Work, whatever breathtaking and interesting it may be, should not take all the time and efforts, because there is also communication with a family, self-improvement, hobbies and such banal needs as sleep and rest. However, in the modern world, the value of a successful career is greatly exaggerated, and abundance and variety of motivational trainings calling for to become super-efficient employees, combined with the “illusion of success” broadcast on social networks, often lead to banal burnout.
Overproductivity is not a Myth
Indeed, such a phenomenon as overproductivity does exist, and many people strive for it, forgetting an important point: You can work at the peak of Your capabilities only for a short period of time – during the completion of a project or vice versa, at the initial stage of work, when flight of thought and speed of decision-making are the most important. Such explosive efficiency should normally be smoothly replaced by a routine when there is time both to complete the setup tasks and to restore strength for the next such breakthrough. Alas, many people forget about this, trying to give maximum of efficiency all the time, and unscrupulous employers who receive dividends try to additionally motivate employees with the help of coaches and trainers, not caring about future fate of the employee.
The result is frightening: by the age of 30-35, most people face a phenomenon of both professional and emotional burnout, and in addition they get a lot of psychosomatic disorders. In this state, the motivating trainings cause irritation and a sense of guilt for one’s own incapacity to work, which does not contribute to restoration of strength. Fear of losing their position and their usual way of life is added, and more and more people look for a solution to the problem of the burnout in a chair of a psychotherapist.
Prepare for Takeoff
The best that any psychologist can advise is not to bring Yourself to nervous exhaustion, once and for all to balance the ratio of work. In an environment where everyone around tries to run faster, the strategy seems to be a losing one, but in fact, an employee who knows how to rest, recover and re-enter the wave of the overproductivity achieves better results. The secret of the right attitude to work, which protects against the burnout is simple:
- Routine duties shall be performed with allocation of a fixed time for them every day.
- During the period of deadlines and brainstorms, when a working day becomes irregular, and emotions splash over the edge, it is necessary to carefully plan the diet and allocate 7-8 hours for sleep. It may be fractional – by 4 hours, but this option is not suitable for everyone.
- Having completed an important project or stage of work, it is necessary to set aside a few days and devote them namely to relaxation: visiting a sauna or a massage room, going to a museum or theater, communicating with the relatives and loved ones.
- In a period of enthusiasm decline, when brilliant ideas seem dim, it is worth focusing on a step-by-step plan – this way you can avoid the failures and annoying mistakes which turn the last days before the project’s delivery into the crazy exhausting race.
- If an employer is dissatisfied by the fact that employees need the regular rest and personal time, it is worth sending out a resume to a company where employees are valued more.
Compliance with these rules provides an organism with time to recover from the periods of increased activity, and also eliminates unnecessary fuss and allows you to keep work processes in order, significantly reducing stress levels.
