A sure sign of overtraining is that you stop looking forward to your workouts. You’re no longer interested in running, walking, swimming, cycling, or whatever your preferred sport is. Despite what could be years of enthusiastic participation, the thought of the next session feels more like a drudgery than a joy. And this can create turmoil inside, because while the spirit feels obligated, the body can’t be bothered.
The same thing can happen at work. Just like the athlete whose endorphins cause him or her to do too much, so, too, can you and/or your team overdo it by taking on more than you should.
This usually happens incrementally. At first you’re given a small project; then a couple of small projects; then a medium or large one; and as time goes along you find yourselves working on more and more tasks, some of them simultaneously. The result is that you set yourself up for burnout. You get to where you want to keep on doing more and more, but you find instead that your heart isn’t in it anymore.
High achievers are especially prone to this. The problem comes from the fact that they find it’s much easier to say “yes” than “no.”
You’ve probably met people like this. And the problem is that when you say “yes” all the time, you eventually reach a point where diminishing returns are the least of your concerns. That’s because doing too much for too long leads to burnout, and when it occurs, it affects the quality of your work. Your team stops functioning as it should; individual needs and interests take over; and pressure from home negatively impacts your commitment.
Of course, things should never get so bad that any of this happens.
How can you prevent it? How can you and your team avoid burning yourselves out, stay motivated and remain productive?
With 8 action-oriented tips, you can avoid burnout:
There are several things. Anyone of them will point you in the right direction, but collectively they are likely to keep you motivated, preserve your relationships, and help you to become healthy and stay that way.
- Remind yourself of your purpose. When you’re all wrapped up in saying “yes” to everything, it’s easy to drift off course. You start to do things because you can, rather than because you should.
- Review your goals periodically. When you lose sight of your purpose, your goals change. They tend to contribute to a different purpose, rather than the one you started with. What’s makes this so deceptive is that your new activities can be perfectly legitimate, but irrelevant. There’s an added bonus, too, and that is that focusing on the right goals helps you to identify your priorities.
- Delegate. Delegation is not about giving up power, though that’s the opinion of many people. Holding onto a lot of responsibilities rather than sharing them among capable people will lead you to burnout on an eight-lane highway. You’ll get there a lot quicker.
- Focus on what you can do at work. Most people worry about their limitations, and that makes them feel negative about their jobs especially when things go wrong. If, instead, you and your team think about what you can do, then you’ll find that you’re able to do more; and the achievement you experience will motivate you. It will affect your outlook on life, too. You’ll feel more positive about other things; not just work.
- Take time to socialize with your family and friends. Your family must come first. It’s easy to neglect them even when things are going well at work. That’s because success on the job is usually linked to benefits that will enrich your loved ones.
- Get enough exercise and sleep, and learn how to make the most of your down time, so that you can recover from stressful events.
- Record what you eat in a week. Are you eating a lot of junk food, living on coffee, or not getting enough sleep? Ask a friend, your spouse or partner for an objective opinion.
- Take some time off away from the job. Turn off your mobile phone, and stay off the internet for your entire vacation.
Burnout can be avoided if you learn to say “no”; periodically remind yourself of your most important priorities at work; revisit your goals, delegate, give your time, attention, and effort to what you can do by virtue of your abilities and position in the company. Also take time to break bread with your family and friends, get enough exercise, sleep, and learn how to relax.
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