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How to Use Retargeting Pixels for Rapid Business Growth

Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:00 AM PDT

 

  • Retargeting pixels, also known as cookies, is a way to market your products to customers who visit your website and leave.

  • Social media is a common platform for targeting customers. 

     

What are retargeting pixels?

Retargeting is a way to market your products and services to customers who visit your website, then decide to leave before completing their purchase. Think about the last time you visited an eCommerce storefront and added something to your cart, but didn't check out. Chances are, not long after your potential purchase, you started spotting ads for the product and brand you were looking at all over social media and on other websites.

This process is possible when business owners or marketers add a retargeting pixel to their website. These pixels are more commonly known as tracking cookies. When a consumer visits a website with a retargeting pixel, the site drops the cookie on the user's browser and only removes it when a purchase is made. The result of this technique is that customers will see your ads across various platforms and decide to come back and place their order.

Picking a platform

There are various platforms where you can use retargeting pixels to reach potential customers. The most common platform for getting generating leads and converting customers is social media. Research shows that 87% of businesses that use social media see increased exposure by putting themselves on various platforms. Your retargeting ads could lead the customer to check out your social media page before making a purchase, thus improving your odds of converting them on-site.

Social media retargeting usually appears throughout the user's newsfeed naturally, but the type of content you use in your ad may determine whether or not they complete their purchase. For instance, many businesses offer a 10 to 20% discount to customers who click the retargeting ad link and complete their purchase.

Similarly, you can place targeted ads on Google, Bing and Yahoo that will produce sponsored results based on a customer's current and previous search history. This method allows you to reach out to an audience that may otherwise never come back to your website.

Another popular way to convince your audience to stick around and sign up for your email list, or make a purchase, is by using retargeting pixels on your website. When businesses operate with pixels on their website, certain behaviors trigger a response from your website. Some examples include the ability to encourage readers to sign up for an email list with a popup if they've viewed multiple articles, or you could trigger a chatbot to pop up and help customers who linger on a page after a set amount of time.

Each platform is slightly different in the way that it reaches your customer, but the intent is the same. Your goal is to increase engagement and conversions on your website, and retargeting pixels can help in multiple ways.

When should you retarget customers?

Despite the various uses, there are certain times when you're going to want to target prospects with retargeting pixels. The first, and most common, example involves you converting customers who add products to your cart but don't complete their order. You could also target customers who start signing up for an account to check out but bounce from the page. Considering that 79.6% of consumers abandon checkout forms, this is an excellent opportunity to convert some of the nearly 80 percent of customers who tried to leave your website before completing their purchase.

You can handle this retargeting in two ways. You could first trigger a pop-up to appear that encourages the customer to complete their form as they are getting ready to leave the page. The second way you can retarget them is by showing them ads on social media or while browsing other websites. This could spark their interest and encourage them to finish the order process.

If you want to encourage prospects to sign up for your email list, you could trigger a popup asking them if they would like to sign up after they've viewed a specified number of articles on your blog. This tactic is particularly helpful if you're offering an incentive such as a free e-book, checklist, or discount.

Final tips to keep in mind

It's better to look helpful than annoying. When you're retargeting customers, make sure you select a specific number of adverts you would like to show them over a pre-determined period of time. The average is around 20 to 30 retargeting ads per 30 days.

A/B testing is a crucial component of every marketing campaign – and retargeting ads are included in this group. When you're creating adverts, try to create a variety of different ads with different offers. You could create one that offers a free e-book, another that gives the consumer a discount, and maybe two styles of each ad. Once you start consistently sending out these adverts to potential customers, check your Google Analytics account to see which ads are performing best. You can make minor tweaks to your successful campaigns until you have a group of reliable promotions that boost conversions and engagement.

Even though you're going to mostly use retargeting ads to pull customers back onto your website, you still have to focus on your search engine optimization (SEO). Always make sure you're optimizing pillar posts and landing pages to encourage new customers to find your website organically.

Conclusion

Retargeting pixels are an essential marketing tool that can help you see explosive growth throughout your business. When you're creating your first retargeting campaign, it helps if you're able to put yourself in the mind of your customer. Think about a time you clicked through on a retargeting ad and made a purchase that you otherwise wouldn't have made.

What was it about the ad that caught your attention and compelled you to go back? Was the promotion too good of an offer to pass up? Were you intrigued by a free offer? Did the design catch your attention and further your interest? Keep these thoughts in mind and remember to continuously evolve your campaign to include new adverts and new offers, if possible.

