Three Steps to Actually Beat Burnout

We’ve all been there before. I know I certainly have. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Trying to be all things to all people. I don’t care how smart and capable you are, it’s unsustainable. The productivity gurus will teach you to manage your time and most people start by asking, 

“Do I have time for this?”

Here’s the thing — it’s not about time. Some of the most draining tasks take very little time; it’s about how much energy it drains from you. Instead, ask yourself: 

“Do I have the mental energy to do this?”

I get a lot more done today than I did in years past, and it’s because I learned to manage my energy by leaning into my strengths instead of working against my grain. Here are three simple steps you can take to do more, more naturally: 

1. Get clarity on your strengths. Start by getting crystal clear about your goals and your strengths. It wasn’t until I really understood my instinctive strengths (how I naturally take action and solve problems) that I was able to make better decisions on how to spend my energy.

Get started: Write down everything you do each week and circle the tasks that energize you — the kind you could do all day. Now, circle the two or three tasks that drain your energy the most. I’m talking about things that you do a lot that just take it all out of you; the tasks that make you feel like you’re walking up the down escalator. You might notice that some of the simplest tasks cause the most stress.

2. Commit, but to very little. Just like time, you have a limited amount of energy. So, if you’re going to be more productive without burning out, you have to commit to doing only the tasks that are the best and highest use of your energy. This means saying “no” or delegating the rest.  

Get started: Choose one thing to say “no” to this week because it goes against your strengths and it’s not the best and highest use of your mental energy. 

3. Collaborate with the right people. Unfortunately, you can’t say “no” to everything, but when you find the right people to work with, you can do a lot more with much less stress.

Seek out people who do things differently from how you do them. Those people may drive you crazy sometimes, but you need them! Turns out, the tasks that drain you are the same tasks that will energize somebody else. The magic happens when you purposefully surround yourself with people who have complementary strengths. 

Get started: Find one person you can work with this month who can share the tasks that drain you the most.

Time spent without energy is time wasted. Focusing on the highest and best use of your individual strengths means you won’t have to be all things to all people. Instead, you can be the best version of yourself as often as possible without the burnout. 

 Amy Bruske is president and owner at Kolbe Corp. She is one of only three Senior Master Consultants in the Kolbe Concept™ — the authoritative theory for human instinct and performance. Along with Kathy Kolbe, Bruske co-authored the groundbreaking family business guidebook Business is Business.