Posted

Most days, your job is sunshine. It is the center of the universe and makes you feel energized and accomplished. Your “well” of good feelings is practically overflowing. Some days, however, it feels like your work is sapping the life right out of you. You feel physically and mentally drained for any number of reasons and the well is being sucked dry. If your well starts to feel “half-filled” on more days than you’d like, you don’t have to leave your job. We recommend trying these four tips below.

Set your boundaries. If you are pulled in all directions and feel like you need to be available 24/7, it’s time to set your boundaries. It’s OK to work hard but communicate clearly with your manager and teammates when you need to leave on time for personal reasons. Stop checking work email after hours or, if you must check, set a time limit for yourself. It can be uncomfortable at first to set clear boundaries but stick with it and your co-workers will adapt. It you do need to work after hours, make it the exception, not the rule.

Find positive friends. If you find yourself focusing on the negative aspects of your job, try rounding up a friend or two at work who tend to see the glass half-full. Their positive outlook on life can rub off on you and you may find yourself looking at your work a little differently. Also, you’ll have some lunch buddies to go out with. Getting away from the office for coffee or lunch also helps fill up the well.

Re-do your to-do’s. Instead of creating an impossible amount of tasks to complete, shorten the list. Pick three or four critical tasks to complete every day and, when you do, you’ll feel like you accomplished something. If you find this is impossible because you have 17 critical items to complete, it’s probably time to sit down with your manager and prioritize. This is also a good time to be clear about your boundaries.

Find a hobby to focus on. Try to find a project or hobby that really absorbs you; one where, when you’re involved with it, you don’t think about anything else. Even though your brain is engaged and active, it is not focused on your job. When you’re thinking about or doing something completely different and away from work, you’ll return to your job with a different outlook and more energy.

When you’re starting to feel burned out at work, try these ideas to fill up your well. They will give you a different perspective about your job and bring some balance to your life.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)