Before long, you will have an impressive catalog of promotions that are proven to help your business grow. As long as you are regularly split testing your creations, engaging with customers, and offering products or services that provide value to consumers, you'll have a much better chance at creating a successful retargeting campaign.

How to Create a Positive and Productive Company Culture

Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:00 AM PDT

The first thing you need to do is to recognize your culture for what it truly is as opposed to what you would like it to be. You then need to assess what it brings to the organization so you can decide what elements to keep and build on, and what you need to leave behind. After that, you can take the necessary steps towards transformation. Read on to understand exactly how each of these steps work.

Step 1: Embrace your culture for what it is.

If you want to create a positive and productive company culture, do not start out with a deck full of utopian values such as humble, honest, hard-working, driven, ethical, bold, brave, understanding, loving or caring. Yes, many organizations have amazing characteristics, but they have crappy ones as well. Listing these lofty ideals as valued behaviors will lead to an inauthentic organization where people are unable to really live up to the idealized behaviors.

Once you have gotten over the idealized model of what your culture looks like, it's time to get to know your company for what it is. Chances are, you are not going to like a lot of what you find. You may find tremendous work ethic, but you may also find lots of procrastination. You may find humility, but also a lot of focus on self-marketing. You may find bold people, but you may also find people who play it safe. The bottom line is that the first step towards creating a positive and productive culture is seeing it exactly how it is, for all its beauty and all its ugliness.

Take our company as an example, we have incredible resourcefulness. But this resourcefulness stems out of the fact that we are a fluid organization that can feel very chaotic to some people. We care about how our people feel, but we are also relentless about our goals. We often lack structure, documentation and guidance. The flipside is that there is room for people to be entrepreneurial, creative and shape things their own way.

The business's culture is an asset because of its imperfections, rather than in spite of them. As we embrace our shortcomings, we can lean into them for all the benefits they bring and learn how to transform or overcome the negative aspects they promote over time. If we just pretend that our culture is perfect and that all our values are amazing there is absolutely no room for honesty, for authenticity and for growth.

Step 2: Understand the ramifications of the culture and your overarching goals.

Now we can look at the mirror and see an accurate representation of what we are. The question now is do we deeply understand the ramifications of this culture? We could realize, for instance, that we are aggressive and ambitious; we are go-getters. But how does this speak towards our empathy and ability to care for others? Does it prevent us from building a nurturing and supportive environment?

Even the most positive traits can have negative ramifications. It's important to get a clear picture of how the cultural map plays out in terms of the company's ability to deliver, innovate, create and operate efficiently.

Step 3: Plan for the culture you want in the future.

With a lucid picture of what our culture really looks like and a profound understanding of how this picture plays out at an organizational level, we can plan ahead for the culture we want to create. Which characteristics need to be sharpened versus which ones need to be dulled. We could be, for instance, excessively dynamic. This aspect could be dulled so that we can add more structure to the picture. We could also lean into the dynamic, fluid nature of our business and embrace it fully.

I don't believe there are categorical imperatives here. Everything is highly contextualized and the best culture for your business should be based on employee needs, client needs, company goals, as well as market needs and trends. To use the metaphor of a makeover, now that you know what you look like you can decide how to cut your hair, which accessories you will wear and how to shape your overall look.

Step 4: Act towards your new culture.

Going through the steps outlined above will provide you with a clear picture of the present, an understanding of its ramifications and a vision of your future culture. You now need the tools to put this in place. This is a gross oversimplification, but the two main things you need to do moving forward is to decide who you bring in and who you remove from the organization. While I do not deny the value of trying to train and mold behaviors in a group of people, more often than not, people are not willing to voluntarily change. To paraphrase an adage, people only change when the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain and discomfort brought through change.

Having a clear cultural map and vector will make you look differently at your current employees as well as potential hires. A few years back our culture was very reactive. I tried everything I could to change that. I tried training, gamifying and incentivizing, and could not get people to change their approaches. I knew that I needed more self-driven people with fewer preconceptions on the team, so I brought a group of bright interns into the organization. Within months, many of these interns were hired. They displayed a work ethic that significantly contrasted with the more experienced employees. This put implicit pressure on the more experienced employees to change. Some of them changed and some of them left, but the transformation of the company began by bringing in not a single individual, but a group of individuals that had the characteristics that were lacking in our organization.

