Episode Overview

Title: The REAL Reason You're Burned Out In Your Business
Host: Chris Lee
Date: November 21, 2025

In this episode of Next Level Pros, Chris Lee tackles the topic of burnout in business, challenging the common misconception that burnout is a result of simply doing “too much.” Instead, he reveals that most entrepreneurs are burned out because they’re doing the wrong work—tasks that drain energy and provide little value. Chris introduces listeners to the "Impact Quadrant," a framework designed to help business owners reclaim their time, increase productivity, and refocus on high-impact leadership tasks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Burnout Is About the Wrong Work, Not Too Much Work

• Chris Lee starts with a bold insight:

  "You're not burned out because you're doing too much. You're burned out because you're doing the wrong work." (00:01)

• He emphasizes that most business owners are stuck in unproductive routines not because of overwork, but because their energy and effort are misdirected.

2. Understanding the Two Drivers: Energy & Value

• Chris introduces two critical metrics for evaluating work:
  • Energy: How the task makes you feel—energized or drained.
  • Value: The financial worth of the task.
• Quote:

  "Here's a simple rule. What gives you energy moves you forward. What drains you keeps you stuck." (01:00)

• He provides a calculation to determine your “value-per-hour,” advocating for owners to only spend time on work that exceeds a certain threshold of their earning potential.

3. Calculating Your Hourly Value

• Chris walks listeners through a simple formula:
  • Annual income ÷ 2,000 = Hourly Rate
  • Anything less than 25% of this rate is considered low-value work.
• Notable moment:

  "If you made $100,000, that means you made $50 an hour. If you made $200,000, that means you made $100 per hour... Anything below $25 is low value for you." (02:20)

• He challenges owners who spend their high-value time performing low-value tasks.

4. The Four Impact Quadrants

Chris breaks down all business tasks into four critical quadrants based on energy and value:

- Quadrant 1: Low Energy, Low Value - "The Trap"

• Tasks: Emails, paperwork, scheduling, inventory
• These are draining and can be outsourced for a fraction of your rate.
• Quote:

  "If you stay right here, you're always going to fall behind." (03:30)

- Quadrant 2: High Energy, Low Value - "Personal Fuel"

• Tasks: Time with family, hobbies, relaxing, organizing
• Replenishes energy, but doesn’t directly grow the business.
• Quote:

  "Don't eliminate these. Just recognize they're not your business growth activities." (04:00)

- Quadrant 3: Low Energy, High Value - "The Sneaky One"

• Tasks: High-value, high-skill work you’re good at but dislike—e.g., sales, technical expert roles
• Should be delegated once possible.
• Quote:

  "That's not leadership, that's survival." (05:00)

- Quadrant 4: High Energy, High Value - "Zone of Genius"

• Tasks: Strategy, relationship building, revenue-driving, leading
• Where you, the owner, should aspire to spend most of your time.
• Quote:

  "You don't scale by working harder. You scale by buying back more of your time and spending more hours in this quadrant four." (05:30)

5. Actionable Challenge: Identifying Your Quadrants

• Chris prompts listeners to conduct a real audit:

  • List all activities from the last 48 hours.
  • Label each as high/low energy and high/low value.
  • This gives immediate clarity on where owners are leaking time and energy.

• Preview of Next Steps:
  In the upcoming episode, Chris will show how to track every 30 minutes of your day for a week to further refine your focus and identify top candidates for delegation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You're literally paying yourself less to work harder. That's how most business owners trap themselves." — Chris Lee (02:50)
• "Most owners live in quadrant one, doing all the cheap, draining work. And they brag about quadrant three... That's not leadership, that's survival." — Chris Lee (05:10)
• "Building relationships, setting strategy, driving revenue, leading people. This is the work that makes you an owner, not an operator." — Chris Lee (05:35)
• "So here's your challenge. I need you to make a list of everything that you did in the last 48 hours... You're going to instantly see where you're leaking time and energy." — Chris Lee (06:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Challenging the myth of "doing too much" | | 01:00 | Defining "Energy" and "Value" | | 02:20 | Calculating your hourly value | | 03:30 | Quadrant 1: Low Energy/Low Value explained | | 04:00 | Quadrant 2: High Energy/Low Value explained | | 05:00 | Quadrant 3: Low Energy/High Value explained | | 05:30 | Quadrant 4: High Energy/High Value explained | | 06:10 | Action step: Auditing your last 48 hours |

Summary Takeaways

Chris Lee reframes burnout as a problem of misaligned work, not overwork, and provides listeners with a clear, actionable framework—the Impact Quadrant—to identify and reduce energy-draining, low-value activities. His advice is direct: audit where you spend your time, buy back your own time by delegating the right tasks, and invest your best hours in your “zone of genius.” This episode is a practical blueprint for any business owner feeling overwhelmed or stuck in their growth.