All relationships take work and running your own business is one of the hardest things you might ever do. Before you started, you probably dreamed of the freedom you’d have by being your own boss. But let’s say you are feeling a little burnt out by your business. How do you fall back in love?

Escaping the 9 to 5 and being in control of your own destiny might sound like a dream come true, but in reality you probably find yourself working more hours than ever before and feeling the stress of having to make all the decisions. This can kill your motivation, which could have a negative impact on the quality of your work and even your income.

It’s not like you can just drop everything and take a holiday when you’re the boss, so you need to find another way to fall back in love with your business.

5 Essential Steps To Fall Back in Love With Your Business

1. Give Yourself a Break

When you set your own hours, it can be all too easy to slip into bad habits and start working all the hours, especially with smart phones in our pockets keeping us connected. Jetting off for a two week beach break might not be an option, but it’s important to give yourself downtime and take care of your physical and mental well-being –if you’re not performing at your full potential then your business won’t be either!

Don’t be afraid to give yourself a break, and make sure you build some relaxing “me time” into your busy schedule. Avoid the temptation to slip back into work by taking a ‘digital detox’ – you can’t relax and unwind with emails, phone calls and social media going off all the time. Schedule some time for yourself and stick to it. You’ll soon find it makes a big difference and you feel recharged and more inspired.

2. Try Something New

One of the best ways to inspire yourself is to try something new – especially if you’re feeling stuck in a business rut. Take an online course relating to something you want to improve in your business, try something new with your social media, record a vlog or even make some time to start a new hobby. You might think you don’t have the time to take on anything else, but if it’s something you’ll enjoy it’ll have big benefits when it comes to kick starting your motivation.

3. Remember Why You Got Into it in the First Place

Take some time to reflect on the “bigger picture”. Why did you start your business? What did you set out to achieve? Reflect on everything you’ve achieved so far and revisit your goals. You’ll see how far you’ve come instead of feeling weighed down by how far you’ve got to go. When you’re working for yourself you’ve got to remember to give yourself a pat on the back – otherwise who else is going to do it?

4. Take time to work on your business

It’s too easy to focus on working in your business instead of on it. While you’re busy shipping orders, balancing the books and doing all the day-to-day tasks, you’re not focusing on how the business works. More importantly, you’re not focusing on how it’s going to grow. Think about how you want the business to look in the future, make a plan to get there, then set aside some time each week to make it happen. Focusing on the bigger picture will help you fall back in love and remind you why you’re doing it in the first place.

5. Stop Trying to Do it All

If you’re feeling burnt out and uninspired, it might be time to seek some help. It could actually be more cost effective to hire a virtual PA, an accountant, or someone to manage your social media, write your blog posts and take care of your marketing. There’s all sorts of business solutions available and they’re probably not as expensive as you might think. Plus think of the hours of your time they will free up – if that helps you focus more on maintaining your well-being and growing your business then it’s invaluable. Take some time to reflect on what areas of your business you could outsource, then you can research your options.

Remember that when you’re running your own business, you’re in this for the long haul. So give yourself time to recharge, focus on where you want to go and build a plan to get there. You’ll soon fall back in love with your business and be back on the road to success!