Ways to Save Yourself From Burning out. Tip#4: Guard Your Boundaries
When people are on the road to burnout, most of the time they’re not taking care of themselves, says San Carlos, California, career coach Amy Sanchez, who works with professionals dealing with the issue. If you feel it coming on, it’s time to reinforce those boundaries. First, “stop saying ‘yes’ to everything,” she says. “Companies are notorious for continuing to pile work on people until they push back. Are you someone who never says ‘no?’ If so, you’ll never get out from under your pile of work. There is certainly a professional way to express that taking on more would compromise the quality of the projects you are focused on, but you would be happy to take on more at [some] time in the future,” she says.
Davis-Laack adds that it may be easier to work on getting more resources than reducing workload. “It’s hard for a lot of people to lessen their workload, or have fewer emails, or not to go to as many meetings,” she says. But if you focus on building strong relationships with your colleagues, ask for feedback, and communicate well, you can build a supportive network of people you can rely on when you need help, she says.
