How to Be More Productive and Avoid Burnout

How do you get more time in your day? Make decisions quicker.

How do you make decisions more quickly? Get tapped into your personal power and self-awareness, so you confidently lead your day vs. your day leading you.

I hear it daily — not enough time. Deadlines are missed, and we are stressed because we cannot get anything done — let alone the things we want to do. Truthfully, if we had more hours in our day, we would fill every minute. Is it possible we have enough hours but are not managing our time correctly?

Fortunately, there are productivity practices we can implement to help us use our time wisely. By conscientiously and actively managing our time, we can be more productive at work and home and avoid the dreaded burnout.

What Do I HAVE To Do?

When you have a big project to work on and meetings on your calendar but get the “ping” of an email invite to another meeting, take a moment to consider if the meeting will help you or hinder your productivity before you respond.

Believe it or not, everything is not mandatory. You must learn to say “no” if a random meeting does not help you with your primary goals. By learning to say “no” to things you don’t have to do, you will find more time to work on the more important things. Having time for the things that matter can increase your productivity, energy, and overall well-being.

Below are a few productivity practices to begin implementing to avoid burnout.

Productivity Practices

Avoid Distractions

Nothing is worse for your productivity than being entirely in the zone and then jarred out of it. Whether it’s a notification on your phone, an email, or someone popping into your office asking if you have five minutes to chat, getting jolted out of your rhythm will not help you get anything done.

Every time you get distracted, it takes time to get back into the zone — and those minutes add up. It would be best if you prepared to be productive. Shut your office door and keep your phone silent and out of sight.

Break Down Goals

Do you know how to eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Procrastination is a time killer but is fixable if you can conquer the feelings that cause procrastination — usually, they are overwhelmed and stressed. If you are presented with a large project, you must look at it from an aerial view and break it down into smaller goals that are more feasible to tackle. Otherwise, you may flounder until the night before it’s due and hastily fight through it or face burnout from stressing over the whole picture.

Ask For Help

Did you know people like being asked to help? It’s called the Franklin Effect. When you ask someone for help, it creates a bond and makes them like you and become a closer friend. It damages you and the people close to you if you try to do everything on your own. Ask for help; you’ll be amazed at how people will light up to help you. The feelings of burnout will subside, and you may get a new friend in the process. It’s a win-win!

Determine the Non-negotiables

Your non-negotiables are the most important things to you and will help you move the needle forward in your career and personal life. They could be anything from doing yoga first thing every day, working for one uninterrupted hour every morning to get ahead, or spending an hour with your kids after work.

Whatever your non-negotiables are, protect them with your life. By keeping your non-negotiables at the front of your mind, your productivity will increase, and you will have better control over your days.

Time Block

Time blocking involves planning out every minute of your day and sticking to your schedule, no matter what. For example, you can just plan to answer emails from 10 to 10:30 and work on prepping for a meeting from 10:30 to 11:30. If 10:30 comes around and you are not done answering emails, you will need to respect your schedule and move on to prepping for the meeting. You won’t have time for distractions when you break things into designated time blocks.

Not only does it make you more productive, but it also helps you avoid burnout. When you plan for the day, you may realize everything on your to-do list needs to fit. It eliminates the guilt of not getting everything done by proving it wasn’t realistic.

As a career coach, many of my clients struggle to find more time in their day and avoid burnout. Instead of wishing for more time, let’s find ways to use our time better.

I work with clients to help them dial in on their career goals and learn the most important tasks they have every day. When you know precisely what you want, you will begin to run your days instead of your days running you.

Please schedule a free career clarity consult to help you achieve better career clarity and increase your productivity.