a new way to look at burnout

Today’s tip is this:

Working less is not necessarily the cure or prevention for burnout.

That might seem like a strange or even harsh statement, but there’s a quote from Patrick Lencioni in his book The 6 Types of Working Genius that explains why this is:

“…the type of work that a person does turns out to be much more important in regard to burnout than the volume of work. Some people can work long hours over extended periods of time in their areas of joy and passion, while others can work relatively few hours but experience severe burnout because they are doing work that robs they of joy and passion. It follows logically then that a person who is experiencing the first signs of burnout will not find relief simply by reducing the time they spend at work, even though that is often what we prescribe for them. What they need to do is spend more time doing what feeds them.”

So if you seem to have lost your joy and passion in what you do or are experiencing signs of burnout, take some time to think through the things that you are doing and what drains you versus what energizes you. Find ways, at work or outside of work, to spend more time doing the things that energize you.