Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that can significantly impact your professional and personal life. Recognizing the symptoms early can help you take action before it escalates.
Burnout Checklist
The Mayo Clinic offers a simple checklist to help recognize burnout:
Do you question the value of your work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
Do you feel removed from your work and the people you work with?
Do you feel little satisfaction from what you get done?
Do you feel let down by your job?
Do you doubt your skills and abilities?
Are you using food, drugs, or alcohol (I’d add shopping, sex, or work) to feel better or to numb how you feel?
Have your sleep habits changed?
Do you have headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints with no known cause?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be experiencing job burnout.1
Immediate Action Steps
If you recognize these symptoms and feel that burnout is urgent, consider taking these immediate steps:
Take Breaks: Build regular breaks into your day to step away from work and recharge.
Exercise: Physical activity can help reduce stress and improve your mood.
Practice Mindfulness**: Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness can help manage stress and keep you grounded.
Establish a Routine: Set a consistent daily schedule to maintain work-life boundaries.
Get Some Help: A coach or therapist can really support you through this time.2
How Coaching Can Help
As someone who has worked in tech for 20+ years and coached multiple clients through burnout, I can offer a unique perspective and practical strategies to help you navigate this challenging experience. My coaching focuses on helping you define your values, determine what you want, and move in the direction of your joy. My clients work at big companies (Google, EA, Spotify, etc.), scale ups, and startups…and because I have that experience, I am able to understand your context.
Here’s how coaching can be beneficial:
Personalized Support: I provide tailored advice and strategies based on your specific situation. This includes setting mutually beneficial boundaries (for you and your company/boss) and developing a plan for either staying in your current role or moving on to new opportunities.
Career Clarity: Coaching helps you gain clarity on your strengths, passions, and long-term goals. This can lead to staying with your company and achieving promotions, or finding a new path that aligns better with your values.
Skill Development: Together, we work on developing essential skills such as communication, time management, and resilience, which are crucial for managing stress and thriving in your career.
Ongoing Support and Growth
It’s not all about the crisis. In addition to addressing immediate burnout, I can also serve as a weekly or biweekly sounding board for both tactical and strategic work in tech and product management. My clients benefit from support as they grow or improve their leadership skills. We use planning boards, goal setting tools, metaphor work, body compass tools, etc. to understand their experiences while staying curious about the data and details that shape their work environment.
Moving Forward
If you're experiencing burnout or feeling overwhelmed by the demands of your role, don't wait until it's too late. Visit my website to learn more about my coaching packages. We can also create bespoke packages together that are tailored to your needs, and I offer a sliding scale for those between jobs, young professionals just starting out, single parents, etc.
Next week, we’ll talk about building a sustainable career in tech that makes space to avoid burnout and leans towards longevity.
Until then,
L
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/signs-of-burnout