Want to Avoid Feeling Burned Out at Work? Do These Nine Things

You want to love your life and have more. You’re a dedicated go-getter. And I believe you can have a kick-ass career and create a life that you love. You can be an awesome mom, have a fabulous relationship, and still pursue your heart’s desires. Yet, the consequence to all that push and hustle? Feeling burned out at work. And in every aspect of your life.

And trust me, darling: I get it. I know that creating a life and career you love demands dedication, hard work, and a deep inner drive to succeed. But I would be remiss as a coach if I didn’t didn’t remind you that sometimes there’s a fine line between rocking your life and burning out.

Burn out can be an unfortunate consequence of having a deep, inner drive.

I don’t tell you this to discourage you from striving. Or to convince you into scaling back your goals. Rather, I share this reminder because I’ve been there. More than once in my life. When I was working in the corporate world. And more than once as an entrepreneur. Frankly, I love the hustle SO hard. It makes me feel engaged and alive! I also know it’s a super fine line from feeling alive and excited about my work and being too exhausted to get it done.

And if you’re thinking, by the way, that doing work you love will insulate you from feeling burned out at work? And that quitting your “soul-sucking” job to pursue the “career of your dreams” is the answer?

Darling, that isn’t the solution to being burned out at work.

Once, I went six straight months of zero days off. Because, when I wasn’t actively engaged with clients? I was writing blog posts for work. And I was traveling to my next gig. And doing conference calls from the airport. I was at the top of my game. Doing work that I deeply loved. Yet waking up exhausted and worn down.

And that was back before social media and smart phones. I can’t imagine how burned out at work I would feel if my life were like that today.

What I’ve learned is that you can boldly pursue the kind of life you desire. And deserve. However, in order to do that, you need to tools in place that help you stay on track. And solid habits that allow you to balance the desire to succeed with having a nourishing life.

These nine strategies will help you avoid feeling burned out at work

One – Don’t Take Things Personally

Did a co-worker make an unnecessary swipe at you in a weekly meeting? Were you the only person not tagged in that networking photo on Instagram? It can be so easy to catalog every injustice or rude thing a colleague does. Or to get upset when the boss chooses someone else for that assignment you really wanted to take on to prove yourself. However, if you want to avoid feeling burned out at work, it’s imperative that you don’t take these things personally.

Two things to remind yourself. When someone is a jerk, it’s about THEM not you. Maybe they’re jealous. Or just not a nice person. And, if you focus on “poor you” and cataloging how you’ve “been done wrong”, then that’s going to constantly stir up negative emotions about work. And negativity is going to push you towards burn out and dissatisfaction.

Instead, keep focusing on how you can show up for yourself and your career. Be kind and professional towards everyone. And do the best work you’re capable of.

Two – Apply Logic Not Emotion and You’ll Avoid Feeling Burned Out at Work

When work is stressful, it’s so easy to begin falling down the rabbit hole of worse-case-scenarios. Or allowing your emotions and negative feelings to spiral out of control. Remind yourself that not only is it not personal, work is about work. So, step back from emotion. And apply logic towards any conflict, unreasonable demand, or conflicting priorities.

A good way to apply logic is to do a brain dump and write down every part of a challenge. Take a break and walk around the office or get a fresh cup of coffee. Then, come back to what you’ve written and separate fact from emotion. This allows you to discover a professional and non-emotional approach to problem solving. And doing this on the regular will insulate you from burning out.

Three- Taking Good Care of Yourself Always Helps

One of the challenges of approaching work at full-tilt-boogie is the propensity to eat what’s quick. Or live on coffee in the mornings to gear up and then wine at the end of the day to wind down. Oh, and in order to get everything done, I am sure you’ve skipped sleep. Or cancelled that long awaited massage appointment.

Though it may feel like too much “work” when you’re so busy, it’s important to take care of yourself. If you’re feeling burned out at work, it could be a sign that you need to take a step back and evaluate your day to day.

