Peak Performers by Tiffany Uman

Win the battle against burnout

September 11, 2023

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In the pursuit of excellence, we often feel like walking a tightrope between success and burnout. The pressure to over-deliver, exceed expectations and please others takes a major toll on our physical and mental well-being.

These very same unsustainable behaviours can often lead to burnout.

Earlier in my career, I came close to burning out a handful of times. Some instances were more severe than others and yet, they all had one thing in common: I put everyone else's needs before my own.

Big mistake.

As a consequence:

I sacrificed my health to complete projects perfectly. I fell sick often when I would finally stop; my body had been running on adrenaline for too long, now telling me to slow down.
I sacrificed my relationships to put in that extra time that I thought would make a real difference. I worked nights and weekends, and I would often say no to friends and family.
I sacrificed my personal priorities for my work aspirations. I delayed taking time off, vacation, personal hobbies and essential self-care I absolutely needed.

As you can imagine, this did not play well in my favour. Attempting to push through burnout, more often that not, backfires.

You will not be as productive nor focused in driving quality results for your organization.
You will not bring out your full potential, discounting the importance of refuelling your mind, body and soul.
You will likely need time off resulting from exhaustion, further disadvantaging you and your company.

"If you feel burnout setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself" - Dalai Lama

They key is to avoid being in this situation altogether. This may sound easier said than done, but it's absolutely possible for you.

In fact, peak performers prevent burnout by pursuing sustainable success without compromising their well-being.

Let's get into it.

Don't ignore the signs.

Here are 10 signs that suggest you are heading towards burnout, or perhaps in the thick of it right now, which stem from a series of actions, or inactions, that deprioritize yourself.

Persistent fatigue
Decreased productivity
Increased irritability
Withdrawal from social activities
Persistent physical symptoms
Sleep disturbances
Neglecting self-care
Decreased satisfaction and engagement
Chronic procrastination
Weakened immune system

Recognizing these signs is the first step towards preventing burnout.

That said, the source of burnout may arise from other people you work with, which requires an even greater need for you to take a proactive stance to remedy the situation.

Example: Your boss is terrible at managing his/her time, resulting in last minute requests and new priorities assigned to you frequently.
- Do not give into the work feeling frustrated, stressed and burnt out;
- Do recognize that this is a communication and process improvement opportunity.

Here's how to handle it:

→ Inform your boss that this way of working is significantly hindering the quality of outcomes you are trying to deliver.

→ Recommend instilling more proactive meetings together where you better anticipate top-down needs and requests, allowing you to allocate your time and manage your schedule most effectively.

Don't be shy to speak up. And don't let other people's inefficiencies and bad habits spill onto you.

You see, peak performers are extremely self-aware. They proactively identify situations and circumstances within their work environment that fuels any, or many, of these signals. They then take the needed action to prevent and overcome these pitfalls.

Here's how.

3 strategies to prevent and overcome burnout

1/ Prioritize self-care

Self-care is often thought of as a leisurely escape - a vacation, a massage, or a spa day. While these indulgences have their place, true self-care extends far beyond momentary relaxation.

In becoming the top 1%, it's essential to recognize the profound impact that comprehensive self-care can have on your career development and overall well-being.

Self-care involves nourishing your mind, body and soul on a daily basis. It means setting healthy boundaries that protect your time and energy, practicing mindfulness to reduce stress, and prioritizing regular exercise and a balanced diet to sustain your physical vitality.

Self-care for peak performers is not a luxury; it's a fundamental investment in their long-term success and fulfillment.

By consistently tending to your holistic well-being, you equip yourself with the stamina, clarity, and resilience needed to excel in your professional path while maintaining a strong sense of balance and purpose.

→ Schedule "me time" proactively. Dedicate time in your daily schedule for self-care activities, such as meditation, exercise, or hobbies that bring you joy. Treat this time as a non-negotiable, just as you would for any important commitment on your calendar. You must treat your personal time with the same level of attention as you do for work meetings and professional obligations.

→ Establish and reinforce boundaries. Clearly define your boundaries, both at work and in your personal life. Communicate these limits clearly with your boss, colleagues, friends, and family. Neglecting to do so sets an unrealistic precedent in which others misperceive your true capacity, often leading you to over-extend yourself. Don't fall into this trap.

Example: When I returned to work after having my first child, I knew that my schedule would need to shift. My days would need to end earlier than most to factor in a lengthy commute;
- The "old me" would have not said anything. Instead, I would have just "hoped that things work out."
- The peak performer in me recognized that stating my boundaries immediately, and clearly, was essential.
- I informed my new boss of my situation and explained how I would make up that time to benefit both the business needs and my personal priorities. I received his alignment right away and, as a result, preserved my well-being while leading by example for my team members.

→ Practice mindfulness. Incorporate simple techniques into your daily routine to stay present and reduce stress. Deep breathing is an easy and effective approach to regain focus back on what matters most to you. By becoming more aware of what triggers you physiologically from high-stress moments, you will be better equipped to leverage mindfulness to keep you grounded and clear-headed.

Remember, burnout will keep you from bringing your best self forward and prevent you from playing at the top of your game. You must take care of yourself. After all, no one else will do so for you.

2/ Set realistic goals

The idea that both peak performance and realistic goal setting can co-exist is somewhat contradictory. You may be thinking: "Wouldn't I need to aim high and push myself beyond reasonable goals to become a top 1% performer?".

The answer is yes and no.

→ Yes insofar as seeking to challenge the status quo, to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and to continually up-skill and up-level your growth.

→ No inasmuch that setting goals that are far-fetched and overly-ambitious typically lead to disappointment and unsustainable strategies required to achieve them.

