Benefits of Dealing with Burnout

I suppose it goes without saying, but there are many benefits of dealing with burnout. Every week I work with leaders and professionals who are experiencing significant stress. Either they are in overload and overwhelm and on the verge of burnout and disillusionment or they are in fact … experiencing burnout.

Carefully I walk them through my three part program to deal with burnout.

1. Resolution – Deal with their immediate situation to reduce some of the stress so they can think straight and design a game plan for moving forward.
2. Transition – Find and adopt new strategies for the days to come. You can’t very well solve problems by continuing to do the same things over and over. And finally …
3. Continuity – Make sure the client has made transitions to new ways of thinking and behaving AND that those new strategies have taken root and become the norm.

What do clients get by walking through this simple but profoundly changing step by step process? I’d like to suggest some of the following as reported benefits of dealing with burnout that I have heard. I don’t need to make much comment on them. They are fairly self-explanatory. And they are benefits that everyone experiencing this significantly painful time in their lives would like to have. Here are just a few.

Physical Realm

• Able to start exercising again
• Back aches stop
• Weekly trips to chiropractor stop
• Panic attacks reduce to zero over time
• Get to sleep easier
• Get a better sleep – waking up more relaxed
• Have more physical energy
• Sporadic and strange aches and pains drastically decrease
• Skin irritations stop

Time Realm

• Feel like they get weekends back
• Feel like they get weeknights back
• They once again have choice about what they want to do
• More time to work on projects they care about

Relationship Realm

• More positive relationships begin showing up
• Their mind isn’t preoccupied when with their spouse – totally present again
• Their mind isn’t preoccupied when with their children – totally present again
• Time to enjoy good friends once again

Everyday Living Realm

• Feel more relaxed
• Able to enjoy a hobby if they have one
• Made some long-needed and healthy decisions
• Brought their life into line with the truths they believed
• Discovered or made more personal space – some time to recharge

Opportunity Realm

• Dreaming about possibilities again
• Got to take what they are learning and help others
• Regained the excitement of God opening up new doors

Emotional Realm

• More contentment with their circumstances
• Brighter outlook on life
• Feel like their emotional energy was being renewed
• Sense of regaining control
• Relief from the pressure of worry

Spiritual Realm

• Created the time to connect with God in prayer and the Word once again
• Began to see people (often the source of burnout) through God’s eyes
• Once again connected with God’s people in healthy and enriching relationships
• Developed a core of people who prayed for them daily
• Allowed space for God to work in grace

I think you would agree with me that these benefits of dealing with burnout were worth reaching for. I want to encourage you. Please take the fourth step in my Beat Burnout Plan … Prevention. Prevent the slippery slide into the ways of thinking and behaving that can lead to burnout in the first place. Pursue health and personal and professional effectiveness. Be proactive in the first place and you will reap the benefits that so many leaders, executives and professionals long for this very day.

When it Has to Be Done And You Have to Do It

At any given time in my coaching practice, I work with leaders and professionals who are experiencing overload. Overload to me means "too much." They are stretched to the limit. They haven't hit burnout, but if the present trend continued on for long, it would be the next stage of "too much."

As a Christian worker, I know the territory well and have looked for some answers to one particular question. "When it has to be done, and you have to do it, and it's just too much, what can you do?"  There are no easy answers, but I think there is help.

First, let's get a taste of the criticism leveled by others who mean well, but don't always understand.

"He must not be able to delegate."

• There are some things that are sensitive enough that they can't be delegated.
• Sometimes the people who could make themselves available, don't.
• If it needs to be done now and in the midst of a tight schedule, sometimes showing someone how can take far, far longer than just doing it yourself.

"He must not be able to manage his time very well."

• Even the best time manager hits periods of "too much" when volume is the challenge, not efficiency.

"He must be a workaholic."

• The work does have to get done.
• Deadlines are important.
• Others may leave for home before the work is finished.

"So and so did that for years, and we never heard a complaint from them."

• But good old so and so was a different person who lived a different life in a different time.
• Our emotional energy levels are different.

So what CAN you do? For those of you who know what I am talking about, you know the answers don't come easy. This is what I have concluded thus far. I realize that each of the points may be hard fought for you, and only you will understand that they are not an attempt at trite, pat answers.

