3 Ways to Manage Burnout in Your Career

Even when you love your job, you’ll likely go through periods of feeling career burnout. It’s inevitable—especially after a busy month or when you come back from a long vacation.

It can be difficult to bounce back—when I came back from Europe, I swear it took at least two weeks—but there are things you can do to help yourself along (and minimize suffering)!

Mix things up

Can you take on a new project, a new client, (a new anything!), that will mix up your day-to-day schedule? Making little changes can help you re-engage with your work when you’re feeling burnout.

If you can’t make any significant changes to your workload, consider changing your schedule. Request to work 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. instead of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Or maybe you can switch up the order in which you take care of your different projects/clients/tasks.

What changes can you make to mix up your routine and re-energize your career?

Look for inspiration

Whenever I’m struggling with burn out, I take 10-15 minutes in the morning, before I start my work, to get myself in the right mindset for the day. I might spend this time making a new playlist on Spotify filled with all NEW songs that I don’t usually listen to. Or maybe I’ll read the latest Inc. or Fast Company articles that grab my attention.

If I’m in a really bad mood—and I know I need to lighten up—I’ll browse BuzzFeed for a laugh. (Don’t judge!)

What resources can you use to inspire yourself or get your attitude in check before you start work?

Sometimes burnout is the really the result of outside factors and not the work you have on your plate, so check in with yourself and take the time you need to get in the right mindset.

You’ll end up being more productive throughout the day if you take these 10 minutes for yourself!

Reduce stress

Stress can be a huge catalyst to burnout. Self-reflect on what causes you the most stress in your job, and make a game plan from there. When you know something specific causes you stress—say, public speaking—figure out what you can do to control/reduce this.

Are you taking care of yourself? Make sure you get enough sleep, exercise more, eat healthier, and set aside time for the things that make you happy (friends, family, reading, whatever it is)!

If you can’t change anything that’s causing burnout at work, take care of yourself outside of work to help get rid of burnout. When we take care of ourselves, we are generally happier at work.

And if you don’t find any of these tips helpful, it might be time to take a vacation!