TSL #008: 3 Steps to Changing Yourself/Your Way Of Working To Overcome Burnout

Read time: 3 minutes 10 seconds

I mentioned #productivityporn in a live workshop this past week and got a few laughs. Those laughs quickly morphed into knowing head nods and the recognition of just how complicit many of us are. 🤔

You can't log into Twitter without some “Peak Performance Bro” offering a hot take about his cold shower morning and Notion templates that keep him at maximum output. (Mind you, he's 26 and single and labels himself an angel investor thanks to a hefty cushion from his parents. 🤨)

But for those of us who've seen a few things and lived a little, we also realize life's just not that tidy. And I'm not convinced we'd want it to be. I have a sincere disinterest in “hacking” anything. I suspect I'm not alone.

Nevertheless, a common thought I hear from my clients is that they'd give anything for a free weekend, away from any and all people and responsibilities in their lives. 🛀)

I get this instinct. And, yet, this desire for solo time tends to be in direct opposition to all the research about leisure, joy, and longevity that suggests connections are key. Plus, the emphasis on rest is an incomplete solution to burnout. 🙃

As someone who's…

Helped health care workers create statistically significant improvements their perceived stress scores during a pandemic 🏥
Overcame her own mix of burnout, chronic fatigue, depression, professional languishing, and more
Coached hundreds of mid-career professionals in overcoming burnout

…I've got some thoughts.

First: You can't rest your way out of burnout. Burnout is the symptom, not the problem. It's a call to action.

Second: Our employers won't save us. In fact, waiting for your company's culture to change is surefire path to continued problems. (I say this as someone who's spent the last decade shifting corporate cultures to support our wellbeing.) 💪🏻

Third: Your desire for a new result is going to require change. And, even deeper than change, growth.

WHAT TO DO

To be clear: Rest is great. I'm pro-rest. And I'll gladly advocate that you explore and integrate all seven types of rest into your life.

But it's incomplete. Because you're likely feeling stuck. Which means you need a circuit breaker to create change. The good news is that you've got options:

Change yourself
Change your way of working
Change your workplace

I've already lamented about the glacial pace of option three. (Years of direct experience inform this perspective.) Plus, I'm starting to see trends shifting away from employee wellbeing within our workplaces. I have several current clients at Salesforce and Amazon who are being pressured in new ways in light of recent developments in the tech industry. The grind is worse than it's ever been.

So, really, your opportunity is to focus on options one and two. Here's what that looks like at a high level:

Look back: reflect on what factors have caused your burnout (this will take weeks or months)
Look forward: consider the sort work and life you want next (this will take weeks or months)
Seek help: find people who've walked this path and can offer guidance (like yours truly)

If you're ready to make this investment in yourself…to activate your own circuit breaker…and to simply work less (with more joy), I can help. I'm starting a new round of Regenerative Workday in early March, and I'm looking for a few specific people who are: