Burnout - How do you break the cycle?
Sometimes we are all guilty of saying yes, yes, yes to new tasks or workload.
You might have a new role and are keen to make the right first impression, or perhaps you are aiming for promotion and want to demonstrate a “can do” attitude to things?
It's easy to let your drive and ambition do the talking and before you know it,
you're doing extra hours
you’re struggling to cope with your work/life balance
you’re failing to make progress on your work or personal goals
your sleep pattern becomes disturbed because that next deadline is coming or even overdue
At this stage, you are unfortunately experiencing burnout and if you do not take action to change your circumstances, it can really impact your health and wellbeing.
I myself have fallen victim to this in my career, and to be honest, retrospectively I am grateful for the experience as it has helped me to really recognise my boundaries and non-negotiables which makes my work-life balance optimised in my favour.
There are some simple steps you can take which will help you to take a step back and restore some balance.
List all of the projects and tasks that you're working on.
The starting point to understand the depth of the problem is to map out all of the things that you are tasked with completing and the deadlines for each of those tasks, both within your work and personal life. This can help you to start thinking about your priorities and will enable you to focus on what is achievable and prioritise. For each of those tasks, categorise them as follows.
This task benefits me and my career/personal development
This task is something that brings me joy
This task is something I do better than others, therefore I'd be better doing it myself
This task is something that I am not capable of and does not benefit my career/personal development
Once these tasks are categorised, the next steps become simpler to take forward.
Consider which tasks can be given away to someone else or are less of a priority so can therefore be removed or reconsidered.
Categories 3 & 4 are prime examples of tasks that you should consider removing from your list. For category 3, just because you're an expert in these things doesn't mean it should always default to you. Look at how you can train others to your level of competency and give them the opportunity to take this on, or consider how technology/AI can speed up the process further for you. This gives you more time to focus on Category 1 and 2 tasks that are in your interest to complete. For Category 4, the time and investment to do this is frankly not worth it when you're going through burnout. Seek ways to remove these from your list so that you can focus on what benefits you most.
Change your perspective on your to do list.
Consider your deadlines and determine if they are self-imposed or not. For example, during my burnout journey, I had a list of DIY and life admin I’d said I would do “after the wedding” which 3 months later were not getting addressed. Each week would pass and I'd feel nothing but guilt or shame that I'd neglected these tasks. When I changed my rhetoric from “I need to” to “I would like to” for tasks that had a self-imposed deadline, the pressure faded away and when the “need to” tasks were done, the “would like to” tasks came naturally when I wanted to do them. You would also benefit from considering the most efficient ways to do these tasks to reduce the time commitment whilst you are experiencing burnout. For example,
I need to buy a gift for my mum's birthday. This task has a deadline so needs to be done by a date. Could you also consider a simpler but more thoughtful gift? For example, a gift card from her favourite store Vs a painted portrait of the family you would spend 3 months working on?
I would like to paint my home office. This task may benefit you, but it is not critical or time dependent. When the moment feels right, you will do it, so why have regrets that you didn't do it last weekend? Could you also hire a decorator and simply choose your favourite colours and have it done for you?
Speak to someone for help and support.
As difficult as it can be to admit that you need help, it is an essential step to breaking the burnout cycle. Having an open conversation with your line manager about your workload and how it's making you feel can help them to come up with a plan and make sure that you're supported. Seeking the support of someone who is independent of the situation can also help provide fresh perspective and help you to think of creative ways to address the circumstances that have led to your burnout scenario.
If the above steps haven't given you the pathway out of burnout, recognise that it might be time to take a break. When I was experiencing burnout, I'd gotten to the point where I woke up and felt I simply could not see a way to break the cycle, so I decided I had to step away from work completely. On reflection, it was the most pivotal 3 weeks of my career as it enabled me to stop the work noise and reflect on what brings me joy and what boundaries I need to have in place to enable me to restore my work life balance. It was very hard to make that decision, but the support I received and the version of myself that returned to work was stronger than ever before. and if the people you work for see it as a negative career step, it's a clear sign you're working for the wrong type of organisation.
For more advice on how to support with burnout, or if you'd like help with your specific circumstances, please get in touch.
P.S. Tim Ferriss’ book, “The 4-Hour Work Week” is a game changer when it comes to optimising your time and workload. I couldn't recommend this enough for people experiencing burnout.
