What do you do if your self-care routine is not preventing burnout as a thought leader?

Adjusting your objectives doesn't mean giving up on ambition; it's about finding a sustainable way to achieve success. Reflect on what truly matters to you and prioritize those aspects in your life. This realignment can provide clarity and reduce the pressure that leads to burnout.

I understand the importance of reassessing goals when facing burnout, even with a solid self-care regimen in place. It’s essential to consider whether our goals are realistically aligned with our capabilities and resources, or if they are set too high, leading to constant stress. Adjusting objectives is not about diminishing ambition but about finding a sustainable path to success. Taking the time to reflect on what truly matters and prioritizing these aspects can provide the necessary clarity to reduce pressure and prevent burnout

If you try to sprint a marathon, you will pass everyone and then they will pass you when you stop because you ran yourself out. You have to find a pace that pushes you, but you are capable of maintaining to the end.

An important thing to do if you are feeling burned out is to reflect on how far you have come, your key achievements and some challenging times that you navigated through successfully. When revaluating your goals, don't have too many, select at most 5 to focus effort upon - your vital few goals. Also, be clear about what you will stop doing, your stop doing list. Allocate the many things into 4 buckets; Stop, Do less, Do More, Start. There will always be many things on the to do list, but having clarity by writing down the 3 to 5 most important will help you to gain perspective and to regularly allocate some time to work on these.

I strongly advocate for seeking support when self-care alone doesn't suffice. Connecting with peers or mentors can provide fresh perspectives on our challenges and offer alternative self-care strategies that might prove effective. Additionally, delegating tasks and sharing responsibilities isn’t just a way to lighten our workload—it's essential for sustaining our energy and focus. It’s important to remember that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a strategic approach to maintaining resilience and ensuring we can lead effectively.

Having a good, solid team is the most important key to success. Being able to rely on them means you can assign tasks and expect them to get completed. Seeing the ball move forward without you having to carry it is a truly rewarding feeling.

We can seek out mentors and we don't need to limit ourselves to working with only one. We can have our own 'board of advisors', getting useful insights, guidance and support from different people for different things. Maintain a learning journal, writing down the key lessons from self-directed learning, training and development, and reflections from mentoring sessions.

Being tired leads to mistakes, and those have varying levels of consequence. If you don't take needed rest, you will put in shoddy work and hurt the overall mission.

Let's not forget to celebrate our wins as well! When you reflect, make it a point to make room for gratitude whilst acknowledging both your achievements and your challenges. This balanced reflection supports a positive outlook, essential for keeping your motivation alive and shielding you from burnout.

Sometimes in life we need to let certain routines go if we are feeling stressed. It's important to manage one's time effectively, and often driven leaders (including myself) can take on too much in their lives. Instead, it's important to manage your time and treat it like a budget, ensuring you have time for rest and relaxation. It's okay to "trim the fat" and step away from routines or other aspects of life that may not be the most beneficial for our health or goals.

I'd say be sure to master the art of saying "NO" when needed, to safeguard your overall health and excel as a thought leader. It is crucial to take care of yourself to avoid burnout, and sometimes it is important to exercise the power of saying "NO" to extra tasks or responsibilities, or opportunities that may come up in order to prioritise your own well-being. Being selective & focused with what tasks/jobs you take on & setting boundaries will support your overall efforts in protecting mental & physical health, ensuring continued success in your role as Thought Leader in the long run.

Consider incorporating new self-care strategies such as exercising, practicing mindfulness, taking breaks, and seeking support from others. It can also be helpful to evaluate your workload and delegate tasks if possible, or prioritize tasks and set boundaries to avoid overworking yourself. Remember, self-care is not a one-size-fits-all solution, so be open to experimenting with different techniques until you find what works best for you.