Burnout has impacted me multiple times in my career and business, and to this day, I still have to be careful of crossing over to the burnout stage. Back in my corporate days, I actually quit my job due to burnout. Honestly, I was so burnt out, I was performing at about 40% of my abilities. I just couldn’t get motivated to perform for the company anymore…literally zero energy! It wasn’t fair to my employer, and the 60% that I wasn’t using was just…lost. I felt hopelessly stuck.



My constant dissatisfaction with my life caused my mindset to spiral into a negative space, and I found my burnout was affecting not just my job, but all aspects of my life. My relationships were suffering. I didn’t want to exercise. I was in a constant state of fatigue: mentally, physically, and emotionally.



Does any of this sound familiar?

It may sound bleak, but you can turn it around, and it doesn’t take quitting your job in order to do it. Here are a few of my top tips to avoid burnout:



1. Take an inventory of your challenges. Whatever you are unhappy with in your life, write it down. Then, write down at least one way to modify that situation. This will make your issue – and a proposed solution - concrete. Now that you have a clear idea of the problem and the solution, fix what you can.



2. Just say "no." Be more selfish with your time. If you’re stressed out, you have to take time to heal. This means not taking on new projects at work. De-clutter your schedule so you can focus on your truly important tasks and focus all of your energy on doing them successfully.



3. Positive reinforcement for your efforts, not outcomes. Practice a little self-love here. Realize that when you give something your all, the results speak for themselves. The key to greatness is effort, and when we focus our efforts, we may not win every time, but we definitely increase our odds of being successful.



4. Rediscover your passion. Remember when we were kids? We had so many hobbies, we played every sport, our interests were limitless. Rediscover your inner child. Find what makes you happy and pursue it. A friend of mine who hadn’t played ice hockey since his teens picked it up again in his mid-30s and 15 years later he still plays twice a week… it’s by far his favorite time of the week.



5. Surround yourself with positive, caring people. Our close friendships can nurture us. Let the people closest to you into your life. Don’t be afraid to share your feelings with your spouse or your best friend... we all need someone to bounce our feelings off of. If you don’t feel you have anyone to talk to, consider joining a CrossFit gym or any other place where you can meet like-minded supportive people to draw strength from. You could even consider hiring a business or life coach to help guide you on your journey.



6. Pay attention to your physical health. It may sound trite, but when we feel good, we perform better. Make sure to take care of yourself first. If your diet is making you feel sluggish, change it up. Slot in some exercise into your day. For me, an early morning workout helps me relax and release stress, and the benefits charge me up for the rest of the day. The endorphins your brain produces after a workout will give you energy, mental clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose.



7. Schedule relaxation throughout the week. Personally, I take a few “health-builder mornings” throughout the week. I like getting a massage…my way of blocking out the world and focusing on me. You might want to schedule a meditation session, or go for a hike… whatever it is, find your bliss. But you must schedule it, because too often we let our personal needs fall by the wayside, especially when we’re busy at work.

8. Consider attending a weekend retreat or an executive retreat . This will not only help you refocus, reset and renew your energy, goals and trajectory but you will be able to connect with like minded professionals which is priceless when facing burnout. Being able to de-stress in an environment focused on helping you be the healthiest version of you is crucial to maintaining the energy you need to run your team or business. Events like this are designed to help you break through the mental roadblocks that naturally arise in your daily grind so you can expect to build your mindset, fitness, and nutrition. This could be the secret sauce that jump starts your burned out body and mind.





When we strive for high performance, we sometimes forget that doing our best depends upon being our best. Taking time for yourself throughout the week to recharge is essential. Arianna Huffington says it better than I ever could:



“I wish I could go back and tell myself that not only is there no trade-off between living a well-rounded life and high performance, performance is actually improved when our lives include time for renewal, wisdom, wonder and giving. That would have saved me a lot of unnecessary stress, burnout and exhaustion.”



Use the steps I've given you to take stock of your challenges, find ways to solve them, and in so doing heal yourself and move past your challenges. A big life change can shake up your life, but a few small tweaks to your routine can bring just as much positive change without the risk of upending your life.



Take care of you… you’re the only one who can!

Remember, you are only one mindset shift away…