There is no end to the process of building a positive and productive company culture. The culture is always changing, evolving and maturing. You need to keep listening to what your business needs and adjusting. It's not rocket science if you can stand looking in the mirror and accepting all of the little wrinkles, gray hairs and zits that you wish your business did not have. The challenge is that most organizations are hopelessly incapable of recognizing themselves for their rawest, truest and often ugliest facets.

How Personalized Customer Experience Can Define Your Business

Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT

Petsmart's 2017 acquisition of Chewy was a historic moment – at $3.35 billion, it's the largest e-commerce acquisition ever. But this historic moment would never have happened if it wasn't for the small, routine kindness Ryan Cohen experienced at his local pet store: Its warm customer service would serve as the bedrock for his fledgling e-commerce company.

"We're optimizing a relationship with a customer, not a transaction," said Cohen, one of Chewy's co-founders. "We're bringing a human element to something that doesn't really fit anymore within e-commerce."

Chewy, a pet e-commerce site that offers pet food, toys and other accessories, is one of the largest pet retailers in America. Cohen, who was originally working on an e-commerce jewelry store concept before starting Chewy, realized that if he could replicate a personalized experience at scale, he and his team could build a successful online pet empire. It turned out his moment of inspiration was the start of a long journey where hardship, ferocity and, eventually, victory would take shape.

Mission drives everything

By sticking to the original company mission of offering personalized customer experiences, Cohen and his team built a company that piqued the interest of PetSmart. When deciding whether to sell the company, Cohen said it was a natural next step for the organization – it was already reaching a major audience, and partnering with PetSmart would mean reaching even more pet owners.

"Part of the reason why we were so successful was we were really good at staying focused … [and] doing the simple things really well," said Cohen.

Sticking to the original mission wasn't an easy feat. During his time with Chewy, Cohen helped send more than a million handwritten holiday cards each year and answered customer calls within 6 seconds of a query. This tenacious drive was only the tip of the iceberg for Cohen but was something that separated Chewy from other e-commerce ventures.

When it came time to raise funding, Silicon Valley initially balked on Chewy: Its business concept wasn't overwhelmingly novel or unique. Cohen said doubters underestimated the execution of the model, chalking it up as just another customer-centric e-commerce operation. Cohen and his team wouldn't settle for anything less than excellence when it came to working with customers. The Chewy drive is apparent in the way Cohen talks about acquiring initial funding, which took him a handful of trips to Silicon Valley to achieve.

"I had a choice to make every single time they said no: Do you go home or do you prove them wrong?" he said. "The more people that told me no, it fueled me, because I was like, 'I am going to prove them wrong if it's the last thing I do; I'm going to figure out a way to finance this business.'"

Who you hire further defines your mission

Cohen said Chewy's mission to provide a personal customer experience no matter the cost is the result of the great team that makes up the company. Cohen's talent as an entrepreneur lies in his commitment and willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. He said Chewy hired "more for will than for skill" meaning if someone was committed to the company's ideology and mission, finding a practical role on the team would be simple.

"When you hire people like that, who are willing to go to war with you, you can do just about anything," Cohen said. "We hired … people who were as relentless as I was, who believe in the business, who came on board, drank the Kool-Aid and weren't going to stop until we were successful."

This team is how Chewy has reached new heights, from hundreds of millions of dollars in sales each year to a recent IPO valued at $9 billion. When the company was acquired by PetSmart in 2017, Cohen stayed on board for the year – not because of a contract requirement, but because he wanted to ensure a proper transition.

Chewy's success is a story proper execution

Cohen no longer has a role at the organization, instead filling the shoes of what he describes as "cheerleader" for the company and its recent successes. By leading a team that stayed focused on core mission throughout each phase of its lifecycle, Cohen said the ability to execute a core belief is how Chewy has stood out from other companies.

"When you look at the execution of the model and how well we delighted our customers and kind of became the ecosystem of the pet industry, I think that people really kind of underestimated how well we would execute with the team we put together," he said.

Even if you have an idea that isn't novel, if you're behind what you believe, and your execution is better than everyone else's, you're bound to succeed. For Cohen and his team, this meant countless late nights, intense stress and a relentlessness that only they can truly fathom.

3 Ways to Manage Stress When Self-Care Stops Working

Posted: 01 Jul 2019 08:00 AM PDT

According to a survey conducted by the American Institute of Stress, 40% of workers reported that their jobs were very or extremely stressful. Stress in the workplace has become an epidemic, and we're all looking for ways to feel more peaceful and focused at work. Many of these solutions are self-care tactics like meditation and taking a walk around the block during our lunch hour. But what happens when those practices aren't strong enough? Here are three practices to that can help you eliminate stress when self-care isn't cutting it. 

