Burnout syndrome is a consequence of a busy working rhythm, a big problem for a modern person. Stress, anxiety, fatigue, apathy — all these are symptoms of burnout at work. More than half of the people are in such an emotional state, and every third employee has experience of being in it. Representatives of socioeconomic professions are most likely to burn out.
Oftentimes, there are situations when an employee receives a new task or the work of his colleague without any preliminary explanation and preparation for the fulfillment of these obligations. In pursuit of a higher position, higher incomes, and for fear of disappointing the bosses, a person does not dare to abandon the extra load.
Work on 8-10, and sometimes 12-14 hours, does not increase employee efficiency. In my practice, I met different types of people: some slept for 5 hours and worked for 12, others slept for 8 hours and worked for 6. What do you think, who was more effective? I can say with confidence that effectiveness is not related to the number of hours you work. It is directly related to how you work.
On the way home, you continue to check mail and instant messengers, and at home — make plans for the next day, reproduce in your head options for meetings, tasks, and possible solutions. And in the morning — back to battle. All this does not make you highly efficient, but, on the contrary, leads to burnout.
Here is the list of valuable tips that help employees to adjust their working day and avoid burnout.
Set Right Priorities
So that work does not interfere with personal life and vice versa, the first thing you need to determine what matters to you. Be honest with yourself: everyone’s goals and priorities are different, so you should not focus on the expectations of parents or others. Try to build your schedule in accordance with what is crucial for you. Employers are often ready to make concessions to employees, and the main thing is not to be afraid of an honest and open conversation.
Stop Checking Your Phone/Messages
Smartphones allow us to be in touch 24/7. If in the case of friends and relatives it pleases, in the case of work it only interferes: we continue to solve business problems, even when we left the office. Email and instant messengers can be inconvenient: checking correspondence with friends, we unwillingly read other messages. Unlike other forms of communication, such as a traditional telephone call, there are no clear boundaries. In essence, a working email can arrive both at seven in the morning and one in the morning. Therefore, you must set these boundaries for yourself.
For example, you can turn off notifications in the mail or the messenger, or turn on night mode on your smartphone after a certain hour. On weekends, you can set up an automatic reply so that the interlocutors know when to expect news from you. Of course, there are exceptions and urgent situations when it is impossible not to answer, but they should not turn into a rule. Otherwise, you will not notice how you burn out.
Try to be More Productive
The time when trade unions fought to reduce the length of the working day is long gone. Now we are witnessing the opposite trend: regular processing is becoming the norm, and many people take work on the weekend for granted – although scientists believe that it is harmful to health. We often think that if we sit a little longer, then we will succeed – but this is self-deception: the longer we work, the more our productivity decreases. Moreover, having finished one thing, you can always take on the next – and so on ad infinitum.
The rough phrase “You need to work not eight hours, but your head” fits here perfectly: in order not to get bogged down in routine and business, you need to be able to prioritize (not all tasks are equally important – although it often seems to us like that) and highlight a strictly defined time to complete each task. Here, the advice is not useful to scatter on trifles: do not try to do several things at once and do not be distracted by email and instant messengers. In essence, you will be surprised how much time it takes the habit of checking messages every ten minutes.
Do not blame yourself
Many experts underline the fact how perfectionism hurts self-development. Over the years, we have more and more additional tasks and responsibilities, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to do them perfectly – and is it necessary? It is sometimes useful to let go of the situation and be prepared for the fact that you have to sacrifice something. If you don’t have the strength to cook a complicated dinner after work, you should not reproach yourself, which is limited to pizza: this will protect you from burning out. Both in workers and personal affairs, one does not need to strive to do everything perfectly – it is enough to try hard to fulfill one’s duties.
Delegate Your Tasks
Often we strive to do as much as we can on our own because we think that we can better control the process – but this is not the most productive approach. First of all, concentrate on what only you can do, and try to delegate part to others – be it small tasks that will allow you to finish your work earlier, or housework for which you do not have enough strength. Many specialists advise agreeing on the division of responsibilities with key players in different areas of your life – colleagues, partners, relatives. Such situations can help others learn something new, and you will be relieved a bit so that you can do other things.
Conclusion
Burnout. This is how the end of the world feels like. But we have good news: small changes can go a long way.
To fight the burnout, firstly, you need to prioritize your tasks. Jack of all trades, master of none. Once you focus on a certain objective and put all the energy to get the job done, the feeling of satisfaction afterward will leave no trace of a burnout. Secondly, find a balance between your work and private life. Turning off email notifications while you are at home really works. Let your brain some time to process the information and refresh it by doing another kind of activity.
Remember, there is a time for taking actions, making decisions, and going for it. And there is the time for staying still, getting quiet, and feeling it out. To deal with burnout, do not resist one or the other.
