Monday, April 9, 2018
9 Ways to Avoid Burnout
With our employment demanding more and more of our time, burnout is becoming more and more common amongst today’s worker. We are always plugged in and often always expected to be ready to help, even at night well after working hours. Finding the right work-life balance is hard, especially for the entrepreneur. While I preach that we should always be striving to make more income, that should not come at the expense of your physical and mental health. Today I am going to describe 9 things you can do to avoid burnout because of employment. Doing so will make you more productive and even more prosperous.
1) Dump the device
I feel like a hypocrite when I say this, but we must be device free for a good portion of the day. In the hours leading up to your bedtime, put away the tablet or phone and decompress. Our devices emit blue light that can cause us to be restless. Sitting in bed with the lights off but staring at a phone can cause you to be restless. It also makes your mind race, which is not ideal before bedtime. Answering emails at 9 PM is not necessary, it can wait until the morning.
2) Set up rules with your boss
I have worked with many, many different types of people over the years. Some show up to work, put in their time, and leave. They never stay late, they never are available on an off day. They also never miss a shift and never put in a bad effort. The one thing they demand is respect for their time. When they are not at work, do not bother them cause it’s their time. While at work they will do what they must do to get the job done. They have set up boundaries with their employer about their free time and that deserves respect. You must make sure your employer knows that your free time is valuable, and you cannot be working into the wee hours of the night. Eventually it will lead to resentment and fatigue.
9 Etiquette Rules That the Boss Shouldn’t Break – INC.
3) Schedule relaxation
I am bad for this one as well. I try to fill my calendar up with all sorts of work-related activities every week. This can sometimes lead to me neglecting relaxation. You must find time within your busy day to relax and unwind, even if it means you put it on the schedule. A walk in the park, time to read a book, a quick cat nap or even a timely glass of wine will help you put your mind at ease. Not doing so will lead you to wake up and not stop moving until you hit the pillow at night. That can be very detrimental to your physical and mental health.
4) Be financially stable
I speak about this one all the time, and there is a reason for it. We all want to be financially stable and how we go about achieving that is through work. What many of us don’t realize is that work is often not the problem. It is our off-work activities that lead to our instability. This state of mind causes us to have to work more to become more unstable with our finances. Taking control of your finances will lead to a greater peace of mind. This will allow you to flourish at work and at home. Most of our stress is related to our finances so getting those under control will translate into a better overall health. Start with the budget and go from there. Soon you will be having fun while not spending money.
5) Set realistic goals
We often set the bar too high for ourselves and that can cause us to feel inadequate all the while pushing ourselves to the limits. There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting small goals for yourself that you can accomplish easily. When you have a large goal, break it down into much smaller ones so you don’t feel overwhelmed. For example, if you have a savings goal of 10K for the year, break it down into monthly and weekly targets. 10K for the year is a big number, but $833 every month is far more obtainable. $192 every week is something that you can wrap your head around much easier and makes the big goal seem not so big. Setting very large goals can make us feel stressed and depressed if they are not coming around like we would like them to.
Resolution Checkup: How Was Your First Quarter of 2018? – Budget Boss
6) Exercise and meditate
This is something we all neglect at times. Exercise has proven to help relieve stress and of course, is essential in achieving overall health. Meditation has been linked to better health as well and helps prevent burnout. When you look at the top minds in business and technology, almost all of them have a strict exercise and meditation schedule. Doing so allows them to get the blood flowing and keep active while at jobs that often are often the opposite. Make sure you schedule time each day for these activities as well and you will see great results.
7) Eliminate unhealthy relationships
They say you are the sum of the people you hang around the most. If these people are doing unhealthy things and are negative people overall, chances are so are you. It should be everyone goal to let loose negative influences in their lives. This could include a partner that is dragging you down. It is important to surround yourself with people that encourage you, support you, and are people that you genuinely look up to. Doing so will keep you on track with your goals and will eliminate the emotional roller coaster of negativity that surrounds some people.
9 Financially Toxic People to Avoid – Budget Boss
8) Drop the vices
Who feels like crap during a hangover? Well, don’t we all? The reason is that it throws our levels off balance. We know it is not healthy to overindulge in alcohol and the hangover is our bodies way of telling us that we messed up. Smoking, drinking, drugs and even caffeine can throw our systems off kilt. While being bad may be fun at the time, we do pay for it later. It also leads to depression, anxiety and burnout. Besides, dropping the vices will lead to your wallet being healthier as well.
9) Serenity now
We all need to forget about things that don’t matter and more importantly, the things we cannot change. We have no effect on the weather. We also cannot control how other people act. All we can control is how we react to the world and how we handle what life has presented us. Worrying about the little things causes a great deal of stress and who needs that. Every day is a constant barrage of things that get in your way and how we react to it will determine our success. Petty arguments and mindless conversation often sidetrack us. Focusing on what is important and what we can do to make our lives better will lead you to a better life and better health. Let’s remember that small people do small things. Don’t get dragged through the muck if you don’t have to.
Focus on what’s important and do what you can to get necessary rest and relaxation. It will help you avoid burnout and stress. It is a constant battle and you might have to piss a few people off to do it, but it is very worthwhile. In our 24/7 world, using a few of those hours a day to take care of yourself is completely necessary for a well-balanced life. Stress leave is at an all-time high and how we handle our day-day lives is definitely a contributing factor.
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
Email – joe@budgetboss.ca
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