5 Bad Choices I Made That Led Me Straight to Burnout
And how you can avoid them
It seems that we are living in the age of Burnout. Every other day, my feed is full of articles protecting me from this new disease that seems to corrupt our generation.
I’m currently working as a programmer, and in my community it looks like Burnout is real. I’m seeing smart, successful friends of mine break down and seek new careers. I’m seeing people lose hope in what they do daily and asking themselves why they even woke up in the morning.
Let me tell you something, I myself have been through this so called “Burnout”. I have stayed home sick from the stress I felt. I’ve left work feeling intense headaches. I’ve sat in my room contemplating why I chose my occupation to begin with.
The good thing is, I’ve lived to tell the tale. I have compiled a list of things that I am certain led me to this situation. I hope that these things help you stay away from the dangers of life in this age.
1. Saying yes to everything
Don’t believe people are kind. If you’re boss asks how you’re doing, it’s because he wants to see you work. He doesn’t care about your health as much as you should. Thats your job.
That new client likely doesn’t know how to price your product better than you do. He might underestimate your skillset, and you should stand your ground.
- Say no to jobs that won’t teach you new things. Money gives less satisfaction than experience.
- Say no to bosses who behave poorly to you. Those people will take you down in life.
- Say no to unreasonable price offers. Don’t settle for less than your worth.
The world is huge. We don’t have much time on it. Offers will come and go.
2. Wasting time on the job
When you’re bored, time moves slower. If you are like me, this time wasted on the job will soon lead to guilt. This guilt will eat you up from the inside.
When you’re getting paid, someone wants to get rewarded for your service, as soon as possible. You think about continuing, but you’ve just received an email from a friend. You choose to read that email, and then another and another, and 1 hour later your boss comes around and you don’t have anything to show him. Stay away from this.
3. Surrounding yourself with the wrong people
These people might not be necessarily wrong for you, but are not educated enough in your field to support you in your journey. I myself am really excited about being with people who are from areas in life and work that are new to me.
When I started working in startups, I was still hanging out with the friends I had from beforehand. These friends didn’t appreciate work in my area, and I felt ashamed at times to speak about my job. Now I’m not saying to leave these friends for good, but you should have at least a few friends that can relate and chat about things you’re working on. These friends will help you keep being motivated throughout your journey.
4. Multitasking
This is a very easy one. Why should you do one thing, when you can do many?
The brain typically struggles to do too many different things at once. Error rates are a lot higher, and the switching of context usually makes up for the time earned by doing many things at once.
I have tried doing multiple tasks at once myself more often than not, and failed miserably. Sooner or later, one thing is more important to you than the other. You forget you had another thing you were in the middle of doing, and when you remember it is usually too late. Take your time, it’s worth it.
5. Forgetting why you started in the first place
This is the most important thing I’ve learnt. When you forget your initial intent, you start to do stupid things.
If you took a high paying job, and you forget why you needed money in the first place, then you’ll start wasting it. If you started working in a field that satisfies you emotionally and you start losing interest, you won’t work as hard. Write your values on the wall if you have to. Write your mottos on notes on your desk. Ask your boss how much you’ve improved since starting. Seeing progress will help you understand that you’re in a good direction.
I believe every person can control their feelings, and with help from these tips you will be able to defeat your inner demons.
