How I Combat Burnout

As I scrolled through LinkedIn a few days ago, I saw a catchy headline posted by my mentor and friend Joshua B. regarding the desperation in the country to find good fundraisers: link here to that worthwhile read. I want to quote in its entirety one of the first paragraphs in that article: "Nine in 10 fundraisers said that unfilled fundraising positions significantly increased their workloads. Similarly, 89 percent agreed that their nonprofit didn’t employ enough people to raise as much as they had the potential to attract. In interviews and survey responses, development professionals told the Chronicle about working 12-hour days, burning out, and chasing unrealistic fundraising goals.

“Every fundraiser I know is stressed, understaffed, and cannot fill open positions, struggling with unrealistic fundraising goals,” a survey participant from Wisconsin wrote. “It is unfortunate because many great fundraisers I know are leaving the profession."

As a not-as-young professional in a metric-driven field, it can be hard to separate my own self worth from my professional worth to my organization. I think that is due to the overwhelming amount of pride I take in both my work and the mission of the organization I am advancing. This obsession with meeting metrics has led to sleepless nights and early mornings filled with the gym and copious cups of coffee. I wanted to share some of my own tips to fight burnout for anyone feeling the exhaustion that can come from working in a busy world, no matter your field.

Shift your perspective

As long as your mindset stays in a cynical place, you will also stay in a cynical mood. A fresh perspective on my work or on my life as a whole has time and again grounded me which allows me to relax. I used to get away with saying things like, "I'm lucky to have a job at all" but recently I find that shifting to a statement closer to "I'm grateful to have a job that is impacting my community in a positive way." My focus has shifted from me being able to simply pay my bills and save for retirement to highlighting the good that comes from my efforts.

My favorite author, Ryan Holiday , said, “Where the head goes, the body follow. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.”

Take time away from work

When perspective shifting is not enough, taking time physically away from work with the intention to turn off email and phone calls helps me destress. Whether that is taking an international trip to a new country, taking a hike on a new trail, or simply taking the day to sleep in, play a round of golf, and watch Christmas movies (it's past Halloween so it is basically that time of year for my family). The objective cannot be to just physically remove yourself but to mentally and emotionally remove yourself from work as well; otherwise the worry and focus of your mind stays in your office. My wife and I are taking our first international flight together over Thanksgiving to visit Asia and I cannot wait to recharge and come back with a rejuvenated spirit and stories to share.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” - Anonymous

Talk with someone who will genuinely listen

My therapist has been a wonderful person for me to express all the emotions I feel on a bi-weekly basis. She does not judge me or think any of my emotions are trivial and she does not offer advice, only new ways for me to think through situations and process how I am feeling down to the root cause. When burning out at work, make sure to talk to someone who can either understand your field (I talk to my fundraising friends all the time) or speak with someone who can help you navigate through your feelings.

My closest friends and I have spent countless hours talking about life's many blessings and hardships; I can confidently say I would be a failure without their counsel and strength over the years.

"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination." - Carl Rogers

Exercise your body and your mind

Part of my weekly routine is finding an hour of time each day to do some physical exercise, whether that is lifting weights in our gym or walking along the river we live next to, spending time exerting my body relieves my mind from everything else and allows me to focus on my breathing in the moment. Along with exercising the body, I have attempted to integrate reading more into my daily life. Currently, I am listening to an audiobook on my morning drive into work and the in traffic on my commute home (I have 120 hours more to go in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire). On top of my audiobooks, I am making my way through my collection of physical books as well. Taking time each day to let my mind wander through history or through a topic that makes me feel like a novice helps me shut off my work brain.

“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…”- Marcus Aurelius

I have seen many of my friends leave this field for careers that give them more flexibility, more income, and what seems to be more happiness at face value. To them, I have always wished them nothing but happiness and contentment in life, because we all deserve those two things. Fundraising fills me with a joy that nothing else can many days of the year, closing a gift that not only makes an impact on the donor's life but also on the lives of so many other people is a privilege I do not take lightly. Fundraising also comes with many valleys where everything can feel heavy and almost void of meaning if I do not perform. The key for me is balancing the expectations of myself, my organization, and those I support with healthy time to reflect, exercise, and breathe away from work. I have to remind myself that I can only control the work I put into this job, not the outcomes. I cannot make someone give a gift even though I heard them say how passionate they are about the cause, wrote the perfect proposal, cultivated them well, and answered all their questions before asking.

I would change many things about the field overall but at the end of the day, I feel like I make some small difference in this world and we are all put on this planet to help others succeed. Tony Robbins wrote, "The people who are the most alive, driven, and fulfilled are those that seek to lead by a life of contribution and service to something greater than themselves."