When someone asks "how are you? Busy?!?" I love responding "No I'm not busy." It's fun. Even if I'm stupidly overbooked, I love responding to the contrary. It instantly makes me feel calmer. I also love watching the person skirm with embarrassment because I've given them what they think is a terrible answer. But I'm sick of it. I'm sick of people normalising burnout. I'm sick of organisations that push their people to their limits and then expect them to stay after hours (or worse, give up their weekends) to attend some 'work life balance wellness' retreat. Here's an idea: if you don't create the conditions for burnout, you won't have to work so hard to mitigate the damage caused. Regardless of who you are or where you work, this is what I've found works well for me. Try these on for size and report back, or tell me if I've missed something good: ** No senseless meetings. Definitely no meetings without an agenda. And no meetings on Mondays, Fridays or outside of normal working hours. ** Book out your own calendar so that others can't help themselves. Don't be available. Tell people when you're available – in small time blocks. ** Give the best hours of the day (usually the morning) to deep work, creative thinking, strategic planning. Do this away from your normal workplace. ** Stop reading emails and not responding. If you're going to respond, respond straight after you've read it. And respond efficiently, to minimise the likelihood of future emails. ** Book something fun, rejuvenating, restful or joyful every single week, without fail. ** Be human at work. People can't give you emotional support if you don't make yourself available for that. ** Put some effort into understanding what people want. When you know this, you can look out for them and help them get what they want.