• • Are you turning to fast food for multiple meals a week? Then you probably need to do some meal planning and meal prep.
  • Are you sacrificing sleep to work? Or scrolling through social media as a way to wind down and then not going to bed at a decent hour? Then perhaps you need to set a timer for bedtime.
  • Can you even remember the last time you got some exercise? Then it’s time to work some sort of exercise in your day whether it’s stretching or yoga in the morning. A walk during your lunch break. Or a gym session right after work.

Four – Good Boundaries will Help You Avoid Feeling Burned Out at Work

Does every bit of your life revolve around work? Are you afraid you’ll fall too far behind if you don’t check your email? Do you check your email in the evenings, over the weekends, or while on vacation? Then you, my dear, have poor boundaries.

Yes, I know devotion is important. And, yes, I know how the thought of returning to dozens of emails the next day can feel overwhelming. I get it. As a (kind of reformed) workaholic, I know how compelling it is to stay on top of things. But you need better work/life boundaries if you’re feeling burned out at work.

Boundaries keep us healthy and happy. And speaking of boundaries, you need to take time off. This includes actually taking vacation days. And actually unplugging over the weekend.

Five – Take Time to Reflect and Be Mindful

Though you may not feel like you have time in your day to reflect? Doing so allows you to take a step back from the craziness and slip into mindfulness.

While you may think that your time would be better spent tackling one more thing on your to do list, science is behind checking in with yourself. Researchers discovered that the employees who chose to spend a quick fifteen minutes reflecting at the end of the day? They performed 23% better after ten days than their co-workers who didn’t take time to engage in this mindful activity.

Six – Setting Goals Helps Insulate You from Feeling Burned Out at Work

When you visualize your future in the form of written goals, you literally re-wire your brain and memory. So, be sure you set some work and career goals. Doing so will help insulate you from burn out. Want to know why?

Well, when you imagine how you feel when those goals are achieved, your brain actually experiences those emotions. That feel-good emotional state will help you power through, even when the days are tough.

Seven – Say No and Yes from a Place of Power

I’m sure you know that you need to say NO in order to move towards what’s really important. But when you are at work, it’s so easy to simply say “Yes” to everything. But if you are feeling overwhelmed at work, this is the time to say “no”. And perhaps have a long conversation with your boss about your workload.

And perhaps the reason you are feeling burned out at work is that you’ve grown tired of the same thing day after day. This is a good time to say “yes” to new things. If you feel your talents are being wasted. Or if you find yourself looking for more today, it may be time to step up. Though it sounds counterintuitive, being bored can cause you to feel burned out, too!

Eight – Declutter Your Office to Keep from Feeling Burned Out at Work

Does your office make you cringe every time you walk in the door? Are there files piled up on your desk? Do co-workers cubicles seem like an office supply store met a big box store and had lots of little (messy) office supply babies? Does the kitchen at work feel like a bunch of toddlers live there and “mom” hasn’t been in to clean up?

Your environment matters. Of course you will feel stressed if your environment is a mess. So, if you’re feeling burned out, spend some time tidying up your work space. Create a system for getting things filed. Ensure everything has a space. Make a goal of clearing off your desk at the end of the day.  A tidy space creates a tidy mind. And a tidy space can be soothing to stress.

Nine – Don’t Revolve Your Social Life Around Work

A long time ago, my mentor told me that it’s great to have work friends, but not to seek a best friend in the office. Though this can sound harsh, it bears repeating.  I’m not saying that you can’t be kind and friendly. But if all of your friends are people you work with, then it’s easy to feel burned out at work if you are always with the same folks after hours.

This is especially important to remember if your overall office is undergoing changes or stress. Because then, the tendency of all gatherings is to complain together which will make you feel even more burned out!

Of course, I’ve made some great friends at work in my lifetime. But my number one takeaway from that advice so many years ago was to ensure I have a social life outside of work.

Being devoted to your goals doesn’t have to mean hustling until you’re burnt to a crisp.

When you empower yourself with solid tools that support your career while enabling you to still have a nourishing life? You can avoid feeling burned out at work. And life. You’ll discover that you can be even more productive when you insulate yourself from burn out.

You can crush those career goals and still pursue that more. You deserve more than being a statistic. By ensuring you don’t allow yourself to be burned out at work, you set yourself up for amazing success.

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Looking to read more practical tips for being more productive (and focused) when working at home? Click here!