Today’s economic environment has triggered stress for everyone, not just those who have lost their jobs. Downsizing has resulted in workers inheriting tasks of those who were laid off while still maintaining responsibility for their current position. It’s a challenge to find time to take care of health, while managing an already overloaded schedule. The result is burnout.
Burnout is common and is expensive, not only in terms of income lost, but also in terms of health, personal life, and many other parts of life. Plus, the organization loses a valued employee.
Having “burned out” from a worldwide professional services firm in the late 90's, I struggled with what I could have done differently to avoid what happened. I’ve made it my personal mission to share what I know to be true. You can take control of your life, set new boundaries, and put more fulfillment in your life. Here are three steps to get started:
1. Assess Where You Are
How is your life balance? This first step allows you to see what is working, missing, and causing you to feel less fulfilled.
Start by drawing a circle that represents your life. Divide the circle into eight sections: Career, Money, Health, Friends and Family, Significant Other/Romance, Personal Growth, Fun and Recreation, and Physical Environment.
Rate your satisfaction with each section on a scale of 1-10, with one being the center and lowest satisfaction and ten being the outer edge of the circle and complete satisfaction.
2. Make Decisions
Look at your life circle and decide which areas you can improve. For example, if you want to focus on health, what are some of the things you could do that would also be fun and recreational? Could you involve friends or family? Take place in a great physical environment? Contribute to your personal growth?
Then, decide on three to five specific actions you can take to bring more satisfaction in areas that are lacking. State changes you will make in measurable terms. Don’t forget to include a date by which you will have taken the action.
For example, one of my clients wanted to simplify her life and improve her physical environment by getting rid of clutter. We discussed how too much “stuff” actually drains your energy and makes it hard to concentrate on what’s important. Clutter will actually keep you from accomplishing tasks. She decided she would spend two hours a week sorting things into boxes she would donate to charity and throwing the rest away until she had only the things she actually uses in her house. She would hire a professional organizer to help. She would complete the project within 60 days.
Another client who directs a multi billion dollar division for a hi-tech company in the Dulles corridor decided to stop staying at work until 9 or 10 at night. She recorded the time she left work every day with a goal of leaving by 6:30 p.m. She would limit phone calls to five minutes, say “no” to any extra meetings both inside and outside work and delegate work she could “do better” than anyone else. (Many of us rationalize that the reason we don’t delegate is that we can “do it better and faster” than we could tell someone how to do the task.) She would keep her boss informed of her accomplishments in writing so he would have it come performance review time and “let go of it”! She would do this within 30 days.
3. Ask For Help
This step is often overlooked. It is okay if you can’t figure it all out alone. Give yourself permission to ask for help and there is one person who is expertly prepared for the job...a coach.
How can a coach help?Every day while you’re at work, your organization’s goals are your priority. When you work with a coach, YOUR goals are the priority—both for you and the coach.
A coach will help you mesh your personal life with your work life so that you can gain more fulfillment in both areas. A coach can help people with issues that range from making a career move, to getting a promotion, becoming a stronger leader, working through conflict with a co-worker, gaining more visibility and respect from bosses and colleagues, and more. They focus entirely on your agenda and will help you move past your blocks, fears, and concerns into action.
Work wants to take you over, and it will if you let it. A coach helps people tame their work. You may need to reinforce boundaries, improve some relationships, and delegate more effectively. Yes, that even goes for those of you that think no one else can do it as well as you can.
Balance means that you prioritize, make your choice, and fully stand in that place. As a coach, I support people in doing just that.
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