1. Delegate tasks

Many of us are leaders both at work and home; the demands never stop, and we can feel pulled in all directions by the never-ending list of chores, deadlines and tasks. The key to finding more balance and less stress is to delegate the tasks you don't like and aren't good at, and then use your time only for the things you like and are good at, or love and are great at. I use a practice called Delegate and Elevate, developed by entrepreneur and author Gino Wickman, to categorize my tasks both at work and home. Simply categorize all of your tasks into these four quadrants:

  • Love and are great at
  • Like and are good at
  • Don't like but happen to be good at
  • Don't like and are not good at

Once you have a clear visual of where your tasks fall, focus on delegating all of the things you don't like or aren't good at. 

It can sometimes be difficult to delegate at first, but you'll often find that there is someone else who enjoys the tasks that you don't like. One of my employees loves to research and create spreadsheets. These are some of the last things I would ever want to do, but when I ask her to do them, she is excited. Figuring out which tasks you can swap with your coworkers will bring you all closer to feeling more fulfillment and less stress at work. Try handing off things without specific instructions as to how to complete the task. This hands-off approach creates space for others to shine and for you to learn a new way of doing things. As long as the task gets completed and you have less stress, who cares what the process is!

2. Take a clarity break

A common reason that many of us are stressed is that we simply have too much going on in our brains. As busy leaders it can be difficult to carve out time for thinking, but it is crucial that you do so in order to innovate and create. I do this by taking what Gino Wickman calls a Clarity Break. This is a regularly scheduled time that you set aside to reflect and focus "on" the business instead of thinking about all of the things going on "in" the business. If you're just starting this practice, begin by spending 60 to 90 minutes away from the office each week at a quiet place where you can write out your thoughts on paper. As challenging as it may be, choose a space where you can unplug from your phone and computer to minimize distractions. 

It might be difficult to carve out the time at first, but you'll soon realize that you are getting time back because you have a clearer vision and will be able to execute it more effectively. Giving your brain a chance to recharge actually increases your creativity and productivity. Taking clarity breaks reduces stress because you will be able to confirm that you are on track and all bases are covered. It will also bolster your confidence as a leader and help you identify and address big picture solutions so you can implement them before you miss an opportunity.

3. Learn to say no

Having too many commitments also creates stress. As leaders, many of us have trouble saying "no" to things. We want to be helpful and don't want to pass up an opportunity that may help us move forward us personally or professionally. Every time you say yes to something, however, you're actually saying yes to multiple obligations. Did you say yes to being on that committee? That means you also said yes to attending several meetings, making phone calls and attending to other to-dos leading up to the big event. Rarely do we pause long enough to consider all these other commitments before saying yes. Next time, when someone asks you to take on a new responsibility or job, don't be too quick to say yes. Instead, tell them you'll think about it and need to check your schedule. List out all of the additional things you'd be saying yes to by committing and evaluate if this is aligned with your greater goals. If it's not, say no.

Learning to say no without guilt or excuses is a habit that takes practice to build. Remember that "No, thank you" is a complete sentence. Many of us feel the need to give a reason or excuse for declining, but in reality, we don't need to say anything further. "No thank you" or "I'm unable to do that, but I appreciate you thinking of me," are perfectly fine. If you're determined to live your life by design and decrease your stress, you must learn to say no to things that do not serve you or assist you in achieving your goals. Saying no allows you to focus on what you've intentionally said yes to and to maximize those opportunities.

A large part of managing stress effectively is being able to manage time effectively. Do you let others push their demands on you or are you able to be more intentional and proactive with your time? Delegating the tasks that don't fulfill you will give you time back, as will saying "no" to the things that aren't aligned with your larger goals. Taking time to frequently reflect and give your brain a mental break is also key; you will be able to see the larger picture and focus on the big initiatives that will truly drive results while letting go of the minutiae that usually drives stress. Start using these practices today; they address the time management issues that self-care won't.

How to Combat Burnout

Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:20 AM PDT

  • Burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon.
  • Unlike fatigue, burnout affects your emotional health and reduces your self-efficacy.
  • If a day or two off from work doesn't change your mindset about it, you're likely experiencing burnout.
  • Overcoming burnout takes time and usually requires a good support system at work and at home.

The term "burnout" has made waves recently, as the World Health Organization (WHO) recently recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon. The organization's definition aligns with syndromes and represents an important step in recognizing workplace burnout as a real problem.

