Turning into a stress inferno? Workplace Learning and Performance’s LMS Administrator and one-man equivalent to The Onion Brandon Ciarlo can help… or at least make you laugh about it.
Do you find yourself meeting the day with a labored sigh, sense of apathy, and lack of motivation to start the workday? Are you more likely to eat lunch under your desk rather than on it? Do you dive into the nearest closet to avoid conversing with co-workers? These may be some signs that you are burning out. Being overloaded at work is not a foreign concept to anyone, but constantly working long hours, taking additional tasks while overloaded, and stressing over projects without a break can have a lot of unhealthy consequences. You may find your job performance and health (physical and mental) will suffer.
All hope is not lost. Workplace Learning and Performance is here to help with its next Lunch and Learn lecture, Recognizing and Avoiding Burnout. To register, please visit Campus Connect and search for course number LL006A. Until then, click the link below for some tips to prevent you from defenestrating any office resources, human or otherwise, out of frustration.
Pro Tips:
Mindtools.com offers the complete list of tips for avoiding burnout.
- Identify the main stressors of your day. Once identified, you can take measure to crush these stressors.
- Learn to say “no” to extra tasks assigned if you are overloaded. Delegate where you can.
- Avoid Exhaustion. Go on a long vacation. The Kansas City Business Journal reports that about 70 percent of U.S. employees did not take all of their vacation time. Rest yourself lest you wreck yourself.
- Protect the meaning of your job. Focus on the parts of your job that give you meaning and satisfaction. If that doesn’t work then try to think of the people you serve and those who count on you. Making someone else’s day a little easier might just provide you with a little satisfaction in your work…It’s a start.
My Tips:
- Purchase a plant and forget to water it. Now you will not be the only living being slowly dying at your desk. It’s good to have company.
- Treat dates and deadlines as guidelines rather than rules. This is more of a guideline than a rule.
- Write blog posts about how to avoid burnout. This one may be unique to certain circumstances.
- Leave work problems at work. There are enough stressors unrelated to work that need to be dropkicked.
- Disregard the “My Tips” section of this blog post. The previous tip seems legitimate.
Are you showing signs of burnout? Take the Burnout Self Test.
Workplace Learning at DePaul 