Therefore, goals that are well-aligned and attainable on the basis of your capabilities not only reduce the risk of burnout, but also pave the way for sustained successes you can actually achieve. Specifically, consistent and impactful wins you claim reinforce the directionality of your ambitions.

So how do peak performers precisely set realistic goals?

Begin with a deep understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, limiting factors and current circumstances. List them thoroughly and approach the process of goal setting using these 3 principles.

→ Break down grand ambitions into manageable accomplishments. Recognize that overnight transformations are rare. Fulfilling achievable milestones creates a greater sense of progress that in turn fuels motivation and prevents the feeling of stagnation, a precursor to burnout.

Example: You have a major project that requires 3 months to complete. Break down the project into micro-milestones (i.e. time based such as 1 day / 1 week / 1 month milestones).

The pursuit of smaller, more manageable and realistic goals allows you to adapt to unforeseen challenges with flexibility, ensuring that setbacks become opportunities for growth rather than sources of frustration. It also brings more accountability in your own follow-through.

→ Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Identify tasks, requests and projects on the basis of urgency, importance, impact or none of the above. Focus on high-priority tasks first and delegate, remove or postpone less important deliverables altogether.

It's up to you to lead this prioritization process rather than over-rely on your boss to do so for you. After all, only you, by virtue of your role, experience and insights, understands the complexities and considerations to account for in successfully delivering against the required objective.

Use this information and know-how to outline non-negotiable priorities; push back where needed or suggest alternative deadlines for alignment without having to burn the candle at both ends.

→ Embrace the 80/20 rule. Identify the 20% of effort that will yield 80% of the desired outcome. Concentrate energy and time based on the key efforts that maximize efficiency and impact. Avoid exerting yourself on things that bring both little value to business results and compromise on your well-being. Audit yourself regularly to ensure you remain in line with this principle.

What about if you find yourself spread too thin?

Pause and re-assess the value derived from each focus area of your work / project. Share these insights with your boss and team in order to propose "before vs. after" scenarios where:

The before scenario serves as a snapshot of the current list of priorities and/or working processes (and highlights the flaws within them);
The after scenario serves as an ideal way to approach your work / projects and how it will deliver greater value and impact for the company, while protecting your well-being.

3/ Streamline your workflow

The art of streamlining your workflow is often an underestimated, but vital, element of success.

Working smarter (vs. harder) is key to preserving your well-being while averting burnout.

Streamlining workflow involves mastering time management techniques that prioritize assignments, reduce multitasking, and allocate focus-blocks of time to high-priority activities.

Mastering workflow efficiency is far more than a skill; it's a strategic approach that safeguards your physical and mental health, ensuring that you thrive in the long run as the top 1%.

→ Protect your time. Implement "time blocking" in your schedule for specific types of work. This practice helps you allocate uninterrupted periods for deep, focused work - essentially finding your flow - while preventing constant context-switching, which can otherwise contribute to burnout. Communicate your availability to colleagues and team members, emphasizing the importance of minimizing distractions during these "time blocks". The added benefit is that this also helps to manage expectations in your working relationships with others.

→ Reduce multitasking. Prioritize "single-tasking" to increase efficiency and minimize stress. Try your best to group together activities that require the same level of brain power.

Example: If you are working on a creative project, group other creative-oriented tasks close to this one. Carefully shift between types of tasks that require a change of "hats" (i.e. analysis, reporting, researching, etc...).

→ Ask for help. Far from a sign of weakness, asking for help removes roadblocks, inefficiencies or unnecessary delays in delivering on your work and prevents burnout. The key is to show your level of resourcefulness when asking for support.

Example: Don't simply dump the fact that you are overloaded with work onto your boss. Instead, (1) explain what you have completed thus far, (2) what challenges have arisen as a result of being pulled in too many directions, and (3) conclude with what you recommend adjusting to alleviate your workflow and how it would benefit the organization (create the win-win scenario).

How will you choose to put yourself first?

Achieving peak performance should never come at the cost of your well-being. Far too many high-achievers fall into the trap of overworking and neglecting self-care.

By implementing the core strategies outlined in today's newsletter, you will find the needed balance to excel as a top 1% performer while escaping burnout altogether.

The journey to peak performance is a marathon; those who pursue it as a sprint, more often than not, are those that burn out far too early.

You've got this!

Your mission this week is to reconnect with yourself. Deceptively simple, it's harder than you may think. You only have 3 things to do:

1/ Prioritize. On Monday (ideally in the morning):

→ List your assignments and work obligations in order of importance for the upcoming week.

→ Identify those that are "high-impact" for both your own career and your organization.

→ Downgrade tasks that can be delegated, rescheduled or omitted outright.

2/ Integrate. For each day of this upcoming week, allocate time throughout your workday to deliver on the high-impact projects along with your core personal priorities that bring out your best self (i.e. an exercise class, time with family or friends, cooking, reading, etc.). Remember, you are not defined by your work and creating the right balance every week is essential.

3/ Review. A journal (or your notes app) will come in handy here. Take 5-10 minutes to journal the following:

→ End of each day: Did you accomplish the work assignments you set out for this day only (no more, no less)? What did you do and how did it make you feel? What are you grateful for today (list 2-3 things)?

→ End of the week: Did you deliver on what you set out to accomplish this week? Were you successful in delivering an impact every day while sticking to your list of priorities (no more, no less)? As you look back on the week, did you set boundaries for you and towards others to give yourself headspace and downtime to refresh and refuel? Did you notice that you can achieve all that is required of you professionally while also dedicating time to yourself, outside of work?

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