What if your biggest growth lever isn’t a new product or ad campaign—but preventing burnout before it quietly drains your focus, decision-making, and momentum? Peak seasons like Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) can turn “just one more task” into a daily pattern of overwhelm. This guide helps you spot burnout early, recover faster, and build habits that keep you productive without running yourself into the ground.
Key Takeaways
- Use clear signs (sleep disruption, irritability, reduced cognitive performance) to identify burnout early—before it becomes your “new normal.”
- Recover faster by auditing what’s draining you, setting non-negotiable boundaries, and scheduling real breaks like meetings.
- Protect your productivity by limiting daily priorities (1–3), planning ahead, and delegating recurring tasks you don’t need to own.
- Make preventing burnout sustainable by choosing one habit to test for two weeks, then adjusting based on what actually works for you.
These feelings are all too common for many entrepreneurs:
- In a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index analysis of U.S. adults surveyed Jan 2, 2011–Sept 30, 2012, 45% of entrepreneurs reported experiencing stress a lot of the day “yesterday,” vs. 42% of other workers (and 34% vs. 30% reported worrying a lot). (Gallup analysis)
- A study in the Harvard Business Review suggests entrepreneurs are more at risk of burnout because they tend to be extremely passionate about work and are more socially isolated, have limited safety nets, and operate in high uncertainty.
FURTHER READING: Learn how passion at work can contribute to burnout.
Shopify consulted with five business coaches and entrepreneurs to discuss how to define burnout, identify signs you might be burnt out, how to recover from it, and what habits to adopt to help you avoid burning out going forward:
- Alison Gilbert, founder of Project AG, a strategic partner for early-stage entrepreneurs.
- Dominique Mas, life coach for the High Achievers Series.
- Jason Portnoy, president of JPORT Media, a full-service digital marketing and ad agency, and the founder of apparel brand True Rivalry.
- Samara Zelniker, health and wellness coach, and founder of Mindfulness Matters.
- Kelly Lynn Adams, professional business and life transformational coach, and founder of the After 5 Club.
Define Burnout: The Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms of burnout often can be confused with those of exhaustion, depression, and anxiety. In order to bounce back from burnout and prevent it from recurring, it’s important to properly identify it first.
This article is for informational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms or think you may be depressed or anxious, consider speaking with a licensed healthcare professional.
A practical definition you can use at work
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burn-out in ICD-11 as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, characterized by exhaustion, mental distance/cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
Common day-to-day symptoms to watch for
For a general description of how burnout can show up day to day, Psychology Today describes burnout as “a state of chronic stress that leads to signs and symptoms” in three overarching areas: physical, emotional, and mental (keep in mind, there can be overlap in these categories).
The trade publication lists some common symptoms that define burnout that are important to watch for, especially when they aren’t common character traits for you:
- Chronic fatigue or insomnia (or both).
- Feelings of irritability.
- Feeling like you’re pushing against a wall or feelings of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. (Gilbert equates this feeling to
wading through molasses — you’re showing up to do work and finding that the smallest, seemingly easy task feels that much more arduous
.) - Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope.
- A decrease in cognitive performance (for example, the inability to think logically or make decisions).
- A lack of motivation to work and/or socialize.
If you recognize several of these patterns in yourself, the next section focuses on recovery steps that support preventing burnout from becoming a repeat cycle.
6 Ways To Bounce Back From Burnout
Bouncing back from burnout requires work, self-reflection, and self-care. So, although your lack of time (perceived or real) might prevent you from allowing yourself to take a break and practicing the below habits, Mas points out that self-work rituals allow us to gain awareness and refresh our perspective
.
1. Audit your behavior to find the real drain
1. Audit your behavior. Mas recommends taking time to reflect on your mental, physical and/or emotional depletion: this will help you create awareness around the causes of your burnout.
2. Set boundaries that protect your time (and enforce them)
2. Create strong boundaries — and stick to them. What can realistically be accomplished that will move you forward toward your bigger vision? Say yes only to those tasks.
Say no to whatever and whoever is draining your time and energy, whether it’s a task that someone else can do quicker or a supplier creating more problems than profits.
Most importantly, remind yourself that you can’t do everything. Learn more about how to outsource and delegate some of these tasks.
3. Schedule time out like it’s a real meeting
3. Take time out. Turn off your devices and get away from work to do activities you love with people you love. This will help to replenish your physical, mental, and emotional energies.
Mas suggests writing those activities in your calendar and treating them like actual meetings or appointments with yourself; so many people prioritize commitments to others, but don’t give themselves the same respect and importance.
4. Take breaks before you hit empty
4. Embrace this break. Many people find they’re more productive when they take regular breaks.
Focus on the habit of listening to yourself and note when you’re feeling less energized during the day, even if this means you’re most productive in short bursts of 20 minutes
, says Gilbert. If you’re feeling your energy wane, take a break, take a walk, call a friend.
Do something to escape the zone of what’s triggering burnout, and come back to the task when you’re feeling more energized.
5. Talk it out with someone you trust
5. Talk it out. Share your struggles with someone you trust: Sometimes you just need to talk it out with someone who will willingly and openly listen without judgment, and who is there for support
, says Adams.
6. Build self-knowledge so preventing burnout gets easier
6. Invest in and focus on self-knowledge. This is where self-reflection becomes a form of self-care, as it’s critical to nurture your needs, understand how you function when it comes to work and stress, and invest in resources to help you grow.
Gilbert says: Burnout stems from a deeper lack of alignment with your internal needs and drivers. To set yourself up to mitigate burnout — note I say ‘mitigate,’ because fully avoiding it is unrealistic — make time and space in your schedule to understand yourself more. Invest in books, tools, and experiences that will help you get to know yourself more. Or incorporate time in your morning to journal and/or meditate.
