Having busy periods in any job is normal, however when you start to feel like your workload is unmanageable, it is overtaking your life or the busy period never seems to end, it’s likely you’ll experience burnout at some point. So, avoiding your burnout to ensure you thrive both at work and in your personal life is key. We’re here with a few important tips to help you do it!
Learn To Actively Manage Time
The first thing you need to do in order to avoid burnout at work is to manage your time. Doing some overtime is usually normal in most jobs, however you shouldn’t really be taking on much more than you can do in your core working hours. If you’re not given an option (probably best to reconsider moving jobs), then make sure you’re managing your time really efficiently. Try to break your week down into hourly slots working on different tasks, working from highest priority down to lower priority. Keep your manager in the loop, telling them which tasks you’re going to be working through in which order, so they have expectations of what you’re going to get done. Giving them the heads up will also mean they have the opportunity to make suggestions of other priorities, rather than saying something should have been done differently in hindsight.
Let The Weekend Be The Weekend!
Something really important is that you don’t let work creep into your weekends. Delete your work email from your phone and don’t be tempted to login on your laptop, as it has more of an impact than you might think. Even when you very briefly check your email, it sends your brain temporarily back into work mode, so you don’t get the benefit of completely switching off for the weekend. Replying to a few emails really won’t make a difference, plus you are likely to be so much more refreshed and ready to work hard on Monday.
So, for the weekend, forget about work and spend the time doing things you love. Book fun things in advance, throw on one of your new festival outfits and have the time of your life with your friends. Or, maybe you prefer a chilled weekend having brunch with friends and a long walk in the sun. Maybe you prefer to blow off some steam in the gym. No matter which direction you go in, taking the time over the weekend to put yourself first and leave work behind will do wonders for your mental health and help you to avoid burnout.
Don’t Be Afraid To Delegate
Moving back onto the work side of things, you need to be comfortable delegating. Once you have your list of priority tasks that you send to your manager, ask them to check if other team members have the capacity to take on some of the lower priority tasks. Or, maybe you have the authority to do that yourself. Perhaps you have really high standards and find it difficult to delegate, however, taking everything on yourself is one of the quickest ways to burn yourself out. The team around you is there for a reason and you don’t need to put pressure on yourself to do everything for everyone. Whether you can delegate yourself, or do it through management, being honest about your workload to avoid burning out will be better for you, and the business, in the long term.
Set Aside 1 Hour A Day For Self Care
Lastly, although having the weekend to yourself is a good thing, you also need to prioritise self-care throughout the week. Give yourself an hour a day to do something that really makes you happy, whether it’s your favourite gym class, reading your book, a long walk with your dog or a nice hot bath. It’s so easy to get home, eat and then carry on working with your laptop in front of you on the TV. If you work from home or work flexible hours, this is especially important. Again, you’re never really going to switch off doing this and you will suffer for it the next day, then this continues to build up over time causing burnout. So, an hour a day will make a huge difference, or of course more if possible, to help you strike the perfect work-life balance.
