Addressing Burnout to Maintain Productivity
It’s 11 am on a Tuesday morning. You know you have a list of tasks you need to complete. There’s a sense of urgency and even a hint of desire to complete the tasks. But your motivation level is shot. Instead, you find yourself relaxing on a couch, scrolling on your phone, and doing everything but the tasks you need to complete. Then you feel the wave of guilt and self-criticism. The thoughts of I'm so lazy or I’m a failure begin, and you enter another cycle of burnout that doesn’t seem to have any exits.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is not a loss of interest or desire to do well. It’s the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by repeated exposure to stress.
Though a cycle of burnout causes greater stress and exhaustion, the experience of burnout is normalized in our busy society. Sometimes, you may feel that burnout is a sign that you are doing enough rather than a sign that your fuel has run out.
But why do we think this way?
Burnout is related to productivity, and productivity is related to a perception of how effective you are in a given task. Unfortunately, productivity only emphasizes the outcome rather than the parts needed to maintain the outcome.
Burnout Narratives
In addition, burnout narratives influence our expectations of how we are supposed to be productive. Intergenerational and historical beliefs can shape the views you hold about being productive. For example, you might have learned from your parents that working without taking any breaks meant that you were being a hard worker dedicated to success. Or, you might have felt like you weren’t doing enough after your grandparents made another comment about how easy you have it compared to their younger days of hard work. You might also have the sibling or co-worker who seems to have an endless reservoir of energy to overachieve, and you feel that in comparison to them you’re failing.
You can also encounter these burnout narratives during daily routines. The commercial you see on t.v. about cooking 3-course meals with a new all-in-one oven when you’re trying to relax after a busy 8 hour work day makes you feel like you should be cooking more elaborate meals after work because… everyone must be doing it!
Myths About Addressing Burnout
Hence, one of the most important steps in addressing burnout is to understand why you’re addressing burnout.
Some of the myths and negative beliefs about burnout are:
You’re just lazy
You’re weak and need to just push through it
You don’t have time to rest
You aren’t being productive if you rest or practice self-care
It’s normal to feel burnt out
Actually, feeling burnt out is a sign that you need space to recharge and rest to maintain productivity. You’re able to manage your busy schedule because you have a balance between doing and resting.
Examples of Self-Care for Burnout
Addressing burnout doesn’t have to require a week long vacation (though helpful). Rather, it requires consistent, daily actions to promote self-care and rest.
Self-care in emotional, mental, and physical well-being can involve incorporating a few minutes a day in finding respite to stress.
Examples of daily activities to help promote self-care:
Scheduling a 15 minute break each day to stretch and walk around
Maintaining consistent sleep schedule with adequate hours of sleep
Engaging in hobbies and activities that are meaningful to you
Validating and normalizing the want to rest as a helpful, rather than critical, signal for well-being
Preparing and scheduling healthy snacks, meals, and water
Daily space for self-reflection and gratitude (i.e., journaling or bullet points) of thoughts and feelings
Mindfulness exercises that focus on relaxation of the body
Consistent reminder of your personal values that drive your choices and actions
As we engage with a busy world, it’s sometimes hard to avoid feelings of burnout when you work within systems that have varying expectations. There are times when you can’t control the amount of work upper management assigns you, or the unexpected change in schedule that causes you to pick up more tasks on your plate.
Yet, if you can remember that you have the choice to prioritize a few moments in your daily schedule to validate the need for rest and relief, you can create actions and plans that empower your self-agency in addressing burnout.
