A high potential for ... burnout

Why is it some people working with some leaders in some environments experience burnout ... yet other don’t?

This difference is stark and at the heart of why some things fire us up ... and others burn us out. 

In this Forbes article by Alain Hunkins, it’s revealed that “engaged employees who have job flexibility tend to work more hours per week than the average employee, while reporting higher wellbeing.

“When people feel inspired, motivated and supported in their work, they do more work — and that work is significantly less stressful on their overall health and wellbeing.”

This finding was echoed in Gallup research. 

Review the article for :
🔥 the 5 causes of burnout
🔥 the 5 signs of burnout 
and, importantly, 
🔥 the 9 solutions to burnout. 

And if you’re a high potential performer with a strong work ethic, bookmark the article and keep an eye on the flames: you could be prone to burning out more than firing up. 

When is good enough... good enough

We can often hesitate putting something ‘out there’ because it still doesn’t feel good enough ‘in here’, in our minds, to us. 

But this could be a sign of perfectionism, preventing us taking action, pressing the button. 

It was so good to speak with  
Nina Sunday CSP on her podcast ‘Manage Self, Lead Others’. We had a great conversation!

🎧 Listen here: 
or via podcast apps like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, IHeartRadio.

Better still, 📺 Watch the video version: 

We explored when is the right time to accept ‘good enough’ ... and had a few laughs talking about my book 'ARGH! Too much information, not enough brain: A practical guide to outsmarting overwhelm.' 

The overwork of remote work

Productivity might be up but the dangers of overworking are right there too. 

With thinner lines between work time and home time, and the office just a virtual click away, the dangers of overworking have been revealed in the Microsoft Work Trends Index. 

It’s not sustainable ... even if it’s easy to work longer hours. 

It’s not healthy ... even if you forget to take a break. 

It’s not truly being productive ... if you’re exhausted. 

Leaders of remote and hybrid teams must engage in ways that uncover the well-being of that team. 

Look at your working day : 
- do you ‘push through’ or take breaks? 
- do you work anywhere anytime or have boundaries? 
- do you keep going and work through what would have been commute time? 

Change to the nature of work requires adaptability from us humans. But take care... the trends of the last year are revealing our tendency to overwork. 

Deciding what to do ... next

I’ve been thinking, reading, researching and writing about overwhelm and overload. 

A big something that can lead us to greater overwhelm and overload is getting stuck with what to do next. 

There’s often no shortage of options of what to do ... but it’s the what to do NEXT that can make us grind to a halt under a flood of possibilities. 

Hesitation at the wall of unmade decisions is not reserved for individuals in their own business!

It’s in teams in companies too. 

➡️ Are we waiting for someone to tell us what to do? This was the challenge faced by a former full time employee in the first few weeks of running their own business. 

➡️ Are we wondering which to choose from a list of alternatives - like the overwhelm of a menu?

➡️ Are we wondering which is the ‘right’ or the ‘best’ decision to make?

We can lose time, confidence and opportunities while we’re waiting in the overwhelm of hesitation. 

Decisiveness helps us get more things into action, to see some return on our effort, and to see how things turn out. 

Of course, not every decision can be made quicker or sooner. 

But a swift decision can often lead us to greater insight, confidence and of course... the magic of momentum. 

The struggle of decision making

In the times of uncertainty we’ve been experiencing, it can feel too hard or overwhelming to make decisions. 

There are so many options, scenarios and what ifs that are possible

Try this 1-2-3 mantra I use with mentoring clients:


1. Find the path
A path helps give us more certainty of where we’re heading - even if we don’t know all the details or what’s ahead yet. It’s a direction marker. 

It may be a new path for you, or a path another has taken. 


2. Make a decision. 
What are you going to do? 

Our attention, energy and motivation is stolen by unmade decisions. To reduce overwhelm and pressure and move out of inertia, we can make decisions now we have a path. 

There’s less to fear about this because many decisions can be adjusted later (or reversed) if they’re not right for you. 

But make a decision. Making no decision on a path when a decision is needed saps our time, energy and attention. 


3. Take action. 
We can’t think our way through decisions. Action is the best way to work out if what you’ve decided and where you’re going is a good fit. 


You can step out along a safer, less uncertain path:

1. Find the path. 
2. Make decisions. 
3. Take action.