Because burnout is not a badge of honor.
I used to be so proud of myself for saying that I was “busy” all the time and that sometimes I find myself feeling burned out every now and then. However, I have come to learn that it’s not a badge of honor. Instead, it is actually a sign that I need to slow down and rethink my boundaries, and where I’m really putting my time and energy into.
This blog post is about 10 bulletproof ways to avoid burnout. Well, this blog post will only have 5 of the 10 tips. Why? Because the other 5 are on Naomi’s blog, Saveur de la Vie!
**I’m so excited to be doing this collaboration with her because her blog is amazing, and every blog post she has written so far has so much value.**
By reading both mine and Naomi’s blog post, you will learn effective strategies that can help you prevent burnout so that you can be your best productive self. This blog post is definitely for any person reading this. Regardless of how good you are with your productivity is or how busy your schedule, it’s always great to be aware of how you can prevent burnout.
Now, let’s dive into the tips:
1 – List down your current priorities & commitments, and order them by importance
Listing down your current priorities means identifying what you are currently making time for in your life, and what is important to you. This helps you to understand exactly what your responsibilities are. Once you list down your priorities and commitments, you order them by order of importance.
Prioritizing your current commitments and priorities prevents burnout by ensuring you’re spending your time and energy on what truly matters. When you know what’s important to you, you put your time and energy into the right things, preventing yourself from overcommitting.
An example of how you can implement this strategy is:
Say your current priorities are family, work, studies, yourself (duh), your passion project, leisure.
You order your priorities as the following:
- Yourself
- Family
- Work
- Studies
- Passion project
- Leisure
RELATED: How to Know When to Say No
2 – Create a NOT-to-do list
A NOT-to-do list is pretty much the opposite of a to-do list. While a to-do list is a list of things TO DO, a not-to-do list is a list of things to NOT do. For instance, instead of checking off when you have done something, you check it off if you didn’t do the thing.
This little technique prevents burnout because it makes sure that you’re not wasting your time on any distractions and bad habits that sometimes hold you back. When you think about it, doing those bad habits and distractions takes away your energy, and when your energy is drained, you feel burnt out.
This is an example of a not-to-do list:
- No junk food on weekends
- No scrolling on social media after 8 pm
- No TV until all work is completed
- No surfing the internet
Definitely read this blog post for how to write a not-to-do list in depth! It has many helpful tips on here!
3 – Schedule time for things you enjoy doing
Doing things you love is crucial for your overall well-being! Scheduling time for things you enjoy doing prevents burnout because those things give you an outlet for stress and allow you to enjoy yourself!
Before you say, “But I literally do not have time to do the things I love”, here’s a little rule of thumb…
Create a weekly or monthly schedule that includes dedicated time blocks for your favorite things. Treat these slots like important non-negotiable appointments, just like an important work meeting or phone call. If you wouldn’t cancel on anyone else, don’t cancel on yourself!
Life isn’t about just working or studying 24//7 without giving yourself a break. It’s also about doing things that you enjoy and make you feel fulfilled.
RELATED: 8 Hobbies to Make Life More Interesting
4 – Daily Self-Care Time
Daily self-care time is when you do activities that rest and recharge you! Self-care is literally about taking care of yourself.
Having daily self-care time prevents burnout because it’s a way to manage stress and restore your energy levels. You need both to be able to be as productive as possible! When you have a consistent self-care routine, you provide even just a little buffer against your work or study life. When you’re constantly resting and recharging, you prevent burnout from happening.
To implement daily self-care, set a specific time in the day when you will do it. It can be in the morning, evenings, or afternoons. Then, create a self-care menu where you can pick and choose whatever activities you feel like. In that list, add activities you already know that you enjoy and love. These can include activities such as:
- Exercise
- Reading
- Listening to music
- Watching a comfort show
- Eating a meal
You can click here for different self-care ideas! Pick a self-care activity that is personalized to you. How every person does self-care is going to be different.
5 – Creating Post Work/Study Rituals
These involve creating a ritual of activities you will do after you finish work or study for the day. These are a great way to help you transition from a busy work/study day to a more relaxed evening. This helps prevent burnout as it helps you detach from your work and studies and allows you to prioritize your well-being.
To start implementing this, start by listing down activities that help you unwind and can cue your brain that it’s time for the end of your work/study day. For instance, it can include activities like going for a walk, watching TV, reading for fun, or engaging in your favorite hobby.
Then, set a specific time for these rituals, ideally immediately after you finish work or study for the day. Treat this scheduled time just like an important appointment. In fact, treat this time with the same importance as your work or study hours. Over time, these rituals allow you to rest and recharge, and that prevents burnout.
Also, having these post-work/study rituals also creates a clear boundary in your mind between your work/study life and personal life.
BONUS TIP: you can actually make your post-work/study ritual as part of the previous tip, Daily Self-Care time!
RELATED: Boundaries, An Overlooked Form of Self-care
Take a SMALL STEP:
First things first, you may notice that this blog post only has 5 tips. That’s because the other 5 tips are on Naomi’s blog post! Read Naomi’s blog post for the rest of the five tips on burnout here! Trust me, you want to read it!
Once you have read all the 10 tips, it’s time to take the small steps!
Here are the small steps that you can apply to the tips from this blog post:
- List down your current priorities & commitments and order them by importance – Write them down!
- Create a NOT-to-do list – Write down a list of things that you DON’T want to do in your day. But, if you still want to read more about how a NOT-To-Do List works, you can read this blog post.
- Schedule time for things you enjoy doing – Make a list of activities you already enjoy doing, so you know exactly what you would love to make time for.
- Daily Self-Care Time – Make a list of your favorite self-care activities that you know give you incredible rest & recharge!
- Creating Post Work/Study Rituals – Just like above, list down activities that you know allow you to unwind. Just note that some of these activities may be the same as your daily self-care ones!
Again, if you haven’t already, check out Naomi’s blog post for the rest of the tips and see how you can apply them to prevent burnout.
To Wrap Up
Now that you’ve read both mine and Naomi’s blog post, you’ve now got 10 bulletproof strategies that can be game changers to your productivity! From prioritizing commitments to scheduling time for yourself, you can make sure that you don’t burn out!
If you need extra resources when it comes to being productive, you can check out the free mini e-book, Small Steps to Productivity in the Free Resources Library! You’ll also access many more free resources on there including my free book, Small Steps to Progression!
Remember, that burnout is not a badge of honor. It’s a sign that it’s time to recharge your batteries, do some self-care, and build stronger boundaries. At the end of the day, it’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter and actually living your life!
-Lauren 😊
P.S I recommend you read these blog posts next:
- 7 Productivity Mistakes That Lead to Burnout
- 7 Unproductive Habits That Will Ruin Your Productivity
- How to Have a Productive Week
***
A big thank you to Naomi from Saveur de la Vie for doing this blog post collaboration with me!
Check out her blog & Instagram:
And here are my personal favorite blog posts from her blog:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi, this is Lauren! I’m a law grad from Melbourne, Australia. On laurenbarri.com, I create content on all things personal development, productivity, self-care, and habits! I am super passionate about these topics because of how they helped me in all areas of my life, and I want to share it with others!
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