While workplace burnout is a legitimate concern, it's important to understand what burnout is before diagnosing yourself with the syndrome. Both employees and employers need to understand the symptoms of burnout to combat it. If you're looking to learn how to combat burnout syndrome, start by learning what it means. From there, dive deeper into how to reduce work-related stress and how to recognize the warning signs of burnout.

What is burnout?

According to WHO, "Burn-out is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition."

That's an important clarification. Burnout is not considered a medical condition, but an occupational phenomenon. The definition of burnout goes deeper, with WHO saying, "Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

  • Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
  • Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job
  • Reduced professional efficacy. Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life."

When defining burnout, it's important to recognize that WHO considers burnout an occupational phenomenon, not something that applies to other aspects of life. Understanding the three dimensions of workplace burnout is important for employees as well as employers. Employees experiencing one of the symptoms may be worn down or approaching burnout, but it takes all three dimensions to technically have occupational burnout.

Feelings of energy depletion and exhaustion aren't uncommon among workers, but the mental distance and reduced self-belief are not as common and make burnout a more concerning issue than just being tired. Employees and employers should work diligently to monitor how they feel at work. If you find a long week becoming a long month and feelings of increased negativity come out more often, you may be headed for burnout.

How do you know if you have burnout?

Much of burnout relates to how you're feeling, which makes it difficult to say for sure if you have burnout. While there isn't an exact way to confirm that you or another employee has burnout, you should use WHO's three criteria  as a guide. Is the person feeling emotional or physical exhaustion? Are they extremely negative about their current role? Is their personal efficacy reduced?

If you answer yes to these three questions, you're likely experiencing burnout. You can also perform a few unofficial tests to determine if you have burnout or its warning signs.

"Persistence is the quickest answer," said Robert Bogue, an organizational development consultant, president of Availtek LLC and co-author of Extinguish Burnout: A Practical Guide to Prevention and Recovery. "Everyone has a bad day, but just like depression, if the feeling lasts for a long time, then it's something different than just a bad day. Another test is to take a day of rest. If you rest and feel recharged the next day, then it's probably not burnout. Burnout persists even after you take a break."

There are also brief online self-assessments to help put your feelings into context. If you're unsure whether you have burnout, try taking a few online tests and use those results as a guide. The scores can be helpful, but the questions are just as valuable. Study what questions are being asked to get a better understanding of the signs of burnout. These are a few tests worth checking out:

Those test results shouldn't be taken as fact, but it's worth taking a few assessments to better determine if what you're experiencing is burnout or fatigue. Be sure to monitor your emotional exhaustion, not just your physical exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion is one of the more common burnout symptoms. Other symptoms include the inability to get a good night's sleep, being unreasonably angry at work or at home, and compassion fatigue, which refers to the inability to be compassionate on a regular basis. If you find yourself being a bit ruder than normal at work, this may be a warning sign of workplace burnout.

What is the difference between burnout and feeling tired?

According to the WHO definition, burnout includes exhaustion and fatigue, but it goes further to include reduced personal efficacy and increased mental distance from your job. Technically speaking, those two criteria are the difference between burnout and feeling tired.

There are other signs that you've passed fatigue and hit burnout. These include mental fatigue and increased negativity. If you feel like your job doesn't have a purpose and you're working long hours, you're at high risk of burnout.

"Many of us get tired," said Sonya Matejko, senior manager of communications at Situation. "Many of us could use a little more sleep. Many of us love that afternoon burst of caffeine. The difference between burnout and having a slow day is when we start to not show up authentically routinely. Burnout happens when you start moving through the motions robotically – almost like you're sleepwalking through your responsibilities. Burnout affects us mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. With burnout, I've personally noticed the effects spill into other areas of my life, and that's when I knew I had to get it under control."

If you feel exhausted at work, treat your feelings as a warning sign for burnout. Take some time off or find ways to focus on tasks you enjoy the most. Depending on your role in a company, that can be easier said than done. Try setting up a meeting with your boss as you start to experience feelings of fatigue and burnout, and see if you can find ways to mitigate the issues. If you can't come to an agreement, it may be time to update your resume and start looking for work at a company that better values employee wellbeing.

How can you avoid burnout?

If you could easily avoid burnout, you would. Unfortunately, burnout frequently occurs because of unrealistic expectations at work, a strained relationship with a boss or a dead-end job. Burnout is often caused by things we can't control, which makes prevention challenging. If you find yourself in a job you truly dislike or don't expect your current situation to improve, it's a good idea to start looking for employment elsewhere.

