- Burnout: In a survey done by Accountemps of 2,800 senior managers, 96% said they are feeling some degree of burnout. A fifth of respondents to the 2019 survey identified their team’s burnout level at eight or higher out of ten!
- A state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.
- It is not simply from working long hours, but the stress you may experience because:
- You don’t feel in control of how your job is carried out
- You are asked to do tasks that conflict with your values or sense of self
- You work towards goals that don’t resonate with you
- You lack support, maybe both at home and the office
- Your responsibilities don’t match your true calling
- You don’t take breaks during your day, coffee, lunch or even bathroom
- You don’t take vacations
- You find your life is more and more focused on your work, and you don’t feel as effective or on top of things as you once did
- You may be making small, or even large mistakes
- Symptoms: cynicism, depression, and lethargy. You may treat customers or co-workers poorly.
- If you just don’t feel quite ready to face your day – most days, or you feel achievement has become impossible, that is likely burnout coming your way.
- Use the “Is it the exception, or is it the rule” heuristic. Sometimes it becomes the rule that we feel this way, and we have adjusted gradually to it over time.
- When we step back and assess it – wow – powerful punch to the gut. But also, that can be the good news, because awareness can bring action.
- What to do if you fear burnout is coming?
- Take a retreat break, and reflect on where you are, how you got there, and most important – where do you want to be and how do you get there?
- Definitely implement the steps to gain control of your time listed in my Time Management – Create More free offer . This will go a LONG way to letting you feel you are back in the drivers seat and can give you a sense of purpose. You will feel you have an impact on others and your life, and that you are important.
- Assess and realign your priorities, set clear and reasonable boundaries.
- Communicate to your boss about problems that they can solve or change, such as work place bullying, an unreasonable workload, or poor rewards.
- Don’t try to cope alone, and don’t ignore the symptoms. Take your life seriously and restore the harmony and balance you really want. You deserve to have the rewards exceed the effort you put into your job!