How to Cope with Job Burnout
July 30th, 2007 (1:58pm) Anne Zelenka 38 Comments
Even if you love your work, there will be times when it no longer fills you with passion and energy. You feel emotionally exhausted and cynical. Your health suffers as stress mounts. You wonder whether you have the resources, internal or external, to meet your responsibilities.
Web workers may be especially prone to burnout in a hyperconnected world. That damn laptop’s always around, waiting with email at the ready.
To see if you might be at risk of burnout, try this Burnout Self-Test. If you’re close to burnout, though, you probably already know it: you feel irritable, overworked, and underappreciated.
You could leave your job for another — and that might be exactly what you need to do — but that’s not always feasible or sensible. Before taking that drastic step, try these things first:
Find a new project. Especially if you work in a team of substantial size, there’s usually room for individual workers to move around to different tasks or projects. If you ask for changes too regularly and never finish any projects, this turns into a way of shirking rather than rejuvenating. But sometimes, it’s the ideal way of dealing with burnout without setting bridges or income on fire.
Offload some responsibilities. Certain parts of your job might be just fine. Talk to the person in charge about whether you might be able to offload the tasks that are burdensome in favor of focusing on what satisfies you. Most jobs do involve some tasks you don’t like to do, but if the balance has shifted so much towards unpleasantness that you are facing burnout, you need to make a change.
Get some help. Maybe all of your tasks are satisfying but there are just too many of them. Explore whether you can outsource some of them (if you work for yourself) or get another employee to help you (if you work for someone else). Perhaps outsourcing some of your personal chores would free enough time to allow you to get back on top of your work responsibilities.
Reach out of yourself. When you start to burn out, you may push people away with your grumpiness, but connecting with other people can be just what you need to to change your thinking around. If you feel comfortable with it, share your exhaustion and pessimism online with your friends. Instead of annoying people by using IM as your personal therapy provider, broadcast your angst on Twitter or Facebook or Jaiku. Then the people with some free emotional cycles can come to your aid.
Hibernate. Especially if you have a bursty sort of temperament, you may go through periods of massive achievement and accomplishment followed by sloth and torpor. If your job allows it, take it easy while you recover from big efforts — don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Your boss will put up with your lulls if you produce results during your energetic times.
Start a side job. What, work more? Yes. Sometimes enthusiasm for a second project can rekindle your energy for your other work. The web offers all sorts of ways to experiment with new ways of making money. Maybe you need a whole portfolio of jobs, not just one.
Take a sabbatical. If you have the financial wherewithal, take some paid or unpaid time off. Don’t think of it as a vacation. Use it to renew your zest for work. Take a class or volunteer for a cause you care about or teach yourself something new. Maybe you’ll come back refreshed; maybe you’ll decide you’re ready to quit that job and find something new.
What do you do when you feel burned out?
38 Comments Post your own comment
marcus says: July 30th, 2007 2:48pm
thanks! this comes handy :D
m
Lance says: July 30th, 2007 4:15pm
this is so on point it’s not even funny ;)
Jonathan says: July 30th, 2007 7:10pm
Thanks for the article- I just had one of the most unproductive days ever at my “real job”, feeling so burnt out, still getting over last week… Very timely as usual! Thanks!
Kolz Blog » Blog Archive » How to Cope with Job Burnout says: July 30th, 2007 8:33pm
[...] that’s not always feasible or sensible. Before taking that drastic step, try these things first: (more…) [...]
Burn out?! » Code Candies says: July 31st, 2007 12:20am
[...] oder es kündigt sich das gefürchtete Burnout-Syndrom an. Das kann man in einem Test [via] schnell überprüfen. Dann aber bitte wieder fix zurück an die Arbeit, meine [...]
TextAdSearch says: July 31st, 2007 3:19am
That’s exactly how I felt when I worked in an office. At least now I can go outside. Taking a 5 minute walk break in the sunshine works wonders.
Raymond says: July 31st, 2007 7:28am
sometimes the burnout exhausts me to a point where I dont even want to be infront of a computer if I dont have to. And then I feel guilty for not working on the numerous side projects in favour of just watching tv all night.
jeremy says: July 31st, 2007 7:41am
Wow, these suggestions are so much better than drinking myself into a coma.
Seriously though, I went through a massive burn-out about a year ago. My health suffered, and I ended up in the hospital. I was working at home at the time, and oddly enough, finding a desk job somewhere other than home seemed to get me out of my burnt out stage. There’s something to be said for the ability to leave work at work.
Shannon Munford M.A. MFT, CAMF says: July 31st, 2007 8:23am
I teach anger management classes and have been surprised at the amount of web developers and computer engineers who have entered my class. I have always wondered if the lack of human interaction had something to contribute to burn out, stress and aggression in the tech field.
Shannon Munford M.A.
http://www.daybreakservices.com
Business Hacks » Learn to Deal with Job Burnout on BNET says: July 31st, 2007 9:00am
[...] (like sending your boss an “I quit!” e-mail), check out Web Worker Daily’s tips for coping with job burnout. For example: Get some help Maybe all of your tasks are satisfying but there are just too many of [...]
Alfa says: July 31st, 2007 10:15am
Getting a second job works for me because it kicks me to be more productive since with a second job, your time for your first job becomes limited.
adesh sharma says: July 31st, 2007 2:30pm
Getting a second job works for me because it kicks me to be more productive since with a second job, your time for your first job becomes limited.
