2023 left many people exhausted and drained of creativity. Without that spark, it’s tough to start the new year with much excitement — it feels like you’re just being thrown back to the wolves. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of ways to avoid getting to the point of overwhelm. And if you really make them a habit, you’ll feel much more in control of your career and your life in general. 

Below, we walk through five techniques for staying energized and motivated throughout 2024. 

5 Strategies to Minimize Burnout 

1. Be Intentional With Your Time 

A lot of burnout comes from carrying a heavy mental load. Constantly running through a mental checklist becomes paralyzing, and with so many distractions in today’s workplace, you could be pulled in a million different directions with every email or ping. 

The key is to take control of your day and your time. Easier said than done, but it pays to have a set schedule and routine. To figure out the optimal structure for your day, look back at your schedule over the past few weeks. 

When did you feel most out of control? By contrast, when did you feel like you got into a flow state? Use those data points to construct a day that feels manageable while still leaving room for unexpected surprises. 

Don’t forget about your personal life. Perhaps you have a young child and know you’re going to need to devote time to parent-teacher conferences, filling out forms, etc. Or maybe you’re going to need time every month to look at your finances and pay your bills. Block out those chunks of time on your calendar. 

Having a set day and time you’re going to do it prevents you from worrying about where you’re going to slot it in later and makes you feel like you can actually tackle things one day at a time. Of course, you won’t get everything done or scheduled, and that’s ok. Feeling like you have control over what goes on your calendar and when is a win in and of itself. 

2. Do Things For Yourself 

When you have so much to do, the first things that get deprioritized are the things you do for yourself. But when you’re swamped, you need those things more than ever. So build them into your schedule. 

Make time to go to that yoga class, have coffee with a friend, or be the parent helper at school. Don’t forget to use up your PTO. These activities and time off give your mind a break and cheer you up, which helps you bring your best self to work. 

3. Identify Your Limits (and Let Others Know) 

The word “boundaries” is a bit overused, but knowing your limits and setting appropriate expectations is critical to preserving your energy. 

So many tasks seem to need your attention the minute they get piled onto your plate. But someone else’s sense of urgency is a projection of their own anxiety. And if you don’t have the capacity at that exact moment to address an issue with full mental clarity, chances are, it can wait (and you’ll probably have a better outcome if you give yourself that space). 

Rather than feeling guilty about not responding right away, make rules around how you’re going to communicate on what platforms and share them with your team. For instance, maybe you block off an hour each day at the same time to power through your emails and turn off notifications until then. Or maybe you won’t answer messages or check email past 8pm. Reading an email the next day usually doesn’t feel as triggering as when you read it at 10pm at night. 

4. Set and Track Personal and Professional Goals 

Sometimes, you’re so go-go-go that when performance review season rolls around, it feels like you haven’t accomplished anything. 

Obviously, that’s not true, but not having concrete goals makes it challenging to measure your progress in a meaningful way. Instead, consider setting professional and personal goals now. Schedule checkpoints — maybe every month or every quarter — to hold yourself accountable. 

And if you feel comfortable, consider sharing these goals with a colleague, mentor, or boss. Not only will that person motivate you to stay on track, they may also share valuable tips and tricks along the way. 

5. Express Gratitude 

Maybe expressing gratitude sounds corny, but have you actually ever done it? Try sitting down right now and listing a few things you’re really grateful for — you’ll be surprised how good you feel afterward. 

Make a habit of reframing inner thoughts like, ‘Ugh, I have to do this’ to ‘I get to do this, and here’s why I’m thankful for it.’ 

This is not to say that your feelings of overwhelm aren’t valid — they are. But staying in that place only increases your stress level. When you’re spiraling, being grateful brings you back to earth, calming you down and giving you purpose. 

Set Yourself Up For a Productive, Happy 2024 

Figuring out how to follow these principles may feel like a daunting task, but it’s well worth the time and effort. Incorporating these strategies into your life can help you maintain an even keel at work, achieve your personal and professional goals, and simply feel more like yourself at work and at home. 

If you’re already putting them into practice and itching to score a new role, contact us at Planet Professional. We are hyper-focused on helping candidates find their next dream job, providing interview guidance along the way. To learn more about what we do and how we do it, visit our website. 

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