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Berlin and other stories

Burning yourself out with productivity

22/04/2018 · 1 Comment

Burning yourself out

Burning yourself out

One of my resolutions for 2018 is to decelerate and pause productivity. What do I mean by this? In a post not long ago I told you about a period in my life where I had lost the passion for my job. In the post, I describe how the environment that I was working in had suppressed my spark and initial excitement for my profession – ultimately leaving me depressed and discouraged. After reflecting my mini-depression I have realized that I unconsciously played a big role in burning myself out as well. To be fuelled by your passion you need to be able to refuel – and I didn’t give myself that option.  

You know that I am a big advocate for productivity (duh, that’s probably why you’re here). I enjoy using my time in an effective and purposeful manner. So much so, that I unintentionally started planning out every hour of every day. No matter if it was a workday or on the weekends (you know, usually the time where you’re supposed to relax and put your feet up). I submitted myself to this self-imposed pressure of ideal productivity.  

My wake-up call happened one Sunday morning. I had had a stressful week with long hours at the agency which meant the housework had been secondary all week and the apartment was an absolute mess. Saturday had been filled with family obligations leaving all of the housework for Sunday. That morning I got up, already conducting a list in my head of all of the chores that had to be completed by Sunday night to have a spotless apartment for the upcoming week. The list was so long that I knew I wasn’t going to be done until very late that day. So I sat down on the couch and just started sobbing uncontrollably. I was literally feeling sorry for myself because I had chores to do. Looking back on it now I remember that even at that moment I felt so ashamed of my childish behavior. But I couldn’t help it – I just felt so tired and defeated. Eventually, my boyfriend came to the living room asking me what had happened. I explained my dilemma to him. He just looked at me confused and said: “If you don’t want to do it, just don’t do it.”

It’s that simple. Funnily enough, this has been such an epiphany for me. Since then I have been much more cautious with my time. And I have realized that sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to simply relax. In this blog post, you can find a few rules that I have obliged to since that infamous day. I hope that they will help some of you to not make the same mistake I made with my own well-being. Burning yourself out is a thing, but it can be prevented. 

 

Keep it manageable. 

 
I love myself a to-do list as much as the next person. Writing down your tasks is a great way to be structured and organized and ultimately free your mind. However, the longer that list gets, the more unconquerable it will feel. Looking at a list with about a hundred different chores on it is not going to be motivating. Therefore it is important to keep one basic principle in mind: As much as necessary, as little as possible. And although being able to put a checkmark next to a task is satisfying, try not to chop up your tasks into too many parts. 
 
What helps me at my job as well as at home is to make two lists. This might sound a bit obsessive but I have a master-list where I keep adding tasks during the week. I then transfer some of those tasks from that list to my daily to-do list. The trick here is that I keep checking my daily list multiple times a day (as you do). Instead of getting worked up about the endless amount of chores, as I would with my master-list, I only see the jobs that need tending to at the moment. See what I did there? 😉
 
 

Be still. 

 
In the last few months, I have also made rest a priority. Not in the sense of a nap (although, always a great idea). I simply try to give myself a bit of time each day where I do something absolutely useless that doesn’t require thinking or executing for that matter. For instance, for awhile I did jigsaw puzzles. The trick is, instead of having the tv, an audio book or music on in the background, try to make it just about you and your thoughts. Trust me, it’s life-changing. Even if it is only 30 minutes a day. being still for a bit will leave you feeling much calmer and at peace. Your thoughts will be able to catch up with your actions and reorganize. 
 
To be fuelled by your passion you need to be able to refuel. Click To Tweet

 

Just say no. 

 
Even though I am supposed to be in the bloom of my life and enjoy my youth to its fullest I am a total home buddy. I’d much rather chill on the couch with some Netflix and go to bed early, than staying out all night living it up. I’m not sure why exactly but going out stresses me out. I don’t enjoy it. Now before if one of my friends asked me to go out with them I did one of two things. I either went, and it was usually as bad as I thought it would be. Or I stressed about coming up with a great excuse that didn’t make me sound boring or rude. Well, no more. I now decline politely with the truth. Which is, I really don’t enjoy going out. The moral of that story is the following: If you don’t want to do something, there is no point in stressing about it. Just say no. 
 
I would really love to know if any of you have ever struggled with burning yourself out. How do you keep the balance between high productivity and your mental well-being? 
 
xx
Nico
 
 

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Filed Under: Productivity and Organization Tagged: burnout, productivity, sanity, well-being

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  1. Mindful Productivity | Kat Business says:
    04/06/2019 at 3:55 pm

    […] sure. By the way: I’m not the only one stepping in for some serious relaxing time. Read Nico’s post (she is a productivity blogger) on how to keep the balance between productivity and sanity. Because […]

    Reply

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Nico of Berlin and Other Stories

Welcome to Berlin and Other Stories. My name is Nico and I am so happy you stopped by. BAOS is a blog full of productivity and self-improvement tips and tricks for millennials. I hope you enjoy the content and find what you are looking for. If you have any questions or notes please join in on the conversation with a comment!
xx Nico

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