Here in the USA, temperatures are climbing while the US begins a gradual transition back to in person work. Many of us are also experiencing another form of “heat:” burnout.
Personally, I frequently feel the smoldering pressure to attend more outdoor concerts, networking events, in-person client meetings, and re-openings. My FOMO fights with my calm, mindful inner self. It can be exhausting!
Research tells me that I am not alone. A recent study from Deloitte revealed that 77% of U.S. professionals experienced burnout in the workplace this year.
I don’t want us to let a good crisis go to waste. Let’s band together to eradicate burnout.
I sat down with my friend Adrian Gostick, a fellow Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches member, last week to discuss this topic.
He’s a NY Times best selling author and a seasoned culture and resilience expert who just wrote this Forbes piece about burnout, overload, and anxiety. In “The Power of No: How to Deal with Overload and Burnout,” Adrian and I share some strategies you can use to reduce and hopefully prevent burnout:
- Think of your day as a delivery truck.
As Rita McGrath says, “Each hour of your day is a box on the truck. As boxes get added to your day, other boxes have to come off the truck. You should make your priorities clear to managers and colleagues so they understand what you’re working on and the consequences of adding boxes to the truck.” - Follow the “Good Enough, Push On” ethos.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of getting things done. Perfectionist mindsets are a cover for impostor syndrome or fear—both can undermine your career growth and are insidious.
- Avoid “shiny penny syndrome.”
Don’t fall for the excitement of finding a shiny penny, or new opportunity. Be sure that new opportunity fits with your long-term goals and will have a good return on investment. (I talk about this extensively in my book, EnergizeGrowth® NOW). - Give yourself flex time.
Build time into your schedule to think and explore new opportunities that fit your company’s and your personal purpose and vision. I have “think time” added as a recurring event on my Outlook calendar to avoid surprise appointments and interruptions. It works!
It takes real courage to say “no.” White space and room to breathe are a gift. It helps us to be our best in all areas of our lives. When I say “no,” I am creating a culture where my team members can feel comfortable doing the same. These strategies will help you keep sun-burnout at bay this summer.
P.S. Adrian Gostick will be a guest on the Mindful Marketer Life Stream on October 15th, so be sure to join us. You can visit our events page to view past episodes and check out our upcoming session. Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn and join when I go live.