My TED Talk: How to Avoid Burnout and Like Work Again
I recently gave an 18-minute TED Talk on how to avoid burnout (and like work again). Please take a moment to watch it and let me have your feedback!
In the meantime, here are a few highlights and key points for you to consider.
The Current Situation
62% of people today are experiencing significant levels of burnout. Stress from the pandemic and work from home shifting the scale on work/life balance are among the major reasons, but an underlying problem is still relevant: our inability to focus at work. And when work is miserable, life is miserable. So, how do we enjoy work again?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with distractions on the job.
Attention and the “Attention Economy”
Today, we live in an attention-based economy. Companies will go to great lengths to get your attention and keep it. Because they know that if they have your attention, they have your pocketbook.
Attention also shapes the quality of your work, the trajectory of your career, and even the depth of your relationships. What are you spending time on? How can you use your attention wisely?
Tips to Avoid Burnout
There are four key areas I found impact our ability to focus. I call these the four “C’s.”
- Capacity––the ability to get work done on time with a good mental state of mind.
- Clarity––defining what matters in our workload and why we’re doing it.
- Curiosity––harnessing the power of wanting to learn something new.
- Community––agreeing on what matters most with your coworkers.
Today’s workforce needs a check-in on mental capacity and high-level clarification about the importance of individual work. And if employees can embrace new challenges and engage with fellow coworkers, they are a lot closer to being able to enjoy work they do.
I also challenge you to consider the impact of a hybrid model on workers’ levels of burnout. A well-laid-out physical work environment is crucial to developing attention that lasts throughout a work day.
Curiosity fuels your desire to work.
Wrap-up
I don’t know how to help you enjoy your work all the time, but I can say it is possible to enjoy your work at any given time. By incorporating and developing these four areas in your work life, you will find yourself able to focus better on your assigned tasks and flourish within the workplace.
If you want to learn more about how to avoid burnout and the four “C’s” explained further, check out the link to my TED Talk at the beginning of this article. And if you feel your whole team or organization might benefit from a deeper understanding of clarity, capacity, curiosity, and community, and the role they play in increased productivity and job satisfaction, take a look at our FocusFit Challenge.