If you’re like most of us here at Brighter Life, you probably dedicate eight hours at least every weekday to your job. And if you’re lucky, you might actually be one of the few who truly LOVE their job.
So much debate surrounds the idea of work as anything but your life’s passion. As for me, I choose to stay on the corporate track not only for its structure but also to learn the ropes of running successful businesses. But yes, there are days when my flow is just blocked - no inspiration, no insight, nothing. Because whether you’re part of a multinational or a startup, burnout can creep in faster than Manila falling into gridlock traffic on a stormy payday Friday.
Burnout can cost us - missed opportunities, failing relationships, even bad hair days. It’s time to reignite that fire of inspiration! Let’s turn burnout to all-out with these brighter choices:
1. Change your mindset. When I was younger, I always saw my job as the main priority. In my mind, I was too young to focus on building a family because wasn’t career a default priority for people in their early 20s? While it’s not completely erroneous, I learned that it was better to approach life from a holistic perspective rather than just elevating career into a pedestal and conveniently forgetting about the rest of our lives.
BL Tip: Instead of aiming solely to be promote or launch a startup in the next 365 days, create a LIFE PLAN that approaches three aspects of life: Career, Family {are you a doting son/daughter or want to start your own?}, and Self {any milestones you want to achieve such as learning a new language?}. Decentralize your efforts to take off any stress you may encounter in the workplace. And when you feel like you’ve had too much fun, career can give back that sense of structure.
2. Take a break. All too often, we fail to take a much needed vacation for varied reasons: “There’s always too much work to be done,” “I don’t have the time,” “No one wants to go with me,” or “It’s too expensive.” But more often than not, a break is what we need when we don’t have the time for it.
BL Tip: Plan for an annual break. Make use of your vacation leaves and go somewhere new, even if it’s just a two hour drive away. Being away from work refreshes your mind, takes off the edge, and reminds you of who you are when you’re not wearing a suit or meeting bigwigs inside a boardroom.
3. Adapt the 8-8-8 rule. I first heard it from a friend who adapted this European rule. As it happened, this came from their tradition of dividing 24 hours into thirds: a third for working, a third for sleeping, and a third for personal time.
BL Tip: Mind your focus, sleep when you need to, and do something fun everyday. This can be in the form of conquering your favorite workout, enjoying your favorite coffee at a cozy third wave coffee place, catching a movie on a random weeknight, or curling up in bed with a book by Alain de Botton. It sounds so utterly simple, but adults often forget to have fun in the midst of deadlines, children, and other things that exhaust our energy.
Image used under Creative Commons from Unsplash