How to Minimize Burnout And Stay on the Job You Love
Work burnout has become a severe issue. Employee retention statistics show that a total of 95% of HR leaders believe work burnout negatively impacts employee retention.
Even though burnout is more prominent in larger corporations, you can still feel it even if you work at a small company you love. Luckily, there are some things to do to minimize it.
Organize The Space You Own
If you got stuck with working from home when the pandemic started, you might have ignored what your home office looks like. Unfortunately, if you’re constantly surrounded by paperwork and your desk is a mess, your mind might get tired soon.
Research proved that a cluttered workspace is related to higher chances of burnout. What’s more, the same goes for the office space. While scientists can’t figure out yet which came first – tiredness or clutter, it’s safe to say that an office environment plays a key role in how you feel.
Separate a few hours each week to organize your workspace, be it the office or your home. Purchase organizers, add more shelves, and throw away unnecessary things from your desk. Keeping the space clean will also remove distractions, improve your focus, and make you more efficient.
Take Breaks More Often
You might be one of those people who start working and decide to take a break once you’re done. Unfortunately, this might be a bad decision. Many things can affect your focus and cause you to feel burnout sooner.
For example, if you work without a break, you might skip lunch or forget to drink water, which can cause a lack of focus. Lack of focus will slow you down, making you spend more time on your tasks.
Finally, the more time you spend on your tasks, the more tired you’ll become, which can ultimately lead to work burnout. This is why taking breaks is imperative, especially if you’re working from home and feel overwhelmed. Consider practicing the Pomodoro technique or installing a time management app to remind you to take a break.
Choose a Coworking Space
Changing where you work might have a positive impact on your mental health. Coworking spaces are especially handy if you’re a freelancer or work flexible hours. These spaces may remind you of an office with open spaces with multiple workstations. However, you can easily find a coworking space with smaller, more intimate offices.
The good thing about coworking space is that you’ll be surrounded by people who also need to work. They could be highly motivated to finish their tasks, which can also boost your motivation.
Plus, with so many people around you, you could always take a break, rest, and chat with someone else. If you make friends with others in your coworking space, you can also ask them to help you out if you get stuck. Another great thing about it is that you can physically leave work and tend to your needs once you’re done for the day.
Improve Work-Life Balance
If you work from home, you might find that your work-life balance is not as good as you think. For example, if you’re seeing emails or taking phone calls after your shift is done, chances are you still need to do some minor work in your free time.
Remember, accepting small tasks once you clock out may lead to issues. Even though you might think these small tasks are nothing much, your managers might eventually assign you more things to do, even when you’re offline, and that can lead to burnout.
Log off of every device and turn off your business phone once you finish the day. Set clear boundaries with your managers, and note that you will deal with more work only when it’s time to do it. Nobody will do it instead of you.
Focus On Yourself
Once you’re finally done for the day, you could be tempted to do something else work-related. However, the best thing to do is to relax. Even if you’re in lockdown, there are still many things to do both around the house and outside.
You can take a short walk to balance out all the sitting and rest your eyes on the screen. Remember to spend time with your family, cook a delicious meal, or treat yourself to a spa day.
Once you clock out, treat those hours as a mini vacation. Read a book, exercise, watch the latest show, or just sit in silence. This approach can help you relax each day and shake off work-related issues.
Summary
Work burnout can happen anywhere, even in your home office. Unfortunately, it can prevent you from doing the job you love. The good news is that you can do many things to minimize work burnout and still stay happy on your job.
Make sure to organize your work environment, as clutter can exhaust you mentally. Take more breaks during working hours, or choose a coworking space to shake things up. Remember, once your day is done, you should focus on yourself to improve your work-life balance and reduce burnout.
