How do you avoid burn out?

[starstruck]

Job after job after job. Car after car after car. They all start to look the same. What do you do to keep from getting burned out?

[ajaybutler]

Basically I start to look for other ways to make the repair industry more exciting. I got some chip savers from Delta Kits. I got my company name and phone number on them and started to see how many more repairs I could generate off of them. This past Saturday alone I got 5 responses after about 4hrs. I also past them out to Cable salesmen who see a number of people on a daily bases and told them that I would give them a $5.00 finders fee of each person they sent. Money excites me, so if I'm making it I'm not burned out. I provides the oppotunity to get more Business and think more about expanding. Then I could just do papper work and referals, wouldn't that be awesome.

[GlassStarz]

A stop off at the Dollar Store every day you hit your personal quota might work. set yourself a ideal day total and reward yourself only when you hit it

[lordstanley13]

The only thing I am getting burnt out on are these gas prices!!!!!!!

Which makes me work even harder to make the money while its there!!!

[gt_repair]

starstuck

It looks like they missed the point of burned out....

I got burned out a couple years back to were I did not want to do much at all doing the same thing day in and out. I would joke around to the customers saying I was getting burned out to a point and they could see it even though I tryed not to show it. I even asked if I could break a windshield just for the heck of it instead of fixing it..... They thought that was funning...

I would just take a friday or monday off or both and only work a few days just enought to pay the bills. I guess that was my vacation for me.... Then jump back in head first again.

When I got into doing H/L's that got me out of the rut I was in and gave me something else to do instead of the same old thing fixing chips in my sleep.. To me the challenge was gone, and now doing H/L's I have a new challenge to do.

I will be loking for another chanenge soon.

I think that was what you were looking for in an answer.....

[screenman]

I have certainly been there and got the tee shirt and the first time was with my car sales business 22 years ago, for me I had to stop and start again with a total change of career. The samething happened to me with this business a couple of years ago which is why I switched over to doing more training just for a change. I also only work 4 days a week at most and I make sure I enjoy my time off. I know this has not told you how to cope but I think that is a personal thing as people handle things in different ways. A lot of the guys on here think they would like to be that busy but when you get there it is sometimes a different matter. One thing I learnt many years ago in business is that I set my living standards to my quietist months income, save a lot of stress that way and a nice lump of money left in the bank at the end of the year. Good luck mate and just chill.

[gt_repair]

The only reason I am still doing this line of work is because of the customers and them asking were they will go if and when I think of shutting down.

I now work half days if possable. I bought most all the toys I want and had my fun time when I was younger going to trap and sporting clay shoots and dart turnaments for 20 years knowing I was not going to be able to do it when I got older because of my joints from my wreck. I did not retirement early knowing I may not enjoy it later.... It is like eating your desert first to make sure you have room for it from a big meal...

I only work as hard as I need to now and try to put something away if I can...

No stress here. Bills are paid.

[WIN-1]

I made the mistake of reading somewhere most American guys can anticipate 4 seperate careers due to burnout, downsizing, industry changes, Big D,..
As I've mentioned before I found myself pushing 50 w/ no kids and sold my Diesel trucks to pursue an aviation career. Now here I am, flying Boxes 3 or 4 nights a week from CT to NJ and living in a old RV 'cause New England is insanely expensive ( or I'm just cheap).
To me, the key is try to enjoy people you meet as you go- it's not reaching your destination that counts- enjoying the trip is the main goal.
BTW, I do get an 'Attaboy' feeling when I after a job well done.
WSR paid a hell of a lot towards getting me trained!!

[zachb]

I play mp3s from my phone to my bluetooth headset. Also talking to customers and seeing how happy they are with the results compared to their previous ws repair experience.

[jayjacque]

The work itself doesn't seem to be what's getting to me, but the amount of driving. Accounts spread out over about a 250 mi. radius means lots of time on the road. 2 or 3 days a week leaving early, getting home late. But I gotta do it, so I do it. I listen to music on the road. That helps