How to Avoid Burnout & Stay Inspired: A Comprehensive Guide
Burnout is a real risk when you’re striving to reach the top of the corporate world, and like many professionals, I have faced it in today’s fast-paced world. It can hinder productivity, creativity, and more. No need to stress—I’ll share some effective strategies you can use to avoid burnout and stay inspired in your work and life.
If you’re wondering how the greats like Elon Musk, Grant Cardone, Tony Robbins conquer consistently 80 hour work weeks, this is a blog post you should read.
Recognizing the Signs
It’s essential to recognize the signs of burnout early on to prevent it from escalating. Some common signs include constant fatigue, decreased productivity, irritability, and a sense of detachment from your work.
For myself when I am at risk of burning out, I catch myself feeling like procrastinating or even being “short” tempered with someone. Sometimes, I`ll even have less emotional availability for doing what it is that I love most, and that is serving others’ career aspirations!
Secrets to Avoid Burnout
Prioritize Self-Care
Make time for self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, or spending time with loved ones. Taking care of your physical and mental well-being is crucial in preventing burnout.
As Grant Cardone wisely advises, always have something fun booked ahead that you’re looking forward to experiencing. This strategy can help check you out from all thoughts of work and rejuvenate your mind and body.
This is one of my favorites because I love making time for fun activities like golfing, skiing, going to the gym, or being a weekend adrenaline junkie and playing in competitive paintball events. Also, if you can afford it, booking weekend excursions and vacations abroad are, I would hope, everyone’s favorite pastime.
Diet and Sleep
Diet
Michael Schumacher, the winning driver of 7 Formula 1 championships, understands the importance of fueling his race car with the best quality fuel to achieve optimal performance. If you want your body to run consistently like a championship-winning F1 race car, you have to fuel it with high-quality nutrition to get those results.
If you’re struggling with knowing exactly what to eat, dietitians are great. However, I’ve found the most success working with professional bodybuilding coaches. It might sound surprising, but there are plenty of coaches who can not only break down your food choices but also help identify the best supplements for you. Best part is they will also teach you about how to exercise and I found them far more cost effective. By the way, have you looked into meal prep services in your local area?
Working with them can shorten your learning curve on supplement superfoods like protein powders, BCAAs, condensed greens, condensed berries, creatine, glutamine, electrolytes, collagen, and more. Plus, the flavors are incredible with these supplements!
PS – Hydration is key. Make a point of drinking warm water with electrolytes as soon as you wake up. Tired feelings in the morning are usually due to dehydration. Hold for at least one hour after working before you indulge into your fix of caffeine, I mean coffee.
Sleep
Establish a regular sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends. Consistency is actually the secret here!
If you’re able to work from home like myself, scheduling a 20-minute power nap occasionally actually works! Jocko Willink taught me that for quick nap results, elevate your feet above your head. I took this to heart, as he is a former Navy SEAL and Special Forces Operator, now turned elite executive career coach to some of the world’s top executives.
For your nighttime routine, consider adding a magnesium supplement to your nightly regimen right before bed. Magnesium can help relax your muscles and promote deeper, more restful sleep. Keep a bottle on your nightstand and sweet dreams!
Pursue Passion Projects
Tony Robbins emphasizes the importance of incorporating variety into your life and attributes much of his success to this principle.
His events like Unleash The Power Within or Date With Destiny also help people unfold into what he calls their calling or passion. The best part is what fulfills you and gets you excited shouldn’t just be your work; it should be something opposite that gets you excited.
Robbins teaches that outside of work, you need to invest time in growing and mastering something you are passionate about. This pursuit is a big source of fulfillment, according to his teachings. Begin to embrace your creativity and imagination again, pun intended.
Here is a question to help you discover what excites you: “What was an activity you really enjoyed doing when you were a kid or teenager?”
For me, it was golfing, playing paintball, and taking day road trips to explore what was in my local backyard of Ontario, Canada!
Personal growth and contribution
Tony Robbins teaches that the secret to fulfillment lies in making time for personal growth and contribution. He emphasizes that these two elements are crucial if you are going to consistently work long hours and be extreme with your days.
Personal growth involves investing time in mastering or learning something new every day. This should become your new daily habit. For me, if I’m not learning something new daily about social media marketing, artificial intelligence tools, public speaking, or fitness, I’ll pick up a book and read at least 10 pages. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes, but once you’re in a flow, you all of a sudden feel great, plus proud of yourself. Feeling proud is feeling fulfilled.
Contribution or call it giving back to others gives you a connection to a deeper purpose. This purpose is ideally bigger than yourself, where you invest time in serving others in a way that resonates with your heart. The fulfillment comes when you discover this recipe for yourself and you begin to do this each week without any expectations or obligations in return. Again, this is where you feel proud because you’re making a difference in the world, and that is a great source of fulfillment.
Counselors, therapists and coaches
Counselors, therapists, and coaches can be instrumental in removing the weight of the world from your shoulders and conquering the symptoms of burnout onset. I have found they provided me valuable support and guidance, which really helped me feel how I deserve to feel!
Behind every ultra-successful corporate professional, such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Oprah Winfrey, is a great coach, actually many great coaches. These individuals understand the value of having a supportive guide to help them reach their full potential.
Ask yourself: “What parts of your life are you challenged with outside of work?” Is it related to your body, spirituality / faith, fitness, relationships, or something else? Once you identify the area that’s holding you back the most, prioritize it and seek out an expert coach to guide you to your new goal.
Coaches and therapists have played a pivotal role in helping me grow forward in my life and in business. While free coaching can be helpful and is a great place to start, true transformation often begins when you invest in yourself with coaching. This investment demonstrates your commitment to personal growth and can lead to profound changes in your life.
Bonus Tip – Warren Buffet
Warren Buffet once shared a powerful piece of advice: “You should invest an equal amount of time in yourself each day as you do working in your job.”
This tip I absolutely endorse. Personal growth has been a significant source of fulfillment in my life, and I’ve found that investing time in myself has prevented me from feeling stagnant or stuck in the same place. Taking time for personal development not only improves your skills and knowledge but also enhances your overall well-being, satisfaction with life and ability to serve others
Key Takeaways and Tips
Staying consistent was for years a major obstacle for me. After diving into and self-educating myself on the topic, I have uncovered my inconsistency came from the onset of burnout.
I am excited for you to begin diving into discovering and enjoying your long-lost passions. There is a great quote I heard about this, and it goes something like this: “Make more time to play like a kid!”
Your imagination is one of the best tools to conquer the onset of burnout, so enjoy your fun times ahead to recharge your batteries.
I look forward to you connecting with me across social media and I look forward to us becoming professional colleagues and friends in the future.
“Your career is important. Your hiring is important. Let’s get to work.”
Chris Begin, CPA, CMA
President & Founder
Begin Recruitment and Career Elevation Academy
