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Overcoming career burnout is not something they teach you in high school, nor is it an elective course in university. But the truth is, it’s probably one of the most important skills any adult should have. Since it’s not taught in school the sooner you can learn how to overcome career burnout the sooner you can learn to have a balanced work life, which is a key factor in overall success in your career.

Career burnout is a little different than overall burnout and far less harmful but the truth is, over time it can contribute to burning you out altogether. Generally, with career burnout you feel less motivated, inspired and passionate about your job and what you do daily. This can lead to poor performance, missed promotions and even the potential of being fired so the importance of mastering how to overcome career burnout is pretty clear.

Learning how to overcome career burnout isn’t something you can learn overnight and in fact, it incorporates a variety of skills that continuously need to be readjusted based on your current situation. As with most things in life you’re sure to always be working on overcoming career burnout but to get you started on the right track, here are our suggested ways to overcome career burnout.

1. Go On Your Breaks
This probably seems obvious, and it might be if you’re just starting out in the workforce but make it a mandatory habit to go on your breaks. Those of us who’ve been working for a while, especially those of us in an office setting, can find ourselves skipping out on breaks or taking lunch at our desks. Although a working lunch from time to time might be needed, they shouldn’t be encouraged. Taking time for lunch and even a quick 15 minute breaks gives you an opportunity to disconnect, refresh and refocus, increasing productivity. For those with an office job getting up their desks is also an opportunity to get some exercise in and boost circulation.

2. Set Professional Goals & Seek Career Mentor
The second tip to overcome career burnout is a two-part process, all involving the progression of your career. The first thing you want to do is set professional goals or a career plan, and this is something we recommend as not just a way to overcome career burnout but an overall way to progress in your career. It’s important when setting these goals to look both at your current position and the growth you want to achieve within it, and your overall professional goals. We do this by building a three-month, six-month and 12-month career plan and just like overcoming career burnout this plan is something that may be readjusted throughout the years. Having these professional goals to work towards will help keep you motivated, and revisiting the plan quarterly will help to keep you excited and motivated along the way.

The best pairing to professional goals is a career mentor someone who can provide insight and coach you through your career journey. When looking for a career mentor, look at people in positions and industries that align with your goals or who’s had a career path that interests you. Beyond just providing you with basic career and growth advice, mentors can also give you tips on work-life balance and how to overcome career burnout.

3. Schedule Those Vacation Days
It seems weird to jump to vacation days after discussing career planning, but while we were on the topic of work-life balance we thought we would. It may not seem obvious at first but taking time off of work does help you to overcome career burnout. Just like taking your short 15 minute breaks, scheduling time off is an even bigger boost to your energy and productivity levels. Whether you schedule an entire week off or tag a couple extra days onto a long weekend, getting time off to refresh and reset will go a long way to helping you overcome career burnout.

4. Turn Off During Time Off
Now that you know how important taking time off is to the quest to overcome career burnout you should know you really should take the time off. Be it your scheduled day off, your lunch break or your week off on the beach, when you’re off the clock leave the office behind. Avoid answering calls, checking emails and doing anything work related so your mind has the chance to really turn off and recuperate during downtime. If by chance you have a job where you don’t have the option to fully turn off, try setting an hour here or there where you’re 100% disconnected to give you some time to yourself.

5. Perfect Your Time Management & Organization Skill
A contributing factor to people fizzling out is a lack of organization and time management, so a good way to overcome career burnout is to brush up these two skills. We often times find ourselves panicking at work because we can’t find that file or we didn’t get that project completed in time. We can eventually find ourselves drowning in due dates and documents struggling to keep up. Before it gets to the extreme of total career burnout try working on your time management and organizational skills and even if you consider yourself a pro brushing up on them never hurt. There’s an infinity of personal development books and articles that can easily be found with a quick web search. If you’re more of the “learn by doing” type, some companies have directories of corporate resources with courses for development that can be great resources, or you can search the internet for free online courses. Whatever you decided we definitively recommended brushing up on these two skills if you’re trying to prevent or overcome career burnout.

Inspirational Image
Image courtesy of Unsplash

By: M.J. Elle, @TheMJElle, Toronto