Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed with your handmade business? Are you afraid that you might be on the verge of burnout? If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone! In this blog post, I will share 15 tips to prevent burnout for handmade businesses.
These tips are based on my own experience as an Etsy seller and creative entrepreneur.
I hope they help you to reduce stress and regain your passion for your business!
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#1: Take a Break
One of the best ways to prevent burnout is to take a break! This might mean taking a day off, going on a weekend getaway, or even just taking a few minutes to yourself every day. BREATHE.
Trust me, I know that’s easier said than done. But it’s really important to make time for yourself, or you’ll eventually crash and burn. Take it from someone who has crashed and burned for 2 whole years!
It’s okay to “clock out” mentally, physically and emotionally from your shop. As creatives, we tend to let our work consume us. And sometimes we don’t even notice until it’s too late.
I don’t know about you, but I love taking the opportunity to play some Stardew Valley 💙
(…And between you and me, no one will really notice if you want to sit on the toilet longer #justsaying )
#2: Set Boundaries
This goes hand in hand with taking a break. You need to set boundaries for yourself and your handmade business, even for your customers.
For example, I know that I need to stop working at a certain time each day so that I can have some down time. If I don’t, I’ll end up working until 2am and then be miserable the next day.
Similarly, I know that I need to take weekends off and not check my email. Because if I don’t, I’ll get overwhelmed and stressed out.
It’s important to be realistic with yourself and set boundaries that you can actually stick to.
#3: Delegate Tasks
This is another great way to prevent burnout. Delegate tasks to other people, whether it’s family members, friends or virtual assistants.
I’m a big believer in delegation. It’s one of the best ways to free up your time and energy so that you can focus on what’s important.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Friends and family are usually more than happy to help out. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, a virtual assistant can be a great solution.
If other humans aren’t an option for you, try machines!
Be it production tools for your handmade product or virtual automation tools, find a way to systematize and automate literally everything you can.
As an introvert, I’m on team machine.
#4: Take Care of Yourself
This is another important one. You need to take care of yourself if you want to prevent burnout. This means eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, and relaxing your mind. Morning stretches work wonders!
I’m not going to lie, this is a lot harder than it sounds. Especially when you’re first starting out with your handmade business and you’re working a normal job or you’re a SAHM. It’s so easy to let your health and wellness take a backseat.
But it’s really important to make time for yourself, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel!
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#5: Plan Ahead
One of the best ways to prevent burnout is to plan ahead. This means creating a schedule and sticking to it. It also means being realistic with your goals and your time.
When I was starting out, I would set these crazy high goals for myself and then feel overwhelmed when I couldn’t achieve them. Now, I’m much more realistic with my goals and I have a plan in place to achieve them.
Having a schedule also prevents you from working all the time. And with experience, you’ll know what you need to do each day and you can allocate your time accordingly.
#6: Manage Your Time Wisely
This goes hand in hand with planning ahead. You need to manage your time wisely if you want to prevent burnout.
This means taking a day and actually evaluating how you spend your time while you’re working. Pay attention, how much time do you spend lollygagging? Be honest.
…I have a tendency to lallygag a lot, too.
#7: Take Care of Your Mental Health
This is a big one. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed or burnt out, it’s time to take a step back and assess what’s going on. Maybe you need to take a break from your handmade business, social media, etc…
It’s important to find what works for you and to not be ashamed to ask for help if you think you need it.
#8: Take Time for Yourself
Along the same lines as taking care of your mental health, you need to take time for yourself. This means doing things that make you happy and help you relax.
For me, this means going for walks, spending time with my family and Klaus, my cat. Playing some Nintendo Switch!
Find what works for you and make sure you schedule it in. You’ll be glad you did.
Sometimes doing the absolute most mindless crap like playing games on your phone while you sit in bed all day to relax and rejuvenate can do wonders. But, if it comes to this point, that’s a sign burnout is right around the corner so take that for the warning it is.
#9: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
This one goes hand in hand with asking for help from friends and family. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to them for taking on more roles in the household.
If friends and family aren’t an option, there are also plenty of resources out there, like online courses or books, that can help you get on track to taking some of the load off you while you try to manage your business.
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#10: Take Care of Your Body
This one is so important, especially when you’re starting out. When you’re running a handmade business, it’s easy to let your health and wellness take a backseat.
But if you want to prevent burnout, you need to take care of your body. This means eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, and relaxing your mind.
This can be hard when you’re first starting out, but it’s important to make time for yourself, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day.
It’s also important to have a good support system. This could be friends and family or even an online community of handmade sellers.
If you’re feeling burnt out, take a step back and assess what’s going on. Maybe you need to take a break from your handmade business, social media, etc…
It’s important to find what works for you and to not be ashamed to ask for help if you think you need it.
#11: Set Realistic Expectations for Yourself
It’s important to set realistic expectations for yourself when running your handmade business. Don’t expect to work 12 hour days, 7 days a week and think you can keep going on like that forever.
It’s okay if all you did was scratch off one item on your daily TO-DO list. That alone is an accomplishment.
As handmade businesses, we wear ALL the hats. We have so many tasks to do, that when you think about it, it’s pretty abnormal! We are essentially the Jack-of-all-trades.
#12: Know Your Limits
It’s important to know your limits. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might be time for a break. Take some time for yourself, even if it’s just an hour or two each day.
Working yourself until you’re starving, dehydrated or ready to collapse from exhaustion (but you didn’t even notice because you were so caught up in your work) is NOT knowing your limits.
#13: Know When To Stop Working
Similar to knowing your limits, it’s important to also know when to stop working. Just because you can work all night doesn’t mean you should.
It’s important to set some time aside for yourself each day and each week where work is not allowed. This could be time spent with family and friends, relaxing or doing something you enjoy.
The key here is not even getting near exhaustion. Hint, hint.
#14: Take a Break
Speaking of breaks, it’s important to take them! I already mentioned this in tip #12, but it’s worth mentioning again.
Breaks can be anything from 5 minutes to a few hours (or even days if you’re on vacation!).
The key is to make sure that you’re taking time for yourself and not just working all the time. This will help prevent burnout and overwhelm.
#15: Sleep Well
Last but not least, sleep well! This is probably the most important tip of all.
If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to function well the next day. You’ll be tired, grumpy and just overall not pleasant to be around.
Not to mention, you won’t be able to work as efficiently.
Make sure you’re getting a good amount of sleep each night (7-8 hours is ideal) so that you can be your best self the next day!
Burnout is a real danger for handmade business owners, but it’s not inevitable.
By following these tips, you can reduce your chances of experiencing burnout and keep your business running smoothly. Have you tried any of these methods to prevent burnout? What has worked best for you?
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