Before I get into the steps you can take to avert burnouts, I want to reiterate one important truth. And that is burnouts are a human thing. Burnouts can only happen to human being and not machines. In fact burnout happen when you try to function like a machine as supposed to a human being with real emotions and consciousness. Burnouts are a result of failing to respond to the needs of oneself in a wholistic manner. Whether inadvertently or not, it does not matter. What do I mean by that? It means that not paying attention to your needs physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically will result in burnouts.
We unwittingly believe that the more we push ourselves to extreme length in spite of the stress and negative consequences to our bodies and minds, we will succeed. And yet that is not true. It is in fact the opposite. Work hard and for longer period of time but don’t forget to balance that out with other things. That is if you want to go on for longer periods of time without burnouts. In other words don’t neglect to fulfill your human needs as you pursue your goals. With this in mind, let’s get to the steps you can take to avert burnouts.
1st. It is very important to eat healthier food which means less fast food and drinking lots of water
2nd. It is important to have adequate sleep and rest every single day
3rd. It is very important to go outside for some kind of exercise weather it is running or weight training, it does not matter. Our body and mind immensely benefits from some form of exercise
4th. Taking breaks from coding and sitting in front of the laptop at least every hour or maybe two hours. And then stretch your body at least for 10 min
5th. Practice gratitude or spirituality if you subscribe to it
6th. Attend to your relationship with family and friends. Make sure you make adequate time reserved to cultivate and nurture your relationships. It is very important. Your relationships are your support system and it’s important to connect with people if you want to stay sane.
7th. Engage yourself in your hobby regularly. It is important to pursue our hobbies and enjoy things just for the sake of it.
8th. Make time each day to check on your self. Write a journal or some kind of reflection. It’s good to know and be aware of your emotional state since we’re on autopilot for most part of the day and make emotional decisions for the most part.
9th. Stop 🛑 signing up for multiple commitments. Do one thing at a time if you can. If not use prioritization strategies. I prioritize based on the importance and urgency of the task that needs to be done. Urgent and important 1st, important and not urgent 2nd, urgent but not important 3rd and finally not urgent & not important 4th.
10th. Focus on things you can control. It is absolutely critical that you don’t lose your sense of control however limited you might feel. Whether it is through learned helplessness or not, it does not matter.
11th. Allocate time to do nothing. It is important to make time to disengage and do nothing like on Sunday. So that you can recuperate and start the week strong. It’s like giving your mind a reset and rejuvenate before another week starts.
That’s all I have. Good luck!
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