According to a 2023 report by Indeed, 52% of workers said they felt burnt out. Among the self-employed and those working from home, that figure jumps to 67%.
Research from Stanford University also found that productivity drops significantly after 50 hours a week. Once you hit 55, it gets worse. In fact, someone working 70 hours a week gets roughly the same amount done as someone working 55. That extra time isn’t moving your business forward, it’s simply wearing you down.
This can show up in all sorts of ways. You second-guess your marketing. You lose focus halfway through your follow-up list. You hesitate on decisions you’d usually make without thinking. It’s not because you’re not capable, it’s because your brain is too busy trying to keep up with your lifestyle.
Even short breaks, ten minutes here and there, have been shown to improve focus by as much as 50%. But when you’re managing your own diary, breaks are often the first thing to go. It’s one of the reasons burnout creeps up fastest on self-employed agents. There’s no built-in structure, no one to tap you on the shoulder and tell you to take five. It’s just you, your to-do list, and the pressure to keep the wheels turning.
That pressure also affects your sleep, and poor sleep has an even bigger knock-on effect. Studies show it slows your thinking by 40%, drops your productivity by 11%, and increases your risk of burnout by 23%. It becomes a loop: the more exhausted you are, the less effective you become, which makes you feel behind, which makes you work longer hours, which makes you even more exhausted.
And then there’s loneliness, something that is seldom spoken about, but 60% of self-employed workers say they feel isolated. When things are going well, that independence can feel brilliant. But when you’re struggling to stay motivated, or don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off, it can make everything feel heavier than it should.
So what’s the answer? It’s not about scaling back your ambition or switching off completely. It’s about creating enough space in your week to actually think. Putting structure in place so you’re not running on adrenaline alone. Getting support when you need it. Delegating what you can. And recognising that if your energy is low, your performance will be too, no matter how many hours you’re putting in.
The best agents I work with aren’t the ones who work the longest hours. They’re the ones who protect their time, their energy, and their attention. They build in recovery. They treat rest like a strategy. And they run businesses that serve them, not the other way around.
If you’ve been running on empty lately, you’re not broken. You might just be burnt out. And the sooner you recognise that, the sooner you can do something about it.
Because the agents who take care of themselves properly? They’re not just healthier. They’re usually far more profitable too. Remember, the strongest USP in your business will always be you, so start treating yourself like it.
Chris Webb is the founder of The Estate Agent Consultancy
