Education & Career Trends: December 8
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Excerpts are taken from an article published on makeuseof.com.
With the normalisation of stress in the modern workplace, it’s easy to mistake burnout for regular tiredness. Most professionals only notice overwork symptoms that drastically affect their well-being. However, even minute warning signs could become extreme physical, mental, and psychological fatigue if left ignored.
You must make proactive decisions to cope with burnout. Although you can’t eradicate it, effective workplace systems and healthy habits mitigate the impact of stress.
1. Watch Out for Signs That You’re Headed For Burnout
The first step to overcoming burnout is acknowledging it. Most people disregard the symptoms of overwork and exhaustion. Coincidentally, enduring fatigue impairs focus and prevents you from performing your best, thus hurting your overall productivity.
A lack of self-awareness stems from biases and emotions. To view yourself objectively and recognise the signs of exhaustion, check online resources gauging your burnout level. They’ll help you identify which stressors affect you the worst.
2. Set Clear, Feasible Goals to Avoid Working Overtime
The lack of clear, feasible KPIs at work perpetuates unnecessary overtime. Managers won’t know how much workload their team can handle unless they quantify productivity ratings. They might assign too many tasks by accident.
Set quantified, feasible goals with your supervisor to avoid uncompensated work. Ensure these tasks align with your job description and support long-term projects but are achievable within your work hours.
3. Use Project Management Platforms to Track Your Progress
The lack of data skews your perception of progress, thus making you feel frustrated. People tend to overlook gradual changes and undermine their growth. You need an objective, tangible way to track your milestones; otherwise, you’ll keep thinking your ambitions are unattainable.
Gain better insights into your professional and personal growth by tracking your goals. You can record your daily tasks, emotions, accomplishments, milestones, and challenges, among other elements contributing to career satisfaction. Concrete data gives you a better overview of your cumulative efforts.
4. Organise Your Thoughts in Note-Taking Apps
Forcing yourself to remember various pieces of information, whether for work or personal affairs, causes unnecessary stress. The human memory is prone to errors. You’ll miss deadlines, forget minute details, and work inefficiently if you wholly rely on it.
Use note-taking apps to organise your thoughts instead. Start by tracking your daily tasks on your phone’s notepad or to-do list; categorise them based on relevance. For instance, all work tasks could go in one list. Offloading task management frees up your brain for other critical tasks.
5. Incorporate Meditation Sessions Throughout Your Workday
Anxiety is a normal human emotion that’s impossible to eliminate. The best approach is to manage its symptoms—learn to let negative thoughts come and go instead of fixating on them. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times, but your mental and psychological well-being will deteriorate if you’re in a constant state of uneasiness.
To reduce work-related anxiety attacks, use guided meditation apps for brief sessions. You’ll find it easier to focus and work efficiently after spending even five minutes practising mindfulness exercises.
6. Connect with More Like-Minded Individuals
Isolation magnifies the loneliness that comes with burnout. People tend to dwell on pessimistic thoughts and overthink problems when they spend too much time working alone. Negative biases skew personal perspectives. And without third-party insights to correct internal stressors, they’ll keep adding to the mental and emotional stress of overworking.
Remember: you’re not alone in feeling burned out at work. Chances are some of your colleagues share similar sentiments, especially if they’re facing the same stressors. You might feel better after talking to them for a bit. Ask how they cope with fatigue, talk about shared issues, and if you’re close enough, vent your frustrations.
Stay Happy and Productive at Work by Overcoming Workplace Burnout
Work-related stressors are inevitable. Regardless of your role, company, or industry, you’ll encounter various internal and external factors that cause stress. You can’t eliminate them from your professional life.
The best approach is to build mental toughness through sustainable habits and efficient systems. Let stressors occur without allowing them to affect you. Commit to multiple routines that address these issues instead of fretting over things beyond your control. Just focus on what you can do today.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?
The Most Overlooked Strategy for Success
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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