Work burnout can be caused by various factors, such as stretched bandwidth, the feeling of being unappreciated, a lack of control, and being a part of a toxic work environment. Not only do you start to feel perpetually exhausted and overwhelmed, both at the office and in your personal life, but you will also see the actual work you are producing to be lower quality due to lack of motivation. The longer you continue on this path, the greater you will see these negative side effects set in, likely making you more miserable at your job than even the days before. If this is all sounding far too familiar, here are a few tactics to help…
Set a Schedule
As much as we want to impress our colleagues and clients, it is important to maintain a balanced schedule. Every morning, lay out the tasks you have to complete that day, leaving ample time slots for meetings. Once you have a realistic overview, determine the time (within reason) you need to finish the work day and stick to it – Emails will be there in the morning. This provides you with a full day of work and to-do’s, while allowing you sufficient personal time at night. While this may not remain consistent every day, it is a great routine to develop to ensure you are maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Find What Interests You
A common factor of workplace burnout is doing a job that you do not enjoy. While many of us want to stick it out and show resilience, there comes a time when you need to voice this concern and work with your supervisor to find projects that interest you. Approach the conversation by presenting responsibilities that better align with your strengths, showing how you can be an asset in this area of expertise. Looking forward to work every day is an obvious motivating factor in creating great results. However, if it’s not possible to change the work you are doing, and you dread work each day, it may be time to consider a new role.
Get Some Sleep
Deep restorative sleep is key to helping you feel and function at your best. In an article on Harvard Business Review they write, “Lack of sleep leads to detriments in job performance, productivity, career progression and satisfaction, and an increase in job-related accidents, absenteeism, and counterproductive work behaviors. Conversely, better sleep has been linked to improved memory, knowledge acquisition, and learning. Even short naps have been found to have significant positive effects on work performance.”
Relax
Vacation, or Personal Time Off, days are allotted to employees for a reason so don’t waste them. While taking a 3-week long trip may not be feasible, taking a long weekend to recharge may be the ticket you need to feeling better. You’ll likely find that when you return to work, you’ll have more energy, be more motivated, happier, and feel recharged. With the holidays coming up, now is the time to think about taking some days off here and there to be with friends and family.