10 Productivity Tips To Avoid Burnout
If you’re feeling stretched thin, these habits can help you stay productive without burning out. Try to remember this quote daily: If you don’t change, nothing changes.
Assess the following productivity habits to determine which ones would work best for you and, most importantly, are realistic for you to apply and maintain.
1) Limit your daily priorities to 1–3 tasks
1. Don’t take on too much. Stick to three tasks, tops. Adams recommends focusing on one to three main tasks that you have to do before the day ends: Try to do those three things at the beginning of the day if you can.
2) Plan your week and pre-load tomorrow’s to-do list
2. Create a to-do list in advance and plan accordingly. Adams recommends doing this on Sundays: Set aside some time in the afternoon or evening to plan out your week, and take a few minutes every evening throughout the week to plan the next day.
This helps you become intentional with your time and energy and allows you to start saying no to the things that don’t align with your daily, weekly, or monthly goals.
3) Reframe your list to reduce stress
3. Think of it as a get-to-do list. Zelniker suggests maximizing productivity by shifting perspective on how you approach your work. Instead of perceiving your to-do list as a chore, see it as your get-to-do list: all of the things that you get to do throughout your day.
This approach helps you leads with gratitude rather than obligation. Of course, there will still be tedious tasks and to-dos you dread tackling, but integrating gratitude in your day has been linked to lower stress in research. For example, a longitudinal study found gratitude predicted lower subsequent stress among U.S. undergraduates. (Peer-reviewed study (PubMed))
4) Use your calendar to block distractions
4. Keep your calendar full. Portnoy emphasizes the importance of having a full calendar: Author, sales trainer, and renowned speaker Grant Cardone once said that white space on a calendar is deadly. Having a full calendar keeps you busy and productive by forcing out distractions, even if you block out time for getting organized, doing research, or creative brainstorming.
5) Turn “dead time” into light admin time (safely)
5. Use transit time to multitask. Portnoy swears by multitasking whenever possible, especially during commutes.
If you’re commuting by public transit (or you’re not driving), you can use that time to get things done. If you’re driving, keep your focus on the road and avoid tasks that distract you
, he says. I use my car time to get things done, so in transit, I listen to podcasts to stay up-to-date on my industry and have client or conference calls while traveling between meetings.
6) Use virtual meetings to reduce context switching
6. Use virtual conferencing tools if you can. Portnoy, someone who has several meetings per day, uses virtual meeting tools like Zoom to help him be in multiple places at once: I will always prefer face-to-face meetings, but Zoom allows me to fit more meetings in.
7) Declutter your workspace to declutter your thinking
7. Declutter your space. Zelniker says you can’t underestimate the importance of clearing your physical office and workspace. When there is clutter in your space, there is clutter in your mind. Clean off your desk to maximize productivity
, she says.
8) Delegate recurring tasks to protect your energy
8. Delegate to elevate. It might be tough to let go of control in some aspects of your business, but delegating is one of the most critical productivity habits, especially when it comes to the tasks someone else can do better and quicker than you.
Learn how to delegate the tasks that you’re not good at, in order to make more time to do the things you love and ensure you remain in your zone of genius,” Zelniker says.
9) Build a daily “power hour” (or start with 5 minutes)
9. Create a self-love power hour every day: This is time dedicated to you, a non-negotiable break that you get to choose how to fill.
The most important thing here is that if you can't find an hour, then at least find five minutes for you
, Adams says. It’s not the time element that’s important, but rather creating the habit of doing the things that make you happy and feel good.
10) Celebrate small wins to stay motivated long-term
10. Celebrate small wins. Taking time out to celebrate important victories, regardless of size, can help you stay motivated and keep your eye on the big picture.
When you achieve a goal that you have been striving toward, do you celebrate or do you move on to the next goal
, says Zelniker. What’s the point of working so hard to achieve the things you want if you forget all the effort it took to get there?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the early signs of burnout for entrepreneurs?
Common early signs include chronic fatigue or insomnia, irritability, feeling ineffective, and reduced ability to think clearly or make decisions. If these symptoms aren’t typical for you and they persist, treat it as a signal to reduce load, add recovery time, and reassess boundaries.
How can I start preventing burnout during peak retail seasons like BFCM?
Pick 1–3 priorities per day, block breaks on your calendar, and say no to tasks that don’t move your biggest goals forward. Delegating one recurring task before the rush starts can also reduce decision fatigue when demand spikes.
What’s the fastest way to recover when I feel burned out?
Start with an audit: identify what’s draining your time and energy, then set a boundary you can enforce immediately (for example, a hard stop time or fewer commitments). Add a real break you’ll keep—scheduled like a meeting—so recovery becomes a plan, not a hope.
Is delegating really worth it if I’m trying to stay productive?
Yes—delegating tasks someone else can do better or faster protects your limited focus for high-impact work. It’s also one of the most reliable ways to support preventing burnout because it reduces overload and creates breathing room for strategic decisions.
What are alternatives to “working harder” when I’m overwhelmed?
Use systems instead of willpower: plan your week in advance, keep a realistic calendar, and declutter your workspace to reduce mental friction. Pair that with a daily non-negotiable break (even five minutes) to maintain energy and consistency.
Your Most Important Asset Is You
Preventing burnout isn’t about doing less—it’s about protecting the energy and clarity your business depends on. When you set stronger boundaries, delegate what you shouldn’t own, and plan your days around a few high-impact priorities, you’ll make better decisions and stay productive for the long haul.
Choose one change to start today and commit to it for the next two weeks (for example: a daily 10-minute break, a hard stop time, or delegating one recurring task), then reassess what’s working and adjust. When you’re ready to turn that reclaimed time into growth, build your store and systems with Shopify—start today and keep moving forward with a business that supports you back.
