When & Why Work Values Matter

Burnout hit me like a slow-moving train that I saw coming but couldn't dodge

Before I moved to Sydney, I was drowning, caught between circumstances I could control and those I couldn't. I have been on a career break since early this year to recover from this burnout, and have found new clarity & focus rejuvenating my physical and mental self.

With this new focus, I can look back into my life and analyze what caused the burnout, and what steps can I take in the future to avoid it. As I look back, there were two overlapping circles that caused this fatigue.

The first circle was of Uncontrollables

Imagine watching the design industry crumble during the economic downturn, while living with a visa countdown clock – 60 days to either land a new job or leave the country. There wasn’t much I could do with this situation except pouring energy into the things I could control: crushing PRs at CrossFit, nurturing friendships, and choosing wellness one decision at a time.

The second circle was Value system

Here's the plot twist about burnout that nobody talks about: It's not just about drowning in deadlines and endless Slack notifications. Sometimes, it's about swimming in the wrong pool altogether — like working in an ecosystem that breeds toxicity and distrust, in an environment where you don’t have autonomy and aren’t trusted to do a good job, where your internal values compass doesn’t align with the team’s or the company mission and vision making your values and work drift apart like continents.

This misalignment is sneaky. It starts as a whisper of doubt with Sunday scaries and grows into a scream of unfulfillment. You're not just tired; you're tired of pretending. It's like being in a hamster wheel where each turn costs a piece of your professional sense of being, until one day, you're running on empty and your mental health has gone for a toss.

That's why I've always made it a priority to run a Work Values identifier exercise with my team members, especially the ones who have started working recently on my team. This has helped me to know of their values early in time, and at a core level, understand what drives them and what they stand for. And over time, I have encouraged them to re-assess their values sharing it back with me, because here's the truth: your values aren't set in stone for a lifetime. They change with circumstances in your life, and changes in your career. They evolve, shift, and grow with you. And most importantly, your work values are not vastly disconnected from life values.

Identifying and acknowledging those values and being mindful of that change is the first step to preventing that fourth-degree burnout at work.

Re-aligning your value system

My healing from burnout didn't come from meditation apps or wellness retreats. After having tackled the visa issues by quitting my job (which needed an employer -sponsored visa) and moving to a new country and stopping the wheel on the Uncontrollables circle - it came from the most ordinary moments. The moments being the meditative folding of fresh laundry, the steady rhythm of knife against cutting board while cooking, the sound of my feet hitting pavement on runs by the water. Tasks that once felt like annoying additions to my perpetually full inbox when I had a full-time job, now became my sanctuary. In the quiet repetition of everyday life and plenty of rest & a fair amount of play, far away from executive emails and deadline pressures, I found my way back to myself.

This in turn, helped me make time and space to re-evaluate and re-center my Value system. To re-discover what really mattered to me, and why was I doing it all.

Looking back now, I see burnout differently. It wasn't just about being overwhelmed – it was a wake-up call about the importance of alignment between who we are and what we do. While we can't control industry downturns or visa restrictions, we can choose to honor our values and recognize when they're being compromised. I've learned that preventing burnout isn't just about managing workload or mastering time management – it's about creating an environment where our values can thrive.

For those standing where I once stood, watching that slow-moving train approach: your values aren't just workplace preferences – they're your non-negotiables. Listen to those Sunday evening whispers of doubt. Pay attention when your professional sense of self begins to fade.

And remember, it's okay to step away to find your way back to yourself.

Because at the end of the day, the most sustainable career isn't built on endless sprints and temporary achievements – it's built on alignment between who you are and how you work.