Introduction
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and burned out at work. Whether you’re a freelancer or an employee, the demands of your job can be intense. But what you might not realize is that burnout isn’t just about having too much workâit’s also about how hard you’ve been working for too long. To avoid burnout and stay motivated at work, we recommend taking these six steps:
Reduce stress.
Reduce stress.
Stress is a major cause of burnout, but itâs not always easy to manage. You can reduce stress by practicing self-care, getting enough sleep and taking breaks throughout the day.
Clarify the source of your motivation.
Motivation is an essential part of being productive. It can also be a slippery thing, especially when you’re working in a role that’s not quite “you”.
If you aren’t motivated, it’s like trying to go for a run when your legs feel like rubber and every breath feels like lifting weightsâyou know it’s something that needs to get done, but without the right boost, it’ll never happen.
So what does this mean for someone who is struggling with motivation? It means asking yourself: Why am I doing this job? What motivates you at work? What am I hoping to achieve by doing what I’m doing at work? How can these goals make me feel better about myself or my career trajectory in general?
The answers are personal and unique but helpful nonetheless as they give us direction on where we should focus our efforts if we want to achieve them more quickly or effectively than before.
Be selective about who you work with.
Itâs important to remember that even if you love the work you do, not everyone else does. Itâs easy to get a little carried away with your enthusiasm and want to talk about your work all the time. But if you are surrounded by people who donât share in your passion for what you do, it can be hard not to take their negativity personally. Instead of wasting time trying to convince non-believers about how amazing your job is, try spending more time making new connections with people who will appreciate what makes you excited about what you do every day.
Monitor your goals.
- Set goals. Youâre less likely to burn out if you have clear, measurable goals that are aligned with your purpose in life.
- Monitor them. Write down your goals and create a timeline for achieving them. How much time do you need to achieve each goal? What are the milestones along the way? How will you know when it’s been successful?
- Be realistic. Your goals should be achievableâfor example, if your goal is to build an app that will take over Apple Music by 2020, then perhaps start by building a website first!
- Make sure they’re measurable. It’s important to be able to see progress towards achieving goals but also remember that not every step needs to be measured; sometimes we need space for reflection or experimentation so long as we understand what our objective is overall (see tip number one).
Stick to a routine.
At the end of the day, there’s no doubt that a routine helps you manage your workday better and increases productivity. But what is it about routines that makes them so effective? Well, they can be helpful in two ways: by allowing you to avoid burnout and keep motivated at work.
Routine helps us focus on our goals. If we’re able to avoid burnout and stay motivated at work by working on a schedule that allows us time for ourselves or family members outside of work (e.g., going home early), then we won’t feel exhausted when it’s time to get back into âwork modeâ again in the morning. This allows us to be more productive during our regular office hours because we’re not spending too much energy trying not to fall asleep while sitting at our desksâand also means less stress overall!
Eliminate distractions.
In order to avoid burnout, you have to eliminate distractions. You have to stop checking your email every few minutes and you need to stop following social media. If you’re anything like me, then this is easier said than done. The best way I have found is by turning off notifications on my phone and closing my inbox so that I cannot see it when I open my computer. I also turn off my phone for long periods of time during work hours (I use the Pomodoro Technique). This way, when someone calls me or texts me at work, they will not be able to reach me until after 5pm! There are apps out there that can help with this as well but in my experience they aren’t very reliable/good quality ones yet – so just stick with turning off notifications and closing your email inbox!
You can take steps to help you avoid burnout and stay motivated at work
As a result, you may feel like you’re not in control of your workplace. However, you can take steps to help avoid burnout and stay motivated at work by taking control of the following three things:
- How you react to your work environment and coworkers
- How you interact with them
- The way that you prioritize your tasks
Conclusion
We hope these tips will help you avoid burnout and stay motivated at work. If youâre still struggling with motivation, donât beat yourself upâit happens to all of us! Instead, try planning ahead by cutting back on things that arenât actually helping your productivity (like checking email too frequently) and focusing on what does: getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly and spending time with friends and family.
