5/19/20
BURNOUT
Do you practice the 4R’s..?? When you vacation, are you doing what is necessary to avoid burnout. Ask yourself, when I vacation, do I take time out to Rest, Relax, Release (stress), and be Renewed. I’m not talking about a few hours here or there between work calls and emails all day long. That doesn’t count.
One of the many reasons for burnout has to do with the lost art of vacationing. Maybe it’s due to our inability to delegate; …or our lack of trust in our teammates;…or our struggle to have at least some resemblance to a boundary of being available ALL the time to clients;….or our own sense of self being too tightly wound in what we do for a living. All of these are reasons (excuses) for why we don’t practice good habits on vacation. Which leads to vacation not feeling like vacation at all. Which leads to BURNOUT..!!!
Let’s start with the simple definition of the word. Vacation is an Anglo-French word literally meaning….”exemption from service and a respite from work”….”to be free and to have leisure” (NO WORK).
Now, I get it. I’ve already lost many of you because you are rolling your eyes and saying to yourself…”no way…he just doesn’t understand the work or the clients”. Actually, I do. And because of that, I am willing to compromise with you. It’s as easy as 1,2,3.
- Inform primary clients you are going on vacation, and while on vacation, you are going to do two things. Delegate routine work to colleagues in your absence. And two, tend to matters yourself (the “have-to’s”) via email/phone which you believe require your input (leading to 2 & 3 below).
- Designate a time every morning (20-40 min) to review emails and phone calls which may have spilled over from the previous day due to not needing your immediate attention.
- Designate another time in the late afternoon or early evening (20-40 min prior to dinner) to tend to the “crises” that may have come up during the day, or for ongoing crises being handled.
I realize for many, this may not be a popular plan to consider. It’s hard to break our habits. I encourage you to look further into it if you are experiencing BURNOUT.