1. When it has to be done, God will give what you need to get it done. If God has asked you to be in the situation you are in, then he will give strength for it commensurate with the need. If He has allowed you to be in this problematic situation, be certain that He is there with you. You are not left alone.
2. Break it down into as small of pieces as you can. Emotionally you can handle something smaller easier than a large overburdening "must." Writing it down can often change the nature of anxiety and ease the pressure. 
3. Take conscious breaks, even if they are short. Be conscious of God with you. Focus on enjoying something totally unrelated to the task. Celebrate completion and success at each and every stage.
4. Tell the truth. Be very clear about what is going on. Cut through any emotional layers and state objectively what is happening or not happening. Look at it from other people's points of view also. Solving something that doesn't really exist won't work. Solving the symptom rather than the cause doesn't work long term either. But if you can name the real problem, you can be intentional about addressing it.
5. Start planning for the long term. If there is a problem, you can't solve it today. But you can begin to develop a strategy that will address the problem down the road.
6. Consider your future. Extend the present conditions out another 5 years. Can you see yourself there? If you can then God will give you everything you need for staying put. If you can't, then radical changes may be in order. This isn't easy. Our lives are complex. There may be a whole number of indicators coming together that it is time to move on.
7. Share with others. Find those who understand. They may not be able to change the situation, but they can listen. Find prayer partners. Prayer support is the single most powerful tool to sustain you and give you direction. Intentionally carve out the time to work with a personal Coach to see yourself and your situation clearly and know what to do next.
8. Finally … get some good laughs. Find some funny people to be with. Carve out the time to do it and have some good fun. Taking things seriously all the time is a drag.

These are a few suggestions you might try incorporating into your own experience. But do take ownership of something instead of letting resentment and bitterness build over everyone leaving you holding the bag.

It’s not the volume of work that has the biggest potential to lead to burnout; it’s the feelings toward your own situation, your perceived lack of control and your attitudes toward the people around you that will bite you.

Taking care of some of the basics can go a long way to addressing these things. Look, there are times as leaders that we just need to do what needs to be done. No amount of griping about it will change the fact. But the attitude I choose to adopt can make the difference between getting it done with some degree of joy and making it a miserable experience altogether. Let’s aim for the former.

One Trait of a Good Leader, Their Not-to-Do List

One trait of a good leader is their not-to-do list. Written or remembered,  the successful leader's not-to-do list saves them from a lot of stress and the potential for overload and burnout.

Great leaders know so well what they will say 'yes' to, that saying 'no' generally comes easy.

The not-to-do list allows us to create boundaries around out time and talents. It allows us to avoid being spread too thin. It prevents us from potentially slipping into attitudes that devalue others and depreciate ourselves.

Those leaders, executives, owners and professionals around us who we admire for really achieving good things, do not get involved in everything. They understand their limits and work within them. Whether they operate a successful business from home or run an international empire from the office with the commanding view, these men and women have clear boundaries.

Sometimes they tick people off when they say 'no' to a request. But they get things done ... the right things ... things that move causes, projects and programs forward. They appear to have a great ability to focus on those priorities that will best advance the ball.

"Today many are harming themselves through the temptation to do more than their limits will allow. Walking, running, and ambition are not necessarily unhealthy. Too much, however, is universally unhealthy. Overload is like that. The problem is not with the 'load'. The problem is with the 'over'. Richard Swenson, Margin, 1992, NavPress

We live surrounded by the cult-of-busy. People busily doing things, but achieving little, happy to have the bragging rights of being 'too busy' under the guise of complaining about work.

The leader ought not to live like this. Yes, you may be busy. Let's not kid ourselves. There is a lot on your plate. But your busy is directed and engaged. It is focused on priorities. It takes its energy from attending to those things which are most important and which when achieved will make the biggest impact.

Creating the First Draft of Your Not-to-Do List

• Answer this question, 'What matters?". Check last weeks to-do list against this question. Were you working on what matters? Did you achieve those few things that would make the biggest difference? Or did your time get chewed up with items of lesser importance? Or worse yet, frittered away?


• Write down those things which you are not prepared to do or which are simply not effective things for you to be doing. As a leader there are some key activities that you should be spending considerable time on and others that are just not the best use of your time.


