I am completely overwhelmed by the double duty of running my daily operations while answering hundreds of due diligence questions. How do I prevent burnout and keep from making critical operational mistakes during this intense runway?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Running a business while preparing for an exit is exhausting. If you let yourself redline, you will make poor strategic decisions that can destroy your deal value. To survive this high-stress period, you must reclaim white space on your calendar by implementing Juliet Funt’s strategic pause.

A strategic pause is a brief, intentional cessation of activity designed to reboot your brain and body. It is not an administrative task; it is open, unscheduled time with no assignment. Use this time to step back from the chaos of due diligence and evaluate your operations objectively.

During these pauses, ask yourself the high-value questions recommended by Keith Cunningham: What is the most critical issue on our EOS Issues List today, and how might we resolve it so our operational performance does not slip?

By protecting your white space, you protect your decision-making capacity. Do not let due diligence consume your entire day. Trust your leadership team to run the weekly Level 10 Meetings and manage their respective Rocks. Your job is to stay healthy, focused, and objective so you can guide the company to a successful close.