How to Stop Overcommitting: Beating Boutique Burnout
You Just Don’t Know How to Stop Overcommitting…
You feel constantly exhausted and overwhelmed. Your schedule is always full to the brim. Too much to do and too little time. You hurtle through your days. It’s like living on a rollercoaster and not the fun kind. The kind that makes you feel hurry-sick. You wish you could, but you just don’t know how to stop overcommitting…
Consistent overcommitment eventually leads to burnout. As recently as May 2022, 42% of small business owners said they’d experienced burnout. The risk of burnout for small business owners, like yourself, is higher. After all, you wear most of the hats. And adding a whole lot more commitments to what you’ve already got on your plate is a recipe for disaster.
So… why do you overcommit? Is there a way you can stop overcommitting and beat boutique burnout? And if so, how? Keep reading…
The Problem: Why you Can’t Stop Overcommitting
To stop overcommitting, you first need to think about WHY you say yes to everything. There’s always a reason. Here are some of the most common:
Reason #1: You “need” to do it ALL
You don’t believe anybody will do it as well as you. And that no one knows your business like you – (partly true). You think that if you don’t do it, everything will fall apart. So, you do it all. Cue the anxiety…
The cost of an ‘I can do it all’ attitude is less time with your family and chronic stress.
Reason #2: Money has become your master
Maybe it’s wanting things you don’t actually need and chasing a lifestyle you can’t afford. Or, maybe, it’s just genuinely good things like needing to pay for groceries and gas.
Whatever your reason, you’ve convinced yourself you need more money. As a result, you work more, work harder, and overcommit. Money has become your master. And it’s a mean master that leaves you constantly stressed.
Reason #3: You fear what others will think
I really want and NEED to spend time with my family but…
“What will my customers think if I say no to that 4-day-sale marathon?”
Sound familiar?
You worry what others will think of you. But you REALLY want and need to say – NO. You’re scared of giving up your superwoman image. And believe that somehow, people will think less of you.
You also think you’re burdening people if you ask them for help. Therefore, you just don’t ask. Which really, is just saying yes to more.
Reason #4: You feel guilty
Saying no makes you feel guilty. Like you’re letting others down. So, you say yes.
Also, culture’s idea that you should be a girl-boss doesn’t compute with saying no. And when you do, this unrealistic image of a working woman heaps on guilt.
Reason #5: You don’t know how to manage your time well (yet)
The fifth and final reason: you may just not know how to manage your time well. Yet.
You’ve never been taught how to healthily divide up your time. How to create margin between your load and your limits. Or it could be that no one has told you that you should have limits. In a world that says you should be go-go-go all of the time, that wouldn’t be a surprise.
The Result: Not Being Able to Stop Overcommitting is Harmful to Yourself and Others
Always saying yes to everything is a recipe for a car crash. Emotionally, mentally, and even physically. It’s harmful to yourself and to others. The result of not being able to stop overcommitting looks like:
Constant stress and anxiety
You feel like you’re forever carrying a weight that’s too big for you. When you’re not working, you’re thinking about work. Your thoughts won’t stop racing. You’re always unsettled or anxious. You may even find yourself snapping at loved ones, when you really don’t want to.
Broken commitments
Because you have so many commitments, you can’t fulfil others. You’re frequently double or triple booked. Things that actually give you life fall by the wayside. Things like coffee with friends or those movie nights you promised to have with your family.
Overpromising and under delivering
There’s a little voice in the back of your head saying:
“How on earth am I going to do that? I don’t have the time!”
But you still say yes. You don’t want to disappoint. Plus, you have to #hustle, right? And that means taking on everything so you have no room left to breathe?
Because you have so much to do, you can’t deliver. The quality of your work suffers, along with your emotional health.
Responsibilities that are misaligned with your values
You know what’s important to you. But when you look at your schedule and responsibilities, they don’t match up with what matters! You have all these commitments, but the majority don’t give you joy. They drain you.
Spread too thin
Because you can’t stop overcommitting, you’re spread way too thin. Your attention and self is divided. Often, you find yourself thinking…
“If only there were 10 of me!”
