Burnout

The last two months have been nonstop with lots of challenges to work through and included three straight weeks of biz travel (four trips).

In the last two weeks I hit a huge wall. Wanted nothing to do with work or a computer.

I know I’ve been burned out before. I know I’ve hit walls but this one felt different.

This spooked me.

I know this because I can’t normally stand handy work – around the house type fix it work. I admire and respect my friends who have great house hobbies. But I procrastinate on them or hire it out.

But for the last two weeks I would rather be cleaning out our garage then working on a computer.

It spooked me because my work has always energized me. I love work and specifically my work.

As I started to research “burnout” I returned to a great HBR article.

Burnout according to the authors has three distinct symptoms:

• exhaustion (a depletion of mental or physical resources),
• cynical detachment (a depletion of social connectedness), and a
• reduced sense of efficacy (a depletion of value for oneself)

Using that matrix, I can say I was entirely exhausted both mentally and physically. And I’m feeling better now.

But the other two symptoms are so interesting because I think what’s the opposite.