How To Prevent Burnout: Work Smarter, Not Harder

All of us want to do more and it’s all too common to feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. Unfortunately though, our energy is finite and when we push too far or too fast we will inevitably burn out and have to give up.

This is not only very upsetting because it means we aren’t able to do everything we would like to – it’s also a very unpleasant feeling that leaves us drained, exhausted and prone to illness. What’s worse, we tend to become moody, we lose all interest in the things that normally switch us on and we generally become shadows of our former selves.

And even when you aren’t trying so hard to push past your limits and ’fit everything in’ it’s still all-too easy to reach burnout. Our modern lifestyle it seems is just jam packed with things to do and places to be. If you’re not rushing around and staying late at work, you’re travelling home on a busy and crowded commute or you’re tidying the house, responding to e-mails and juggling your social life and family responsibilities. Is it any wonder that so many of us feel fit to explode?

Many of us will even know that we’re working towards burnout and feel almost completely powerless to stop it. We can feel the cold developing in the back of our throat, our eyes are starting to feel heavy and we would do anything just to get ten minutes to sit down and read a book with a cup of tea…

We often know when burnout is on the way but unfortunately it tends to be somewhat inevitable. And what follows is days or weeks of low energy, bad moods and illness. Burnout can even cause bad skin, impotence and low libido, weight gain or loss and accidents. It’s no laughing matter.

Sometimes we’ll even work through the burnout – never quite recovering, never quite doing our best work and never really enjoying anything that life has to offer. In fact, there’s a good chance that’s how you feel right now and that you’re just perpetually burned out.