• Think about how willing you are to allow other people to do what needs to be done. Can you let them take the responsibility? Possibly fail to get it as well done as you think you can do it? Deal with the consequences? In other words before you make your not-to-do list, think about your attitudes toward others and just how important you find yourself to be.


• Write the not-to-do list.

Possible Not-to-Do's. I will not:

• Say yes to every request for my presence at some function.


• Agree to sit on as many boards.


• Take my work home on these nights of the week.


• Allow that particular area to run understaffed, causing pressure on me.


• Agree to as many conference calls.


• OK so many meetings that require my involvement.


• Agree to speak as often in places that involve considerable travel.


• Allow interruptions during my most productive hours.


• Agree to hear a problem without the person providing a potential solution.


• Stay any longer in an area than 10 years.


• Try to troubleshoot technical problems myself.


• Accept the invitation to long lunches.

You get the idea. See how you do with your list. And then execute it with intention and focus. As you work with your personal coach, develop your personal not-to-do list. Let it guide you as you become increasingly more effective.

As an executive coach working with leaders, it is important for me to assist my clients in being more effective and productive. The not-to-do list is a simple lifelong tool, probably underestimated, that can make a big difference in seeing real, measurable improvement in that very same effectiveness and productivity.

Overload! When it has to be Done and You Have to do it.

I frequently work with leaders who are experiencing overload.

I define overload as "too much." They are stretched to the limit. They haven't hit burnout, but if the present trend continues on for long, they might.

This is particularly prevalent amongst leaders of smaller companies and nonprofits who carry out multiple tasks. They don't yet have the employees to delegate to or they work with a volunteer or transient staff.

I know the territory well and have looked for some answers to one particular question. "When it has to be done, and you have to do it, and it's just too much, what can you do?" There are no easy answers, but I think there is help.

First, let's get a taste of the criticism leveled by others who mean well, but don't always understand.

He must not be able to delegate.

• There are some things that are sensitive enough that they can't be delegated.


• Sometimes the people who could make themselves available, don't.


• If it needs to be done now and in the midst of a tight schedule, sometimes showing someone how can take longer than just doing it yourself.

She must not be able to manage her time very well.

• Even the best time manager hits periods of "too much" when volume is the challenge, not efficiency.

He must be a workaholic.

• The work does have to get done.


• Deadlines are important.


• Others may leave but some work can't wait until Monday.

She did that for years, and we never heard a complaint from her.

• But she was a different person who lived a different life in a different time.


• Maybe she did fit one or more of the categories already mentioned.


• Our emotional energy levels are different.

So what CAN you do? For those of you who know what I am talking about, you know the answers don't come easy. What follows is not an attempt at trite, pat answers.

View your situation spiritually. When it has to be done, God will give what you need to get it done. God will give strength commensurate with the need. If it is a problematic situation, concentrate on God's presence and support being with you through it.

Break it down into as small of pieces as you can. Emotionally you can handle something smaller easier than a large overburdening "must." Writing it down can often change the nature of anxiety and ease the pressure. Mentally handle the steps versus the whole.

Take conscious breaks, even if they are short. Be conscious of renewal however short it might be. Focus on enjoying something totally unrelated to the task. Celebrate completion and success at each and every stage.

Tell the truth. Be very clear about what is going on. Cut through any emotional layers and state objectively what is happening or not happening. Look at it from other people's points of view also. Solving something that doesn't really exist won't work. Solving the symptom rather than the cause doesn't work long term either. But if you can name the real problem, you can be intentional about addressing it.

Start planning for the long term. If there is a problem, you can't solve it today. But you can begin to develop a strategy that will address the problem down the road.

Consider your future. Extend the present conditions out another 5 years. Can you see yourself there? If you can then stay put and work on solutions. If you can't, then radical changes may be in order. This isn't easy. Our lives are complex. There may be a whole number of indicators coming together showing it is time to move on.

Share with others. Find those who care and understand. They may not be able to change the situation, but they can listen.

Consider working with a Coach. Make the investment to work with a personal Coach to see yourself and your situation clearly and know what to do next. Uncover potential blind spots. Think through new strategies and approaches to moving forward.

Get some good laughs. Find some happy, positive, funny people to be with. Be intentional about creating the time to do it and have some good fun.