Recognize the fine line between approaching burnout and pushing yourself to deliver high performance to sustain your productivity.
Every professional desires to keep delivering the best performance at the workplace and strengthen their career prospects for the future. However, putting on too much workload or multitasking is not only counterproductive but also pushes you towards a state of burnout. You have to learn effective ways to avoid burnout at work and sustain high performance.
What is Burnout?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition and here is the detailed definition of it.
Burnout is a syndrome that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
energy depletion or exhaustion
deteriorated professional efficacy
mental detachment from one’s job, or negativism or cynicism due to it
Symptoms of Burnout at Workplace
If you want to avoid burnout at work, you need to recognize the prominent symptoms and deal with them before they affect your professional life in a significant manner. Its symptoms look different for everyone, although some of the most common ones are as follows:
Fatigue
Headaches
Stomachaches
Frequent illness
Changes to your diet and/or sleep patterns
Feeling apathetic or dissatisfied with your work
Decreased satisfaction and loss of motivation
Feeling helpless, detached or alone in the world
Causes of Burnout at Workplace
Identifying the causes of burnout enables you to find solutions about how to avoid burnout. Some of the most prominent reasons for burnout at work that I have determined while working with different professionals include:
Unmanageable workloads
Immense deadline pressure
Unfair treatment at work
Ignorance from colleagues
Confusing work responsibilities
Lack of effective communication at the workplace
Improper coordination at the workplace
Lack of support from managers
Best Strategies to Beat Burnout and Achieve High Productivity
High performance and burnout seem like opposites. However, those professionals who are passionate and dedicated to their work are actually more susceptible to burnout. As they tend to push themselves relentlessly, their persistence gradually becomes overexertion with time, paving the way to burnout.
Here are seven proactive strategies on how to avoid burnout and overcome this conundrum, derived from my extensive experience while empowering professionals as a Life Coach and Executive Coach.
1. Identify Your Signs of Burnout
Everyone experiences burnout differently. It may disrupt your sleep patterns or make you feel a lack of energy or motivation. Determine the gap between what you are and what you have to be at your workplace. Recognizing your signs of burnout is one of the first crucial steps towards avoiding or resolving it.
2. Set Realistic Goals at Work
Unrealistic expectations and commitments often lead to feelings of overwhelm and eventually burnout. Always set achievable and practical goals that complement your abilities and priorities This goal-setting approach will allow balanced growth without burnout and also generate a sense of accomplishment at the workplace.
3. Prioritize Your Tasks in the Right Way
Everything that is urgent is not important, and everything that is important may not be urgent. Learn and apply adequate task tactics and techniques like the Eisenhower Urgent-Important Matrix to prioritize your tasks according to their urgency and importance. This approach helps you focus your energy on crucial tasks while reducing stress and preventing burnout.
4. Manage Your Time Effectively
It’s tough to achieve high productivity without managing your time effectively. You are always going to be overwhelmed with workloads and impeding deadlines at your workplace. Prioritize your tasks and apply effective time management techniques and strategies to accomplish them with consistency without approaching burnout.
5. Attain a Fine Work-Life Balance
In this highly technological age, the line between work and personal life is rapidly diminishing. Establishing healthy boundaries is necessary to maintain balance and mental well-being. Attaining a fine work-life balance not only increases a sense of happiness and well-being but also reduces stress and prevents burnout.
6. Practice Self-Care
Self-care is not a luxury; it's a necessity for your well-being. It enhances the power of the mind, body and soul. Apart from personal commitments, make time for activities that you enjoy and that help you relax. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep are a few of the most significant aspects of self-care.
7. Seek Help and Support
Burnout can make you feel isolated, but remember that you're not alone. Communicate and seek support from family, friends, or fellow professionals at work. Convey your feelings and concerns regarding burnout and find ways to resolve them. You may also consult professional coaches to avoid and overcome burnout. Their perspective and effective strategies can help you manage stress and prevent burnout.
The journey towards high performance doesn't have to lead to burnout. Incorporate the above-mentioned strategies into your working methodology at the workplace to stave off burnout while boosting productivity and maintaining a high level of performance. These strategies will also help you promote a sustainable, successful, and productive life.
Need help to work smart? Take the free 'My Time Management Style' Assessment to
enhance your productivity and have a personal life.
Smita D Jain is a Certified Life Coach, Executive Coach and NLP Practitioner. Smita’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Personal Clarity Coaching Programs enable busy professionals unhappy in their jobs to tap into their passions and transform them into professions so that they work because they want to, not because they have to.
Prior to her journey as a coach, Smita had extensive experience of 14 years as a corporate and business strategy professional with Fortune 500 companies. She is also a speaker at various public forums, a published writer, and an Amazon bestselling author.
You can learn more about Personal Empowerment Life Coach and Executive Coach Smita D Jain’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Coaching Programs by visiting www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com and
book a strategy session at https://www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com/booking.
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