Burnout Is Real: 5 Tips to Help You Avoid Burnout and Be More Focused

​Our society values hard work, and while there is something to be said for putting in the effort, we also need to value down time and self care. No one can do everything, but it can often feel like we have to do everything, because if we don’t, who will?

​This is especially true for teachers who were overworked before the pandemic, and have been struggling with changing regulations and anxiety around staying safe and keeping their kids safe from an incredibly contagious virus we didn’t know much about. While talking about selfcare amidst all this chaos might initially feel self indulgent, this is the perfect time to change the narrative around burnout and selfcare. I can’t think of a better way to do that than providing tips for avoiding burnout and making time to take care of yourself.

​Get Rid of Perfectionism

​Burnout and perfectionism tend to go hand in hand, but the fact is no one is perfect, so of course we burn ourselves out when we try, not only to do it all, but to do it all perfectly. So, the first lesson of avoiding burnout is to let go of perfection. Accept that nothing in this world is perfect, and that includes you. Once a project is finished, let it be finished instead of constantly trying to improve it when you could be moving on to another project … or taking a bath.

​Stop Helping Others Before Helping Yourself

​As a mom, I completely understand the urge to care for others before caring for yourself, especially when children are involved, but we’re not as effective at caring for others if we haven’t taken the time to make sure we’re at our best.

​You’ve probably already heard the analogy of the flight attendants telling you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs. It gets used a lot because it perfectly exemplifies the importance of making yourself a priority. You can’t help anyone if you can’t breathe.

​Recognize Your Strengths and Weaknesses

​One of the downsides to trying to do it all is that we often try to do things we shouldn’t be doing because they aren’t our strong suit. The result is we end up wasting a lot of time trying to do something we don’t do very well (or trying to teach ourselves how to do something and then attempting to do it) when we could save a lot of time by recruiting someone who is good at it while we focus on doing what we do best (what I like to call our “genius zone”).

​Allow Others to Provide Support

​I know teachers tend to have tight budgets, but remember you don’t always have to hire someone. You can start by taking stock of the staff you already have and seeing if someone on your team has the necessary skills. Or you can recruit a volunteer. Once you start looking for ways to solve the problem of too much to do and not enough time to do it all, you might be surprised at the solutions all around you.

​Keep in mind this goes for your personal life as well as your professional life. If your spouse offers to help out around the house, let them help. If you have kids that are old enough to do some chores, let them do some chores while you put your feet up and watch TV or read a good book.

​Step Away & Take Breaks

​Taking breaks is actually the secret to getting more done. When we’re constantly trying to be productive, we wear ourselves out and experience burnout, and then we don’t work as effectively as we do when we’re well rested. By stepping away every now and then to take a break, not only will you feel better, you’ll also get more done because you’ll be more focused when you do sit down to work.

​Avoiding burnout can be easier said than done, but I hope these tips have provided a good starting point for you to think about the ways in which you may be overextending yourself, and some ideas you can implement to step back and take some time for yourself.

​As a business coach, my sweet spot is helping my clients learn to automate and delegate as much as possible so they can spend more time in their genius zone and less time on the activities that don’t make them feel fulfilled. If you think you might need more help learning to work smarter and not harder, let’s chat.