How to Avoid Burnout (Before It's Too Late)

Here are 10 ways I try to avoid burnout.

First off, what is burnout? This is when we start to feel very tired of doing something. Even if it’s something we love to do.

At least that is my definition. You can become burned out on almost anything.

For example, I make videos on YouTube for fun and as my job. This is something I LOVE doing! It’s fun to come up with video ideas, film the video, and edit the video.

But recently I started to feel burned out on making videos. This makes no sense because this is something I love doing, right?

Well, it turns out we can get burned out on anything. I stopped and analyzed why I was getting burned out. And came up with this list of 10 things to do if you are getting burned out on something in your life.

1 – Take a Day To Reset

Take a break from what you are burned out on. I realized I was never giving myself a break from YouTube.

Even when I wasn’t actively working on a video I was thinking about it. So I tried really hard not to think about it for a few days.

Focusing on other things in my life that make me happy.

2 – Focus On Must-Do Things

What if you still have to do the thing that is burning you out? Well, focus on doing the must-do things.

I need a video to come out every single week. So I decided to go for the bare minimum.

Still making a video, but also making it easy on myself by choosing a topic that is simple to film and edit.

3 – Stop For Breaks

It is very important to stop for breaks, even if you are doing something you love.

Whenever I am the most burned out, I realize that I have been working for 5 hours straight without even stopping for 10 minutes.

I think this is why when you work for someone, they force you to take breaks at certain points in the day.

4 – Don’t Take on Too Much In One Day

This is the work-life balance everyone is always talking about! I have realized we can only do so much in a day.

The more I force into a day the more burned out and stressed out I feel.

One way around this is to give yourself a time limit. I have one hour to write a blog post.

Later, I can come back and edit the blog post. Or whatever it is that you have to get done.

5 – Reset My Expectations

I feel like this is one of the biggest causes of burnout for me. Setting super high expectations for myself that aren’t really attainable.

For instance, I think I can get way more done in a day than I actually can.

I expect a YouTube video to do really well because I put a lot of time and energy into it, even though I have no control over that.

I don’t think we should have low expectations, but instead realistic expectations. Let go of the things we can’t control.

6 – Let People Help

If you are feeling burned out, let people help! Hire people to do simple tasks for your business.

When I am getting burned out on the housework or making dinner, I ask my family to help. They usually help anyway, but sometimes I try to do it all myself.

Recently, I set my kids up with chores that help me. One of them dries the dishes and puts them away.

My other son tidies up the house every night. I also hired someone to help me with parts of my business. In other words, don’t try to do everything yourself.

7 – Simplify Everything (meals, to-do lists/clothing/chores)

Simplify as much as you can. Declutter everything you don’t use or need.

Put things away and keep them organized. Cross the things off your to-do list that don’t really need to happen.

Does your home really need to be cleaned again? Don’t clean a house that is already clean.

Just analyze where you are spending your time. And stop everything that isn’t necessary.

At least until you have your energy back.

8 – Don’t Worry About Things That Aren’t Done

Don’t waste time worrying! I used to constantly think about all the things that needed to get done.

We live in a fixer-upper, so there are a lot of home projects that are on our list. But again, we only have so much time and money.

If you can’t get to something, don’t let it take up your mental energy.

9 – Do More of What Brings Joy

Making time for joy. It’s impossible to be productive 100% of the time. And what is the point?

We only get one life so we should have time to enjoy it too. Spend some time doing something you love that makes you happy.

This doesn’t have to be expensive either. It could be making a meal you love, or going on a slow walk. Anything that lets you relax and breaks up the day.

10 – Remembering to be Grateful for What I Have

I always try to remember to be grateful for what I have. The things that I have accomplished.

Think about what is working and celebrate the small wins of the day.