How You Can Avoid Burn-out

According to the International Classification of Diseases, which is developed and regularly updated by the WHO, this is how burn-out is defined: “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Most of us don’t like to talk about burn-out. It’s not an openly discussed subject. Because we are always trying to work harder, longer, and more efficiently. And with increasingly flexible work hours, it is getting harder to limit work, because there’s always something to take care off. Especially now, during this global pandemic which has so many people working remotely.

If you are wondering what burn-out looks like, it can be emotional fatigue, physical fatigue, trouble focusing, exhaustion, insomnia or restless sleep, frustration, cynicism, etc. or a combination of these symptoms.

Working in an unstructured manner and for very long periods of time, without doing what is required for self-care, can be devastating and lead to burn-out. Here are a few ways to avoid that dreaded burn-out.

Organize your time

While this might take a little while to get started but, organizing your time and day is immensely helpful to get back on track and gain your energy. While going to work on a daily basis, sticking to a schedule was easy. Your day probably naturally fell into a schedule. While many have begun going back to work, others aren’t. And, working from home during a global crisis is a harder feat than you would think. Try sticking to roughly the same schedule you did when you did go to work. And if that’s not possible, then tweak it to make it work for you. And stick to it as much as possible. Organize your time rather than allowing one task to flow into another, whether personal or professional. Allow for time for work, time for meals, time for yourself, for your family, etc. An organized day is a great way to help avoid burn-out.

Sleep well

When life gets busy and demanding, sleep cycles are the first to suffer. But sleep is extremely important for you to be able function at your full capacity. Lack of adequate sleep also leads to other health troubles and diseases. Without the right amount of sleep for your body, your brain will not function at the optimal capacity, your cognitive skills will diminish, and so will your creativity, your judgement will be impaired, and your body will slowly start breaking down. The average adult needs between 7 – 9 hours of restful sleep. This might differ from person to person, so you need to understand how much sleep your body and mind needs.

Don’t skip meals

Skipping meals is another way that you can reduce your optimal brain and body function. Meals should energize you and not make you feel like you need to get back into bed. It’s not uncommon for people to be so busy that ‘they forgot to eat’. Sound familiar? While this is very common, it is also very damaging. Through trial and error, find meals and a meals routine that suit your body and that help you feel energized. Nourishing the body is an important way to help avoid burn-out.

Time blocking

Time blocking is an organizational technique to increase your productivity and efficiency while maintaining a schedule. Follow your natural daily schedule and keep fixed times to do specific things. Start by allotting times in the day for work, personal, house work, family, etc. And then within each section list the tasks you plan to do that day. This helps remove the feelings of being overwhelmed and confused by how much you need to do and tasks that change everyday. It is a fact that while some things are repetitive day after day, there are other things that can surprise you everyday. But by time blocking you can eliminate the feeling of anxiety because you already know when in the day you’re going to tackle that surprise. Time-blocking also helps your focus fully on the task at hand which allows you to be more efficient and not distracted.

Move

Now more than ever, exercise is extremely important. Because of the pandemic, the couch is probably where you spend the most time. Which also means you spend a lot of time in one position; sitting. While it might sound comfortable, sitting for long periods of time causes physical exhaustion, lethargy, reduced blood flow, issues with posture, etc. Without movement and exercise, the body takes in less oxygen. This will again, reduce your mental and physical capacity. So, find a way to regularly exercise and try to keep moving through the day. This will help increase productivity, energy, and prevent the physical stress and exhaustion that will lead to burn-out.

Take breaks

As counter effective as it sounds, schedule in your breaks. Breaks allow your mind to reset and return to a state of high efficiency. Take multiple breaks through the day, but also make sure to schedule vacation time. And during vacation time, you need to completely switch off from work. There is a lot of guilt surrounding taking breaks, but breaks help replenish your creativity, energy, and productivity.

Finding harmony between work life and personal life is a seemingly elusive concept. But finding a way to manage both is how you can engage both at a high level of quality. The above point will certainly help balance the different facets of life. Things like stress and pressure cannot be removed completely from your work day, but it can be streamlined. Doing that can help prevent getting burnt-out.

Summary

Q. Why is adequate sleep important to avoid burn-out?
A. Sleep is extremely important in order to function at full capacity. And the lack of sleep also leads to other health problems.

Q. How does time-clocking help from getting burnt out?
A. Time-blocking helps separate work from home and alotts certain times for both. So it’s easier to focus on the predetermined task at hand.