Skip to main content
10 answers
10
Asked 559 views

What do you do to avoid burnout or make time for yourself?

I feel like I have too much my plate and get overwhelm alot

+25 Karma if successful
From: You
To: Friend
Subject: Career question for you

10

10 answers


Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Amely’s Answer

Time management! This is the key to avoid burnt out. You have to remember that work never ends. Instead, prioritize tasks for efficiency and set to-do-list for effective time management. Try giving yourself a break after every task accomplish. It gives you time to rest or pursuing the things that you love to do. Reward yourself too, this gives yourself the motivation and drives to continue in life. If there's too much on your plate, try asking for help. People are always more willing to help than you expect :). Good luck!
1
1
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Jamini’s Answer

- Understand the symptoms of burnout so you are able to identify when you are burnt out
- Creating an agenda with realistic time frames for your tasks, block out time for yourself, prioritize your tasks
- Know when to log off (Weekends, holidays etc..)
- Spend time with friends and family
- Explore your hobbies, find something to do in your spare time that is unrelated to work (Singing, reading, dancing etc...)
- Be kind to yourself, don't set personal expectations too high
- Participate in community work
- Make time for your physical and mental wellbeing (Exercise, sleep, healthy meal balance etc...)
1
1
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Poonam’s Answer

That's an amazing question! It's inspiring to see you striving for better work-life balance. Here's what has been working effectively for me:

1. Prioritize! Developing a well-structured and systematic approach is crucial for maintaining balance.
2. Distinguish between noise and actual work. When distractions like emails or chats arise, stay focused on your current task and only attend to non-urgent matters once you've completed what you were doing.
3. Dedicate a 30-minute block each day to reflect. Determine what's essential to do now and what can be postponed.
4. Stick to your working hours. For example, if you start at 8 am and aim to finish by 5 pm, resist the urge to respond to after-hours emails or messages. Doing so creates a more balanced expectation with your colleagues regarding your availability.
5. Take care of your body! Remember to stretch, take short breaks, and give yourself time to recharge. Stand up, move around, or make a cup of coffee every 55 minutes for a quick 5-minute breather.

I truly hope these tips make a positive difference in your work-life balance! Remember, you've got this! 😊
1
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Alex’s Answer

This is an essential skill to learn and, the earlier the better!

Avoiding burnout all boils down to one thing and it's prioritization. That's a big statement because what may be a priority to one, is not to another and, more often than not, different that your priorities. So, I grade my priorities. Life is most important - I make time to eat, sleep and take care of myself. If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to accomplish anything else which contributes to further burnout.

At the start of each day after I am taken care of, I look at my daily plan (meetings, due dates, things I didn't finish yesterday, obligations to my family). I put those things in order of importance. I physically check items off throughout the day as they are accomplished. Checking items off serves two purposes - acknowledging completion of a task and seeing that I've accomplished something which is rewarding in itself. Remember, a large part of feeling burnout is the feeling that you're not accomplishing enough. Giving yourself those small checkpoints and rewards is essential to feeling good about your efforts and progress.

Do not hesitate to push things aside that are just not important.

Always manage people's expectations...if you're busy and there is a request it's fair game to let the requestor know what your schedule looks like and what the realistic completion time is on their ask of you.

Never forget, you are only one person and there's only so much possible in a day. Get good at assigning priorities and you'll feel great.
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Rebecca’s Answer

Thank you for your question. This is a good question.
Regardless as a students or an adult, we have may dealt with a lot of items at the same time with very tight time line. This is a question of our time management. You may need to identify a time management tool to help you, e.g. Calendar in your phone, MS Outlook, etc.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Put in the time you need to attend school
2. Assign some time for your assignment and revision everyday
3. Make sure you have enough time for rest
4. Schedule some time in for your exercise
5. Identify some time for your leisure, family gathering , meeting with friend, etc.
You do not need to fill up the entire schedule. Keep some 'me' time for reflection and relax.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to help. Nusrat
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Samjana’s Answer

*written on behalf of a group of volunteers at HPE*
Focus on one task at a time - prioritization of task would be helpful if you have lot of work
Just Breathe - Take regular breaks in between work hours, try meditation, maintain work-life balance, set aside some time for yourself to indulge in the activities that you enjoy
Delegate or ask help from others
Learn to say NO (not accepting everything assigned ) - taking too much of task at once can be overwhelming and it will impact the quality of the output
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Alice’s Answer

Set limits on your work hours. Find activities that you like to do in addition to work. Set clear expectations with your coworkers. Give reasons and planfor expections. Build in breaks to your day. Try not to schedule too many back to back meetings. Take a break from technology, schedule in your calendar. Try scheduling 50 minutes or 25 minutes to be able to take a short break.
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Emma’s Answer

I'm glad you asked this question. When I have a busy schedule I also feel overwhelmed. It's very important to make time for yourself because it helps you stay on track. What has always worked for me is having great time management. I keep my calendar up to date on my phone and I enter the days and times I will dedicate to studying, having dinner with friends, attending my kid's games, and exercising. When I have dedicated time to what matters the most I stay on track and this allows me to say no to other activities. There have been instances when I cancel that dinner with friends because I need that time to stay home and relax after a long day. Always remember You come first and making a list of how you will manage your time will help you overcome any burnout. Best of luck to you!
Thank you comment icon This was super helpful, thank you! Nusrat
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Greg’s Answer

Dear Nusrat,

To avoid burnout it's recommended to have a system with which you can prioritize tasks, then use that system consistently. Identify which tasks are important (the tasks that have biggest impact) and schedule those tasks at the high-energy time of your day so you can give them your best effort. Our tendency is to procrastinate on what is important by doing what is less important first during our most productive times of the day. Additionally, understand what tasks you should be working on versus what can be delegated to someone else. Don't assume you need to work on everything. Also, give yourself a fixed amount time to accomplish tasks, so that you better your chances for boosting your productivity. Finally, schedule breaks in your day and actually take them; include spending time with co-workers and friends during your breaks.
Set boundaries for your work so you can maintain your work-life balance.

All the best!
written on behalf of a group of volunteers at HPE
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Ezekiel’s Answer

You need to remind yourself to continually space out work and your free/end time.

Make an effort to schedule your down time and "no work" periods, to spend time with your loved one and things you enjoy.

Find a hobby and book time to do it, either daily or as needed but do something that makes you happy.

Stop working every now and then or book the time to rest your eyes, look at your surroundings, and do some stretching.

Ensure you keep a good balance between work and personal life. Understand priorities and what is really urgent and what can be postponed.

Avoiding burnout is a topic that will be you throughout your life. Starting to recognize when you need time for yourself is an important skill that will serve you well.

First, do not feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Put time on your schedule, if you can, that is consistent every week. Time for yourself can be in the form of going out to exercise, reading, out with friends, etc. Be sure you focus on decompressing during that time.

If you establish good habits now, you can carry them with you as you enter the workforce, where stress is a daily challenge.

Have good time management and analyze the activities that absorb the most, and see how you can reduce your time, to have small spaces either to meditate or stretch.

-- Written on behalf of a group of volunteers at HPE
0