Big feelings ... and early signs of burnout
One of the best books I read during the pandemic is No hard feelings about emotions at work and how they help us succeed.
I read this book for perspective and tips to stop getting stuck in unhealthy patterns and to build a successful team and culture. I highly recommend reading it to help improve your perspective and how you approach every day for yourself and your team.
One of the best books I read during the pandemic is No hard feelings about emotions at work and how they help us succeed.
I read this book for perspective and tips to stop getting stuck in unhealthy patterns and build a successful team and culture. I highly recommend reading it to help improve your mindset and how you approach every day for yourself and your team.
A Swiss Army knife illustration showing different emotional tools. By Liz Fosslien.
The two authors, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, have a new book about to be published called Big Feelings: How to be okay when things are not okay.
The early signs of burnout
So what early signs should you look out for? Here are some of the subtle cues that you might need to reassess how much you’re taking on:
Basic activities like going to the grocery store feel overwhelming
Getting mildly sick and being forced to shut down for a bit actually sounds kind of nice
You’re saying “yes” even though you’re already at capacity
You find everyone and everything irritating
You’re all too familiar with “revenge bedtime procrastination,” when you stubbornly stay up late because you didn't get any time to yourself during the day
We’re quick to ignore these signs because we can usually muscle through them. But they’re important alarm bells.
These are all issues that I have experienced myself, and seen in members of my team. I have pre-ordered my copy in hardback as I think it's a book I want to be able to share.
An illustration showing everything you can do, and what you can actually do. By Liz Fosslien.
There are also some great resources and helpful and inspiring images at fosslien.com. I think Liz and Molly are creating quality content that is incredibly useful for all of us, even more so for leaders. You can subscribe to Liz and Molly’s newsletter at lizandmollie.com.
It's all about your systems
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
This quote has hit a nerve for me today. James is the author of Atomic Habits, a book I'm currently reading. This book has four laws to help you set and maintain good habits that support your goals and change your life.
James' four simple laws are to:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy
- Make it satisfying
If your systems follow these principles, your foundation or baseline will be high.
I've got my top five personal goals that I'm working on, and I've also got some positive systems that I use, such as Getting Things Done and slip-box notes. But, in some areas, I am finding it challenging to achieve the results I want.
James' quote above has inspired me to do an audit of the methods I use in the areas of my life where I'm finding challenges. Accepting that my goal is achievable, James hit a nerve with me on this one.
Is my approach relevant, and are my systems supporting me to produce the desired results? If not, what do I need to change or improve?
What about you? Are your systems helping or hindering you? What can you do to build systems that support you in your goals?