3 Tips For Avoiding Burnout
If you’re exhausted, losing focus and motivation, depleted of energy, and feeling negative or helpless, you may be on the road to burnout.
What is burnout?
According to Psychology Today, burnout is “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships.”
With the added stress of Covid and working from home, many professional women are feeling more burnt out than ever. The lack of boundaries between personal and professional time has only exacerbated the issue of burnout. Many of my life coaching clients have expressed that they feel lost, are depleted of energy (physically, mentally, and emotionally), and don’t know how to dig themselves out of this hole of burnout.
3 Tips For Avoiding Burnout:
Get away from your desk and take breaks throughout the day. It’s easy to end up eating lunch while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, especially if you work from home. Make an intentional decision to never eat a meal at your desk or in front of your computer screen. Even if it's for 20 minutes, a change of scenery is a quick way to automatically clear brain fog. If you can make your lunch break outside in the sunshine, that’s even better. Take this time to refresh your attention and reinvigorate your mind for the remainder of your day.
Robin Sharma, a top leadership expert and author, suggests using the 60/10 Method for optimal productivity, while preventing burnout. Sharma suggests taking a 60-minute “productivity sprint” to concentrate and create the highest results you can possibly make. Then, refuel for 10 minutes. Set a timer for 60 minutes (get off of social media and silence your phone!) focused on the project that matters most. At the end of the 60 minutes, full rest and recover.
Delegate or outsource tasks that are a poor use of your time and energy. Spending excess time on tasks and projects that aren’t in your “zone of genius” is a surefire way to cause burnout. Fortunately, this can be prevented by delegating or outsourcing these tasks to other people. Whether it’s delegating work tasks to someone more junior, or outsourcing personal tasks, such as your grocery delivery or lawn care, don’t spend valuable time and energy working on tasks or projects that are a poor use of your time and energy.
How to put this into practice: I encourage my life coaching clients to make a list of ALL tasks for the week, both personal and professional. Then, put a star by the tasks that you, AND ONLY YOU, can do. Everything else should be delegated or outsourced.
Early recognition of burnout signs. What are your “cues” that burnout is about to occur? Is it trouble getting up in the morning? Irritability? Binge-eating or drinking? Become aware of your burnout “triggers” that alert you that burnout is on the horizon, and be proactive about getting back on track. When you first notice these signs, that is the time to take a step back, rest, and take part in activities that will help you regain your energy, rather than deplete it.
If you are deep in a cycle of burnout, consider life coaching with Shattered Glass Coaching to get you out of your funk. Life Coaching empowers you to gain confidence, improve your leadership skills, and take bold action to get what you really want out of your career and your life– while avoiding burnout along the way.
If you’ve never worked with a Life Coach before, it might be the jumpstart you need to get out of your funk and reach your full potential in life.
