Google certainly took the stage earlier this year being labeled the best company to work for in the U.S. by Fortune Magazine. But for small business owners, you might have noted the new workplace survey results from office supplies company, Staples.

A little phone call here, a quick e-mail there. It all adds up to small business owners spending more off-hours time, right back in the thick of it. The big box giant surveyed 300 small biz owners in December. Here are some of the stats, which show many are tending toward the integration of working and living on a whole new level -- one that might require a deeper perspective of how we go about our work day. I dare say a more contemplative approach, as there appear to be fewer boundaries between working and living.

The survey asked small biz owners if they check email, voice mail or made a cell-phone call for work reasons. There were the results, in the following scenarios.

• 47 % did so while with family
• 68 % did so on days off
• 51 % did so on holidays
• 66 % did so after hours.

This speaks volumes to the idea of the entrepreneurial spirit being alive and well, but it also says a lot about how we define success and measure our quality of life. If the work/life experience is becoming one and the same, how are we handling the pressure of such a trend? It’s a paradigm shift of sorts. But how do you know if you are trending toward burnout? I would suggest that as small business owners it might behoove us all to check-in with our inner core at the start of each day.

1. Step One. Do a contemplative speed-check at the start of your workday. How are you feeling emotionally about working today? How does your body feel? Is your breathing pattern normal or does it speed up as soon as you hit the computer? Identify the top three anxiety producers that have slowed you down lately.
2. Step Two. After you’ve monitored your position, clear your mind with your personal tools. You might use prayer, meditation, exercise or just silence.
3. Step Three. Set your intention. You don’t have to come up with some outrageous goal. Perhaps it’s just not answering the phone in the morning hours. Actively pursuing a solution to a specific problem or dealing with the client who just won’t go away.

I’d like to recommend the following site at the Mayo Clinic. This article efficiently outlines how to identify the beginnings of burnout and how to move in the direction of alleviating the problem.

Creating more balance in our lives must first begin with acknowledging that change is needed, and then knowing that you have the individual power, will and faith to shift the tide.

Read more from this blogger at The Chaos Monitor .