Now, you’re living in permanent burnout. Running on empty. Or Starbucks caramel lattes! You’ve lost sight of why you’re even running your boutique. As well as your perspective on what REALLY matters.
You started your small business for more control. But ironically, your business is now in control. And it’s driving you right to burnout city.
The Truth That Will Set you Free
Dear boutique owner, here’s the truth that will set you free. You have limits. You can’t do it all. THAT’S OK! We’ve been told that we need to be this superwoman / girl boss hustler. But that’s a lie. Its only end is emotional unhealth.
We’ve all fallen victim to this. It’s a strong cultural current and sometimes, we don’t even know we’re swimming in it. Or, that it’s bad for us! As a result, we believe it’s what we should be doing. Because everybody is doing it. Then, we place heavy demands on ourselves that we can’t and shouldn’t bear.
So, are there practical solutions that can help you live the life you actually want? A life where you can spend more time with your loved ones, doing the things you love? Where you can fall back in love with your boutique again?
Of course…
The Solution: How to Stop Overcommitting
1. Do a few things, WELL
Don’t compare yourself to that super successful boutique owner you saw on Instagram. Do a few things well, rather than a lot poorly. Here’s some simple math to show you what that looks like:
Doing few things well =
- Greater life and job satisfaction
- Better QUALITY in what you do
- Less on your plate, more time with family
On the flipside, Doing a lot poorly =
- Less and less satisfaction in things you used to enjoy most
- Manages your “superwoman” image to others, but leaves you drained
- Less time and energy for family
2. Outsource!
Your boutique will not fall apart if you don’t do everything. But you may fall apart if you keep on doing everything. So, outsource your work. There are two options:
- Don’t outsource, keep some money, but keep the constant stress and exhaustion OR…
- Outsource, lose a little bit of money, but also lose stress and exhaustion
Dear boutique friend, choose option 2!
3. Cut expenses
Instead of working harder because you feel like you need more money – cut expenses. Take a step back and think: where in your business or life can you cut the costs?
4. Say NO, more
No is the keyword if you want to stop overcommitting. Whoever told you saying “no” is selfish – well, that’s wrong. It helps you set healthy boundaries and not overload yourself. It allows you to create balance and margin in your life.
Say no the rest, so you can say yes to the best. Like family, fun, friends, and enjoyable boutique work, marked by doing few things well!
5. Don’t live in a “constant busy season”
As a boutique owner, you will have busy seasons. But if you’re living in a “constant busy season”… that’s no longer a “season”. It’s a lifestyle. And not a healthy one.
Learn to spot these unhealthy patterns. Frequently, take a step back. When it’s not a busy season, have a look at how you’re spending your time. Does it look the same as those busy seasons? If so, you’ve got a pattern that needs to be changed.
How Ship.com Can Help…
At Ship.com, we exist to set small boutique owners up for success. “Success” to us also means better work-life balance and spending more time with your family.
Now, we can’t help you stop overcommitting. That change must come from you. And you can do it! What we can do is help you beat boutique burnout. By saving you precious time, money and by taking a load off. How…
With our awesome all-in-one ShipLive selling platform. ShipLive makes it mega easy for boutiques to make more sales in less time. The platform also has simple shipping, easy invoicing and quick customer communications all in one place.
This allows you to:
- Print discounted shipping labels in 3-clicks and schedule a courier pick-up from home in just 2-clicks. No more pesky Post Office trips and long lines. As well as saving money on shipping and gas, this is going to save you over 90 minutes per week.
- Quickly create and send invoices with automatically imported customer data. This saves you a huge amount of time usually spent on manual inputting customer information. Plus, it also means less errors, which means less time spent fixing errors.
- Easily manage customer communications and save more time with powerful automated messaging.
Time to Stop Overcommitting and Beat Boutique Burnout
Dear boutique owner, it’s time to align your schedule with what matters. To stop overcommitting and beat boutique burnout. We believe in you.
We’d like to offer you a 14 DAY FREE TRIAL of ShipLive to help you along the way. It’s SUPER simple to get started. And our team is always here to support you if you have any questions.
Featured Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
