Wellbeing at work: Avoiding work/life burnout

We have all been there at some point in our lives:

Life outside work becomes too much.
Work becomes too much.

The other side of the equation starts to suffer. Mental and physical wellbeing also begin to suffer.

The battle for work-life balance, or rather life-work balance as I prefer to call it, can be never-ending with technology connecting us 24/7. And remote or hybrid working just seems to exacerbate matters.

What can you do about it? Well, here are some tips for avoiding work-life burnout. There may be others relevant to you but these seem to be the key factors.

1. Prioritise Self-Care

Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep are crucial. Taking time to relax and rejuvenate ensures your body and mind are well-equipped to handle daily stresses effectively. This is especially important if you are working from home. Ensure you take your lunch break and perhaps use it to go for a walk around the block and get some fresh air.

2. Set Boundaries

Clearly define work hours and stick to them. Avoid checking emails or taking work calls outside these hours to maintain a healthy separation between professional and personal life. If you are working from home this is very important both for you and anyone you live with. And these boundaries also include physical boundaries. If you normally work at a desk at home don’t be tempted to take your laptop to the sofa – that is your relaxation space.

3. Manage Time Effectively

Use tools like calendars and task lists to organise your day. Prioritise tasks, delegate when possible, and break projects into manageable steps to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Set meeting times for 30 minutes and not 45/60 minutes. You’ll save time and reduce wasted ’padding’. Schedule ‘me time’, ‘planning time’, ‘thinking time’ in your calendar as if they are meetings. You can always move them if needed but they are there to remind you.

4. Take Regular Breaks

Short breaks throughout the day can refresh your mind. Incorporate techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to work in intervals and reduce fatigue, enhancing overall productivity. Rather than think of your day at work as being an 8-hour marathon, think of it as a series of 30-minute sprints with a break between them. And use that break to get up, stretch, walk around.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

Not everyone’s cup of tea I know, so consider it as ‘thinking time’ if you prefer. Mindfulness and meditation can reduce stress and improve focus. Allocate a few minutes daily to practice mindfulness to centre your thoughts and promote mental well-being. This can be used both in and out of work. Consider how it is you often get the best ideas in the shower or while driving. Your mind has space to think.

6. Learn to Say No

This is so important and something we are all guilty of not doing enough. Overcommitting leads to unnecessary stress. Evaluate your workload and decline additional tasks that don’t align with your priorities or capacity, maintaining a balanced workload. If taking on an additional task, duty, or process is going to stress you then try and avoid it. Count to ten before you say yes!

7. Seek Support

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help when needed. Whether it's professional support from a counsellor or informal support from friends and family, talking about your stress can provide relief. This is one of the big factors with remote working as we don’t have people at hand who we can just lean over and ask for help. We all have hundreds of ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ online but how many can we actually talk to when we need some help? Not many I’d guess. But don’t be afraid to reach out.

8. Pursue Hobbies and Interests

Engage in activities that bring joy and relaxation. Whether it’s reading, gardening, or playing a musical instrument, hobbies can provide a healthy escape from work pressures. They give you a chance to put work and other stuff to the back of your mind. I would also include here volunteering. This provides a great opportunity to do something different, meet new people, and put a smile on someone’s face. It can be a very fulfilling use of your time and provide a new perspective for you.

9. Stay Organised

An organised workspace and a clear system for managing tasks can reduce stress. And it can also help you establish boundaries, as we discussed above. Implementing organisational strategies helps streamline your workflow and minimises clutter-induced anxiety. Perform regular de-cluttering sessions as projects move forward. You don’t always need the same stuff around you. And organise your time effectively too. Set ‘me time’.

10. Regularly Review Goals

Goals and aspirations change with time. Just think about what you had planned for the year COVID hit! Everything changed. Assess your career and personal goals periodically. I’d suggest every 3 months in this fast-changing world we live in. Don’t leave it too late or you could find yourself too far down a cul de sac! Ensure your efforts align with your objectives and make adjustments as needed to stay motivated and prevent burnout. And make sure you are doing things for the right motives.

Hopefully these tips will help you avoid burnout in the future. Don’t try to do them all at once though. Take one step at a time. And if you are already experiencing burnout – reach out to others for support. Share these tips with them and ask for them to become your ‘accountability partner’ to support you on the journey.

Have a balanced life!

Author Bio | Keith Grinsted MBA FRSA

Born and bred in Essex (UK) and now living in Southend-on-Sea Keith has extensive experience across many sectors – private enterprise (startups, retail, and corporate), public sector (national and local govt), and third sector (Board Member and Trustee).

In the area of business turnarounds Keith has been referred to as a modern-day Sir John Harvey-Jones in the way he can look at a business and see opportunities the business owner has overlooked, or is simply unaware of

He is a freelance business writer having written eBooks under his own name for Business Expert Press in New York and a blog for Huffington Post UK, as well as ghost-writing for others.

For the past three years he has campaigned against loneliness and isolation through his Goodbye Lonely programme, having had a conversation on BBC TV with the late Captain Sir Tom Moore. He has been regularly interviewed on TV, Radio, and in national papers and magazines.

He is highlighting the wellbeing of remote / hybrid workers who are not being cared for by their employers to the level they require. He is a Mental health First Aider, a Wellbeing Champion, and has had suicide awareness training.

Through his life experiences Keith is passionate about the issues individuals face when they must start their careers over again and often, perhaps, reinvent who they are. Hence his award-winning LAUNCHPAD Programme helping those who are unemployed or facing redundancy get their career back on track.

Open University Business School Alumni Award for outstanding contribution to society
Investors in People Exceptional People Award for Community Engagement

The single most important thing he works on is uncovering what it is they are passionate about.

Keith believes that we are all capable of great things but we tend not to try new directions. Unless we release our emotions and uncover our passion, we will find setting a new course for the future very difficult. Keith strongly believes everyone should continue to learn and relate that learning to the work environment.

Keith is a great connector of people and has over 21,500 followers on LinkedIn and runs his Charity UK group with over 47,500 members. He is also Partnerships Director for Membership World.

June 2024

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