If you do like your job but the workload is causing fatigue and you feel like burnout may be on its way, check yourself and seek a better work-life balance. Find ways to reduce the time spent on working and thinking about work, which in turn should reduce your fatigue and prevent burnout. It can be helpful to set goals for your sleep, diet and exercise. Getting more sleep, eating well and exercising a few times a week can also reduce your risk of burnout. If you're an entrepreneur or employee working 60-plus hours per week, you may not always have time for eight hours of sleep or to work out every day, but adding just one hour of sleep a night or one or two workouts per week can mitigate some feelings of burnout.

"You hardly ever see it coming," said Leslie Kalk, a restaurant and hospitality coach. "You think, 'I'll just work a little more to get through this month, then I'll cut back.' But you don't, so the best way to avoid it is to make clear boundaries for yourself and do not deviate. It's your physical and mental health at stake, so don't take burnout lightly."

How can employers help prevent burnout in employees?

Employers can help prevent burnout in employees by giving them tasks they enjoy on a more frequent basis. Find ways to play to the strengths and interests of your team. For example, if an employee works as a salesperson but prefers leading teams, send them to a few leadership development conferences. The employee will be happy, and you'll be grooming one of your employees for future leadership at the company.

You may learn that an accountant at your company is interested in graphic design. Allow them to spend a few hours each week taking online graphic design courses. This can reduce their risk of burnout while allowing them to pursue a passion. The employee might eventually gain enough skills to help your marketing team with graphics – and even if they don't get to that point, they'll still be grateful for the chance to build a new skill set. A few hours of career development each week won't throw your business off track, and it can make your employees happier.

"It's important for managers to learn the work preferences of the people on their team," said Lauren Herring, CEO of IMPACT Group. "That way, to the best extent possible, their people can work on the things that are most interesting and exciting to them. It's hard to feel burned out when you're totally engaged in the work. While a lot of times people associate burnout with working long hours – which can definitely be an issue – often the challenge is not enjoying the work and feeling the stress of it at the same time."

How can you overcome burnout?

Once you become burnt out, it's going to take time to reduce the feeling. If you're trying to overcome burnout, it's important to take things one day at a time and be patient during the process. You won't overcome burnout with a walk in the park, so be ready for a few weeks or month of altering your routine and creating healthier workplace habits.

"Acknowledging burnout is the first step to addressing the emotional and physical symptoms of burnout," said Elizabeth Malson, president and VP of marketing at the Amslee Institute. "When burnt out from work, it's important to regain balance and force some perspective. Focus first on the physical by getting plenty of sleep, exercising and eating healthy. Improve your mental state by taking time each morning to be grateful – for your health, family, home, etc. Instead of focusing on work 24/7, keep it to business hours, and retrain your mind to focus on relaxation and enjoyable activities each evening and weekend. Resolving burnout is a process. It took time to get burnt out, and it will take time to recover."

In addition to acknowledging that you have burnout, a good starting point for overcoming it is to reset your priorities. Reaching burnout often means you've been putting work above personal responsibilities or hobbies. Take the time to re-evaluate your priorities if you find yourself experiencing burnout.

"Make a list of all the things that are important in your life," Kalk said. "When we become consumed with work, we lose the big picture. List everything that means something to you: friends, family, community, health, relationships, hobbies, charities, etc. Once a week, pick one of these non-work-related items and spend the week being deliberate about giving it the attention it deserves. When you're at work, you're immersed in work, so give the same attention to spending time with friends, for example. Really be there with them; don't let yourself get distracted away from letting your friends' company restore you."

Recovering from burnout is a process. It requires increased commitment to taking care of yourself emotionally and physically. In most cases, it also requires you to find close supporters who will help you work through the process. It's easier to avoid or overcome burnout if you're surrounded by close friends and family who give you an outlet to discuss the problems and feelings you're experiencing in your career. 

"Launching a business is challenging, so when we first started Anytime Fitness, I burned out due to stress – making sure my team was happy and taken care of – but also from wearing too many hats," said Chuck Runyon, CEO and co-founder of Anytime Fitness. "In order to re-center, I focused my energy on two things: my team and our values. It's hard to quickly bounce back from burnout alone, so don't be afraid to ask for help."

It's possible to overcome burnout; it just takes time. Be willing to put in at least a few hours each week to restore your body and mind to the way they're supposed to feel. If you're unable to commit the time to yourself because of work requirements, it might be time to look for a new job.
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