:)
Amie Gillingham says: August 1st, 2007 6:50am
I think there’s no question I’m burnt out, and my co-founder is even more so. The biggest issue is that right now, there’s noone else to whom we can off-load or delegate anything, nor are we in a position to hire anyone for anything remotely resembling a living wage, let alone near industry standards. I’m personally well past the point of feeling like Sisyphus pushing that rock…
JR Fent says: August 1st, 2007 9:52am
I once felt so burned out that I took a second unrelated job. It was kind of menial and turned out to be demeaning too. I was having to answer to a dork who had no clue how to manage and could not have functioned in any roll tougher than what he was already doing. I’d watch him yell at and talk about his employees behind their backs. Within a few weeks I had a new zest for my work and got the hell out of there.
JR Fent
Recruiter
jrfent.com
modobs says: August 1st, 2007 11:13am
Good advices, thank you! But I’m not sure about taking a second unrelated job…
Jen says: August 1st, 2007 12:40pm
Great advice!
the sharpbrains blog includes some tips on how we can choose to react to tough work situations, like “Use a contemplative practice like yoga or meditation to calm your mind and body or try using a heart rate variability sensor to learn to relax and focus your mind and body” and “Ask yourself how important something truly is to you. Maybe you’re stressing over something that you are better off just letting go.”
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/06/04/stress-and-short-term-memory/
cheezburger says: August 1st, 2007 3:02pm
go look at pix of cute cats. works for me. :)
Anne Zelenka says: August 1st, 2007 3:34pm
@cheezburger: why didn’t I think of that!
Top Posts « WordPress.com says: August 1st, 2007 4:58pm
[...] How to Cope with Job Burnout Even if you love your work, there will be times when it no longer fills you with passion and energy. You feel […] [...]
Michael says: August 2nd, 2007 12:24am
The burnout test says that I am at risk of burnout which sounds right to me because sometimes I feel like I am burned out. I’ll have to try some of the things on this list, especially to get some help, I think I’m going to hire someone to create a wordpress theme for me.
Does Your Job Sucks? says: August 2nd, 2007 4:09am
[...] Read few tips on “How to cope up with job burnout“. [...]
Swan says: August 2nd, 2007 5:35am
Great advice. Currently in throes of deciding if I should run for the hills. Maybe I won’t need to.
thanks
Ungeek It » Blog Archive » Friday - Five Great Posts says: August 3rd, 2007 9:33am
[...] Worker Daily How to Cope With Job Burnout. Anne Zelenka offers some practical suggestions for handling burnout. On the quiz she links to – [...]
How to Cope with Job Burnout « Job & Career News says: August 3rd, 2007 3:44pm
[...] by Sarah on August 3rd, 2007 Web Worker Daily offers seven ideas for people struggling with burnout on the job. There is also a link to a [...]
Kurz vorm Burnout? Was tun? : Ich.Mir.Mich says: August 6th, 2007 12:08pm
[...] busy…immer erreichbar…usw.. Beim Webworker Daily gibt es einen Burnout Self Test und Anregungen, die das Desaster verhindern helfen sollen. Zumindest sollte man sich gedanklich mal mit diesem [...]
links for 2007-08-11 | blog.henman.ca says: August 10th, 2007 10:17pm
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Andy says: August 12th, 2007 2:43pm
Anybody who has worked in IT for a bunch of years knows that feeling - you’re stuck implementing the wrong design that was thrown together in response to the wrong requirements, trying to meet an unreasonable deadline.
Your suggestions are all great, but I’d like to add another. Do something new that’s completely unrelated to work - not just a different job, something completely left field.
Last year, my GF & I bought a mincer and learned to make sausages. This year, I want to try my hand at making balloon animals.
My rationale is this: I make a good wage and have a lively mind, so to relax I can forget about earning and simply try to give my poor, frustrated brain some entertainment. Works for me!
Anne Zelenka says: August 12th, 2007 7:03pm
Andy: good point. I started a food blog and I’m also learning to paint. Sometimes you gotta’ get away from the technology grind.
Makes sense that you’d need a “mincer” to make sausages though I’d never heard of one before. My son makes balloon animals — mostly dogs, either normal or poodle. He’s always a big hit at my younger kids’ birthday parties.
noahcarter.com » Blog Archive » links for 2007-08-13 says: August 12th, 2007 9:25pm
[...] Web Worker Daily » Blog Archive How to Cope with Job Burnout « [...]
‘Bout Free Milk and a Cow says: September 5th, 2007 8:37am
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Glenn’s Journey » Blog Archive » Burnout? Really? Me! says: September 27th, 2007 10:17pm
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Kolz Blog » Blog Archive » Web Worker 101: Setting Limits says: November 1st, 2007 2:11pm
[...] work, alienate your friends and family, and ultimately burn out. While we’re passed along tips on recovering from burnout in the past, a better idea is to avoid it in the first place. With that in mind, here are five [...]
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Ari Novick, Ph.D. says: August 20th, 2008 7:59am
I recently did an onsite training teaching communication skills to web designers and programmers. I think this is an often overlooked field that is under a tremendous amount of stress and burnout.
Dr. Beverly Potter says: August 20th, 2008 12:23pm
Stress and burnout are not the same. Burnout is a kind of job depression and is caused by feeling of powerlessness; it is not caused by stress - tho it is stressful. Stress is a taxing of the body.
Burnout is a motivational problem. A person struggling with burnout is demotivated, dispirited, depressed - down. Whereas a highly stressed person may be highly enthusiastic - tho driving their body.
Stress is the “fever” of burnout. As with pneumonia. A high fever must be reduced or there is a risk of brain damage - BUT once reduced the pneumonia is still there. Similarly with burnout - the stress must be reduced but reducing stress does not deal with the job situations rendering the person helpless. The person must develop a feeling of controllability.
Burnout is caused by feelings of uncontrollability. Powerlessness, damed-if-you-do damed-if-you-don’t situations. It is prevented by developing feelings of control over the job - which is an on-going process.
For considerable information on job burnout, the symptoms, burnout quizzes, and what to do to prevent it or turn it around - go to my site at docpotter.com