10 Strategies for Avoiding Career Burnout

1.????? Learn How to Become Resilient.

Life is hard, and life is unfair. You can try to plan your moves perfectly, but things will happen to you that are beyond your control. Just as there will be many people who will help you along your career journey, there will be just as many who will try to keep you down. You will get lucky breaks and you will get just as many unlucky ones. You might get a boss who hates you for no reason, your career might be on the perfect path and then a recession hits and you’re laid off with no job prospects in sight. But the trick is to keep going and moving forward, no matter what.

2.????? Meditate?

There are many emotional benefits of meditation including helping through stressful situations, creating perspective, reducing negative emotions, increasing self-awareness, and increasing patience and tolerance. Another benefit is learning how to focus. Learning how to focus is a skill that, just like any other skill, needs practice.? When meditating properly you learn how to quiet your mind and focus on one thing, such as your breathing. This skill will help you throughout your work day when you need to focus on completing one task and shutting out the other constant distractions that can keep you from completing that task effectively. It will also help you get perspective on the inevitable stress that will arise throughout your career.

3.????? Be Selfish With Your Time and Learn How to Say No.

Your time is precious. In fact, it’s probably the most precious thing you have. It is also a limited commodity. And few people will show the respect for your time that it deserves. You might feel that saying no to someone such as a friend, co-worker, and even your manager might be rude or harsh. But you must change your perspective.

4.????? Take Daily Mental Breaks

?A great way to fight the afternoon slump, increase creativity, and stay productive throughout the day is to take daily mental breaks. Your body and mind need a break from sitting in front of a computer for 4-5 hours. Your body’s muscles tense up, your eyes get tired, and less oxygen flows to your brain which makes it more difficult for you to work on complex work problems.

5.????? Create an Exercise Routine

?Having an exercise routine is an essential way to stay healthy physically and mentally. Regular exercise will help increase your energy throughout the day, will give you increased mental tolerance, and will help relieve anxiety and depression as well as help you develop good sleeping habits. All essential to prevent burnout and continue to be productive and effective at work.

6.????? Eat Healthy Throughout the Day

Healthy eating habits are essential to your physical and mental health. Eating healthy will not only help you lose weight and reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses but research has shown a close relationship between diet and mood. Developing and maintaining healthy eating habits will keep you energized and motivated while at work and is essential for your creative and productive output.

7.????? Take Time Off

?As a recruiter who has worked with hundreds of companies, I never understood why some of my clients offered only 1-2 weeks’ vacation per year. Somehow these clients think that offering less PTO to their employees will save them money when in reality it costs them money by decreasing employee productivity and leading to employee turnover and burnout. It’s a very short-sighted way of thinking. Learn how to take time off to recharge. Taking time off and disconnecting from work will greatly increase your productivity and creativity when you are at work. Burnout is not good for anyone, not you or your company/employer.?

8.????? Develop a Good Sleep and Morning Routine

The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night to stay healthy, mentally focused, and on top of their game. And to grow your career you will need to stay focused and on top of your game on a consistent basis. If you are not getting enough sleep your work will be unfocused and not nearly as productive as it could be. This can lead to costly mistakes at your job, irritability with the people you work with, and ultimately a stalled career.

9.????? Remember That a Successful Career Means More Than Just More Money and Power.?

It’s hard to have a successful career if you’re not happy with what you’re doing. And being happy with what you do is different for different people. Your calling might be doing social work, working in education, or working for a non-profit. Careers in these fields might not be as financially lucrative as careers in the for-profit sector. But the satisfaction of doing something for the greater good might be more important than a bigger paycheck. For others, bringing home a big paycheck, creating a new business, or moving up the corporate ladder brings more satisfaction and fulfillment. If you enjoy what you do and you don’t dread going to work every day your overall satisfaction with life will be higher.

10.? Never, Ever, Ever, Ever Give Up.

Your career and your life will inevitably have many ups and downs, high points and low points, times when you will make great decisions, and times when you will make major mistakes. The trick is to learn from your mistakes and never, ever, ever, EVER give up.

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