Whether your consulting firm is drowning in projects or starved for engagements at the moment, you and your team are working hard. Possibly too hard. And that means burnout could be looming.
Burnout is a real issue for consulting firm leaders. In the past two weeks I’ve talked to three different consulting firm Managing Partners, all of whom unexpectedly had to take a month or more off from their business because they had hit a wall.
Whether you’re the founder of your firm or you have taken it over from an earlier generation, as the head of a consulting firm you’re entrepreneurial, ambitious and highly engaged in your work.
That can easily slip into 24/7/365, always-on, workaholism.
How do you establish enough distance to protect against burnout?
3.5 Tips to Preserve Sanity as a Consulting Firm Leader
No-Work Zones
If you run your consulting firm exclusively from an office, leave work at the office.
Your work is engrossing and it’s hard to mentally unplug at the end of the day. Nevertheless, your family, friends, pets and hobbies deserve your attention when you’re at home.
You probably will bring work home sometimes, and you may want to share about your work problems with your significant other. If that’s the case, ensure you have explicit no-work zones in your house.
Similarly, for those of us who occupy home offices a few days per week or all the time, clearly demarcate work zones and no-work zones.
This is particularly important if you live with someone who participates in your consulting business—a very common occurrence in firms under $10M.
If your entire house is a work zone, you’ll start to feel like you can’t escape your consulting firm.
At my house (where my wife and I each have an office), we have a number of spaces where work talk is strictly verboten.
Inviolable, Weekly Day Off
Set at least one day (24 hours) to be a no-work day and abide by that rule religiously.
Even if you’re not religious.
That means no exceptions ever.
You’re a consultant, not a physician. No one is going to lose their life or livelihood if you set your consulting firm aside for a day.
You run a small consulting firm. That means you get to set the rules!
Your weekly furlough doesn’t have to be Saturday or Sunday (though those are easiest because clients tend to be off on those days too).
Consistency makes this technique work.
Of course, let your clients know about your no-work day.
For example, I close my office at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and don’t reopen until late on Saturday at the earliest.
I have never broken that rule. Not even once.
Has it cost the firm some speaking engagements at conferences that run over weekends?
Probably, but that obviously hasn’t held my firm’s growth back.
Non-Cancellable Vacations
Schedule your vacations well in advance and book non-refundable tickets early.
Sure, it’s easy to tack a day (or five) onto a client trip and call that a vacation.
And as long as you treat vacation days the same as your weekly no-work days, those extended client trips are great.
You’ll achieve even better downtime, though, if you book your vacation time 3-6 months in advance and commit yourself by plunking down your cash for your flights, hotels, cruise, safari or arctic expedition.
Clients respect vacations as long as they have substantial warning.
Your clients’ business isn’t going to disappear while you’re gone.
That’s why you’ve built a competent team.
(Pro-tip: committing to substantial vacation forces you to build a competent team.)
If you’ve followed my articles for any period of time, you probably already noticed I take at least two month-long vacations each year. I spend zero hours doing work during those vacations.
Could you take month-long vacations and still effectively lead your consulting firm?
Absolutely!
Mindlessness
This is either half a tip or the master tip that rules them all.
Train yourself to set your business aside when you’re not “doing” work.
It’s not enough to curtail work discussions and email.
You have to actually stop thinking about work.
Those of you who have practiced mindfulness meditation will recognize this.
Only, as consultants our minds are always full, so mindlessness seems like a better idea.
During a no-work day or a vacation when you notice yourself thinking about your consulting business:
- Recognize you’re thinking about work,
- Remember you’re in a no-work period,
- Remove the work thoughts, and
- Refocus your attention on something not work-related.
Initially, that process may grant only a three-second reprieve, and you may have to repeat it 100 times in a single day.
With practice you’ll find that you’re able to douse the work fire faster, easier and for longer.
Those are only a few tips for establishing some separation that will protect you from burnout (and generally improve your quality of life).
What has worked well for you?
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
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