How to deal with burnout when given a million tasks to prioritize.

Log 002

Within the last week I have juggled multiple tasks for my website including debugging tech project details pages, drafting and pitching an article to a publication, preparing for an upcoming JHU writing assignment project submission, and managing work tasks for my day job in tech integrations. The responsibility load stacks up quickly when you are a solo act wearing multiple hats.

Simple tasks feel as if your efforts are produced in vain when you are met with roadblocks. Burnout rears its ugly head after it builds up over time, slowing your productivity down in sporadic fragments. Then the human brain stack overloads until it finally crashes. The only way to recover is to do a critical reboot, step away from the screen, and come back with a fresh mindset.

The root cause is never laziness-- it's overworking. Working on multiple priorities such as working as a technologist by day, being a part-time grad student, learning new tech skills, pitching stories, and stringent self-imposed conditions leave little room for recovery. According to Psych Central, burnout can manifest in three main ways: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. These can all lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and even physical health problems.

In an effort to combat my own burnout:

• I am now making time to go out for mandatory walks several times a week in nature;

• I will maintain hard cut-off times for both grad school and work responsibilities each day;

• I have started to Hang out with family and friends more often;

• I also plan to take more frequent breaks to avoid brain overload.

Today's Win: Boundaries to prevent burnout have been established and I plan to maintain it.