6 Steps to Achieve MORE with LESS Burnout...
“why am i so damn burned out?”
have you ever caught yourself saying that? cuz I definitely have!
I've been struggling lately. In my motivation. My enjoyment. My energy. My motivation. And you know what these are? They're all signs of burnout, especially for high-achievers!
In fact, those are legitimate signs from the Enneagram for Achievers in stress. When we’re in stress or what they call the “direction of disintegration”, achievers veer into disengagement and apathy. And how frustrating is that? Especially when we’re known for being motivated, goal-getting badasses, right?
Well, these feelings? They’re things that I've emerged from time and time again in the past. But I've never really sat down and thought about HOW I emerge...
So I started asking myself...what helps me dig myself out of the hole? What helps me go from disengaged and apathetic to absolutely CRUSHING IT?
and i came up with 6 steps for achievement without burnout.
🏋🏻♀️ SELF-CARE. This might seem so obvious, but like my boy Brendon Burchard always says: “Common sense isn’t always common practice.” When I'm burned out, my energy levels are damn near nonexistent and the only way to get them back is to take care of me. For this one, I love to think in terms of the airplane mentality - you’ve gotta put your oxygen mask on first and fill YOUR cup first. You’ve gotta get to the point where your self-care habits and routines are second nature. So, if there’s anywhere you start, start here!
❌ BOUNDARIES. Burnout can come from a place of overwhelm, so I’ve found that I have to get damn good at saying no. Us achievers? We like to do, do, do and go, go, go. So, for me? I have to focus on forcing myself to quit doing and relax. That’s one of the many boundaries I need to set. But that’s not the only boundaries. We need better work boundaries - abso-fricken-lutely - but we also need boundaries in our relationships and with our time. If we’re tired or we have other priorities, we might need to say no to social obligations or turn off our phones and get to work. If we’re just emotionally exhausted, we might need to just say “no, thank you” and allow ourselves the opportunity to drink some wine and watch a chick flick. It’s about boundaries in our work, relationships, time, and even with ourselves. It’s hard AF work, but it’s so necessary.
✔️ ROUTINES. I’m a huge proponent of routines. Seriously - morning and evening routines are my jam! Why? Because they make living the kind of high-achieving lifestyle I love sustainable. For many of us, our burnout is a cycle that we repeat over and over again. But, if we can lock in routines that help us prevent - or at the very least manage - our burnout, it’s going to be a game-changer. In fact, I try to build in aspects of emotional, spiritual, mental, physical, social, and practical self-care into my daily routines as best as I can. This is what these different types of self-care look like:
Physical self-care. These are the ones that are pretty obvious. From my perspective, it includes your sleep, your sustenance, and your sweat.
Social self-care. This includes setting aside time to establish and maintain your close relationships and knowing your social needs. Introverts will likely need less than extroverts will.
Mental self-care. This includes the way you think & the things that you fill your mind with. It also includes doing things that keep your mind sharp. It might include learning, reading, puzzles, etc. It also includes positive self-talk.
Spiritual self-care. Not just a religion or spirituality thing but anything that helps you develop deeper meaning, understanding, or connection…
Emotional self-care. Having healthy coping skills to deal with negative emotions. This involves having ways to acknowledge and express your feelings regularly. It could be connection with a friend or leisure activities.
Practical self-care. These include tasks that you complete that fulfill core aspects of your life in order to prevent future stressful situations. This might include creating a budget (and checking in with it), taking professional development classes, organizing your closet, etc.
❤️ VALUES + WHY. A big - under-appreciated - aspect of burnout is aligning your actions, your goals, and your motivation with your core values and your way. I actually find that so you don't constantly feel like you're unfulfilled and out of alignment. I saw a quote once that I loved and that I really think speaks to this: "We often feel tired, not because we're overworked but because we're doing too little of what brings us joy." And this right here? It relates to burnout. We often feel burned out because we’re doing too little of what brings us joy and connects to our larger desires for our life. So, knowing your goals and your why is huge for that. In fact, I actually created a mini-course on values to help you do just that. Click here to check out my VALUES MINI-COURSE >>
🧘♀️ SELF-AWARENESS. This is the final tip because - as we’ve mentioned - burnout 1000% can be a cycle and the only way to avoid repeating it is to get consistently self-aware of what's working and what's not. Some of the biggest parts of my routine that helps me stay self-aware are my journaling - which happens multiple times a week - and my weekly review. In my weekly review, I’m asking some VERY simple questions: what’s working, what’s not working, and what can I improve? And those 3 questions are powerful for helping you make those subtle tweaks that will make a huge difference in getting you aware about what’s burning you out and what’s not.
