feelings in the bud and replacing it with renewed optimism & enthusiasm.
Quick Action: Head to your fave online community and search for a post for someone asking about something you can help with. Jump in and assist!
3. Do a Brain Dump
Oftentimes a slump can be attributed to feeling overwhelmed, and the slump is just our mind’s survival technique for keeping us somewhat sane. We avoid the problem. If you have a lack of clarity about your next steps, reduce the feelings of overwhelm by doing a braindump for at least 10 minutes of everything you have to do.
Here’s the process I recommend:
- Take out a piece of paper and just list everything that comes to mind.
- Then colour-code each item using the Eisenhower matrix: “Important/Urgent,” “Important/Not urgent,” “Not Important/Urgent,” “Not Important/Not Urgent.”
A clear list of the things you really have to do and those that you don’t should become apparent. Plus, you’ll have a very clear idea of your next steps.
Quick Action: Take 10 minutes to write down a list of everything you need to remember to do.
4. Gratitude!
So often, especially in this digital age, we can get caught in a cycle of comparing ourselves and our success to others. Her launch was how big?! His list is so much bigger than mine. We can hit a slump because we don’t see what we have going for us, even if it’s right there in front of us.
The best way to break this habit is to note what you’re grateful for and the things you have going for you. Focusing on what you have instead of what you don’t will actually bring in and breed more good things.
Quick action: Write down 5 things in your business that you’re grateful for right now!
5. Take a Break
Get positive about your situation by taking a break. Give yourself a chance to miss it.
Quick Action: Look at your day and schedule 1 hour to do nothing. I mean it, nothing.
Pick Your Reboot Your Mindset Tactic… and a Bonus!
Whether you take away one idea from this post or try to implement them all, I guarantee you'll be able to bounce back from your (inevitable) entrepreneurial slump and get back into an expansive, creative space. You’ve got the tools, you just have to remember to use them.
Grab my FREE Monthly Business Journal to Test Out This Business Journaling Process:
