My mentor used to say, “You’re either fired up or burned out! And it’s a choice.”

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and burned out. Life is hard. Business is ever-changing and full of challenges.

Thankfully there are things we can do to reclaim our focus, energy, and passion.

Here is an article from my friend and colleague Patrick Leddin that can help you do just that.

Break the Burnout Cycle: Reclaim Your Energy and Productivity

By Patrick Leddin, PhD

All too many of us suffer from a personal energy crisis. We no longer work a standard eight-hour day. Our minds are constantly churning, trying to make high-value decisions virtually twenty-four hours a day. Our mode of life today—constant stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise and sleep—leads to what scientists call "exhaustion syndrome."

"[Exhaustion syndrome] is an ongoing emotional reaction that can be experienced in struggling with periods of change in life and in work and job activities. This emotional reaction consists of three dimensions of emotional exhaustion, decreased personal accomplishment and depersonalization" - Alparsian and Doganer

The rest of us call it burnout.

We continually “push through” each day, postponing the renewal time our bodies and brains need. The mantra is “work like crazy and then crash.” Our behavior often becomes a badge of honor.

Do your employees receive emails and texts from you at 10 pm? Chances are they are stressed, wondering whether they should be answering those or not. Are they supposed to "work" at that hour? Do they know what you expect?

Arguably, the biggest threat to your productivity is the technology designed to accelerate it—your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. If you're typical, you might say hello to your smartphone first thing in the morning. You check your mail, read it during breakfast, then play games, surf, check out social media, and research all day. You’re constantly texting, ringing people up, texting again, and texting some more. At night, the last thing you see as you fall asleep is the glow of a screen.

Technology is beneficial but distracts us and, even worse, can rule our lives.

High productivity and team engagement start with you. Are you modeling the right productivity behaviors? Are you intentionally sorting through all the incoming stuff, making the highest-value decisions every day? Are you conscious of how many choices—with varying levels of urgency—you ask your people to make every day that may cause overload? Do you realize that your people assume you need everything right now?

Are you conscious of how you use your technology, making sure you rule your technology versus letting it rule you? The greatest way to disengage employees is to peek at your smartphone when they come to you asking you for help or just during a casual conversation. Your brain can only do one thing well at a time; if it is trying to process smartphone information, there is no way you can hear or connect with the person trying to get your attention. And if that is your behavior, you have trained your team to do the same.

Are you known as the “inhuman” who works practically twenty-four hours a day with no breaks?

Is this a badge of honor?

Studies show that pausing, resting, and sleeping increase productivity. Modeling this behavior is critical. Once your people see you mastering the art of making the highest value decisions, staying focused on the humans instead of just the technology, and taking care of your (and their) mental and physical energy, everyone will expand their contribution.

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