5 Ways To Spark Productivity—Not Burnout
Learn how to light a fire that doesn’t go up in flames.
While the pandemic rolls on, too many of us struggle to maintain the status quo, pushing ourselves to work with the same level of intensity as we did prior to March 2020—when things were “normal.”
I’d argue that “normal” sucked then, too. And the fact that we romanticize it is a story for another time.
No matter how well you’ve managed the pandemic shift, there’s a good chance you—and your team—are suffering from burnout.
As Lora Park, associate professor and director of the Self and Motivation Lab at the University of Buffalo said in a recent article (which you should read), “Motivation tends to drop when you feel a deficit in three key areas of life: your autonomy, competence, and relationships.”
In other words, pandemic burnout is a real thing.
Whether it’s the loss of connection we feel with our co-workers, the remodeled walls between home and work, endless, decision-fatique, 10+ hours of video conferences every day, or all of the above—chronic stress is quite literally changing the way our brains work.
And it should also change the way we try to fix it.
Love this comment from author Jennifer Moss, who recently wrote, The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It.
“I keep seeing companies make big declarations like, ‘We gave a week off to our burned-out employees.’ There’s so much irony to that. You’ve burned them out, so you’re giving them a week off, but have you [alleviated the] workload so when they go back they’re not dealing with the debt they’ve created?”
Exactly.
Instead of unveiling one more workplace wellness initiative, try putting a few of these ideas into practice:
Check in with your team. Ask them how they’re (really) doing and actively listen to their response. What would make their lives easier or help them to feel more supported, efficient, and productive? Is there something you both can commit to doing right away?
Give positive reinforcement liberally. Be sure to acknowledge not only a job well done, but also the effort that went into a task. When you share how someone’s work has helped the company as a whole, you give people a greater sense of value, purpose, and productivity—a feeling that they then pass along to others (including those at home!).
Raise the social bar. Incorporate time for socializing at the beginning of meetings, offer online working sessions, or create a monthly calendar for themed happy hours (we do this at TLP, and it’s fantastic).
Lead by example. Show your team what it looks like to make self-care a priority and encourage your team to do the same. Don’t send or expect emails on the weekends or late at night. Treat them to a delivered lunch from their favorite restaurant. Encourage self-advocacy—they (and you!) should recognize these critical signs of burnout in enough time to do something about it.
Go for efficiency, not productivity. Badasses are great at finding ways to do more things in less time. The real challenge? Stop filling the time you saved with more things! The more you cram into your available hours, the greater the chance things can go wrong and derail your day like a domino chain. Don’t let it.
Burnout is real—and it’s closer than you think.
And so are the ways to fight it.
Bill covers topics like this (and then some) on LinkedIn all the time—connect and join the conversation!