Burnout is Real: Four Useful Tips to Help Anyone Avoid Burnout

Come back to the year 1980 with me ….. YOU are the Enjoli woman…

Because “I can bring home the bacon….fry it up in a pan…I can work until 5 o’clock…. And still come home to read you tickity tock….”

OK ok, you are singing it in your head now. Mission accomplished! I needed you in the right mind set for this read.

The point is, you are a super high achiever and do it all. All day, every day.

There’s not an opportunity or challenge you ever say no to. You excel at everything you do. Your crown is never crooked and there’s never lipstick on your teeth. You handle every challenge with a smile, everyone admires you for the ease of which you seem to accomplish it all, and dang it you seem to never break a sweat.

You present to the world as the confident, everything is easy for, Enjoli woman.

Yet behind closed doors, in your mind and reality, you are actually the stressed out, stretched too thin, ready to implode ‘Calgon Take Me Away!’ woman who is about to blow your top for all the demands on you.

You can see that if you don’t start making some adjustments in your life burnout is in your future. Yet you are frozen in fear, unable to admit to anyone you are taking on too much and overwhelmed, unsure how to move forward without losing your composure or respect from others.

News Flash. Burnout isn’t something that you catch or get, it is something that builds over time like a tea pot ready to scream when it steams.

Other’s high expectations of you, their confidence in your ability to do it all – and your acceptance of those expectations from others – often leaves you stretched too thin with no fuel left in your tank for yourself.

So how can one set boundaries? Read on for some realistic adjustments you can incorporate into your world to lighten your load and hopefully avert burnout like so many other high achieving women.

Speak up to senior leadership about adjusting your responsibilities

Chances are, the job you are doing now is much bigger than the one you were hired for. High performers are often leaned on and given more responsibilities than other team members because leadership knows they can count on you. Take a good hard look at the job you were hired to do and how it has evolved. Look at things that were added to your plate and evaluate if they really fit under the umbrella of your job description. Chances are, you’ve taken on these additional responsibilities and are not even being compensated for them. That’s how we high achievers roll, we just do it.

If it is work you enjoy but you just need more support, ask for another high performer to partner with you in being accountable for these added responsibilities. Look at what of these added tasks really belong under your umbrella and shift those that do not belong back to leadership to re-assign. If you receive push back because ‘they only trust you’, speak to HR to back you up. HR is aware of the very real risk of burnout for high performers and how it can negatively impact (and cost) the company. They will most likely be your biggest supporter in instituting change for you.

Look at your Personal responsibilities at home and be willing to shift some off your plate

Believe it or not, you do not have to do it all, at least not alone!  Are you always rushing home feeling obligated to make dinner after your long day for the family? Consider a meal delivery service. Have a spouse? Try working out a schedule where you each have certain nights each week you are responsible for family meal. Do you struggle to keep the house as clean as Martha Stuart? Higher a helper one or two days a month to do the heavy cleaning for you.

Bonus tip: Got young kids who you wind up spending your after-dinner time dedicated to homework instead of quality family time? Older teens in the neighborhood are always looking for ways to make extra money. They would LOVE to help your kids with the homework and even get dinner started for you (with detailed instructions of course!). Then you can take back your quality family time.

Super-Schedule your Time

There really is no such thing as time management per se, it is more about managing your responsibilities in the time that you have.  And awareness of how quickly 24 hours passes is a real eye opener for many.

I challenge you to take pen to paper and map out 24 hours in your life. Back out the time you spend at work, driving to and from work, and dock another hour for checking your email on your phone after work (don’t deny it, I know you do this!!). Now back out the time you are sleeping. Now back out any family activities that take place in the same 24 hours (such as dinner, homework, kid’s activities, any leisure time you take for yourself, etc).

What sort of ‘dead time’ do you really have in your daily schedule? Chances are very little. Learn to maximize your time by super scheduling it – including your personal, family and self-care time. Color code it if you like. Become best friends with your calendar and block time for everything. By not calendaring your life, you risk missing opportunities, over committing yourself and not incorporating self-care time (I’m not kidding, this is mandatory!) into your life. All recipes for added stress and potential disaster.

Treat self-care time as you would a meeting with your most important client

As they say when you are flying, put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Block time in your schedule for your self-care (walking in nature, going to the gym, etc) and commit to it as you would a meeting with your most important client. You get your kid’s school and activity schedule at the beginning of the season. Put the important dates in your calendar immediately so as other things come up at work, you can do your best to schedule around these activities so you can minimize the number of family events missed.

FACT: If you do not treat your self-care and family time as important as a business meeting or doctor’s appointment then you are inviting burnout into your life.  And a reminder: No one is going to attend your funeral and say ‘Wow, she was such a dedicated, hardworking, high performer’ As an employee, you are replaceable. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, etc you are irreplaceable.

About Rachelle

Rachelle Stone is a 25+ year veteran of the Meetings & Convention Industry who, in 2014 left the industry to transition to full time Consulting & Executive Coaching after her own personal implosion. She now guides business owners and stressed out executives through the strategic steps needed to breakthrough plateaus and glass ceilings, accelerate their growth trajectory, increase profits, dominate in their market and reach their goals WITHOUT burning out.

Are you a high performer that can’t say no and are fearing burnout? I love to coach high performers through the process of learning how to set boundaries and navigate the challenges of being a high achiever.

Could you benefit from an outside perspective, someone to hold you accountable to your goals & dreams, get you to the finish line quicker all while advocating for you to succeed? Then you are looking for me. Let’s take 30 minutes to speak ON MY DIME and see if I am the right match to support you in your current journey.

And if you are anything like I was and would rather be more like what I have become – someone who wants to do great things in your career while still loving life – I invite you to hop on over to my homepage here and take a look around. There’s a really cool and quick assessment you can pick up for FREE which will help you determine your current state of capacity and balance right on the home page. Then let’s stay in touch! I will share insightful articles and an OCCASIONAL newsletter, and by staying in touch you will be kept informed on the launch of my private Facebook group and receive early bird access and discounts to upcoming Career Crossroad Retreats (launching March 2020).

Remember, I was once you, and now I’m here to support you!