Mental tiredness can happen to all types in all levels of business.

Ever felt really tired when you wake in the morning after going to bed at a reasonable hour and having a fair night’s sleep without waking too often.

It can happen occasionally and might be reflective of something that’s been on the mind during that day, an exceptional event that may have occurred or is about to occur, an active dream, or another one off phenomena that might impact on us during the sleeping hours.  Waking to the occasional morning of tiredness or a total lack of enthusiasm might not be considered abnormal, yet if the feeling is there every morning there may be a need to understand why.

A while ago I made a routine visit to a client business on a Monday morning and met with the business owner who wasn’t quite as chatty as our previous meetings. The owner mentioned that he had been feeling really tired in the mornings even after a ‘good’ sleep. The owner had been working in the business 6 days a week constantly for a couple of years and often spent the seventh day on administration work. The business was profitable yet it wasn’t quite where the owner wanted to see it financially. The conversation wasn’t as fluent as normal and the owner mentioned that his mind felt very clouded, with very little clarity regarding his workload for the day.

After our conversation, the business owner decided to take the rest of the week off. He slept during the day as well as at night and didn’t interact with the business at all for the entire week. On his return to work, his clarity had returned yet he felt a bit shell shocked with the realisation of how acute his mental tiredness had become, acknowledging that if he hadn’t taken time away from the business he could have been heading for a case of mental burn-out.

Business owners and leaders often get caught in the daily elements of the business such as attempting to maintain a good level of profitability, possibly working long hours due to staff shortages, or attempting to manage overhead costs through performing more than one role. Such demands can wear on the minds of those in charge of the business, even away from work and sometimes during sleep. Feeling really tired when waking in the mornings can be a sign of mental tiredness and an indication that something needs to happen to rectify the situation.   

Taking some time away from the business can make a significant difference to the mental state of those experiencing mental tiredness, also reducing the possibility of reaching mental burn-out.

A few common methods of managing mental tiredness

• Have a break from the business entirely for as long as it takes to refresh the mind. Depending on the level of mental tiredness, many find that 1 to 3 weeks away from the business significantly helps reduce mental tiredness.
• Contracting a caretaker manager to ensure the operations continue ticking over whilst the business owner or leader are away. The caretaker manager is a contracted person bought in to facilitate the management of the position and is simply a maintenance position whilst the key individual is away for an extended period of time.
• The owner may want the close the business for a period of time. This option will work for some businesses, yet it may cause complications for others with staff and supply chain commitments.

A caretaker manager will ensure stability of the operational environment throughout the absence of the owner / manager, maintaining some operating normality, taking the stress and worry off the absent person and allowing them to focus on the reasons for their absence. There is nothing worse than being away from work, trying to do or things or simply relax, whilst spending every minute wondering if the company is functioning ok. 

For further information on caretaker management and whether the caretaker manager option might fit your business, please email me.