It’s tough out there in the IT world. Some of our buddies are unemployed, and that’s hard to see happening to people we care about. And if jobs are scarce, that means that moving to another job is not only more risky than before, but also less likely.
Aside from jobs being hard to come by, there are also fewer people doing the same amount of work as before. This might mean taking a vacation is simply not possible right now. Are you in this situation?
Here are some tips for avoiding burnout, even if you can’t take time off for a vacation:
Can you take a weekend getaway? There must be some charming lake, bed and breakfast, or historical site within a few hours’ drive of your home. Or perhaps a relative you’ve been meaning to see, but haven’t. Try to keep the laptop shut all weekend, unless you have a compelling reason otherwise. (Your being a workaholic is not a compelling reason. Go have some fun. If you’ve forgotten how, make a concerted effort to relearn the concept. Even if you’re proud of being a workaholic, look at it this way: you’ll be a better workaholic if you stop for a while!)
No weekend getaway? Can you get away overnight? Look for a special at a local hotel with a scenic view. Have a nice dinner, take a long drive or attend an event, get a fru-fru concoction from a coffee store, then slip off to sleep in your hotel room – don’t set the alarm clock! In the morning, order a sumptuous breakfast in the room (no corn flakes and milk for you today, my friend) and watch a useless but amusing TV show while you eat, or order up a movie you’ve been meaning to see. Open the curtains and enjoy the scenic view. If exercising is relaxing to you, try out the equipment in the hotel gym, or hike, run, or swim around in the scenic view. Take a long, hot shower or bath. Call the desk and ask if you can arrange a late check out – maybe you can eat lunch in the room too.
Lunchtime during the week can be your friend, too – can you arrange a two-hour lunch? Do whatever you’d normally feel guilty about doing. Peruse shoes at Nordstrom. Get a manicure or massage. Look at big screen TVs at the electronics store. Go to a yoga class. Have lunch with that friend who knows just what to say when you’re feeling down. Go to the Apple store and see what their latest gadget does.
Do you work out in the evenings? Is there a spa or resort nearby? (In Dallas, we have the Gaylord Texan – it’s a real wonderland.) Perhaps you could work out there sometimes – you won’t be on vacation, but you’ll at least be in a vacation setting – you can pretend for an hour! No spa? Can you take a class at your gym, or do something different than usual? Archery? Tai chi? Rock climbing? Escape from the usual.
Good luck, my burned out IT colleagues, with your quest for a less stressful existence. May things get better soon for our industry and our nation.
My answer to IT burnout is a little more extreme. After 15 years in the industry, I am joining the Peace Corps where I will be faced with new challenges and gain a fresh perspective.
What about techniques to employ at work?
My burnout at work comes from two main things:
1) No down time
2) Poor communication
3) Poor leadership
I find you have to be effective at communicating to help stave-off burnout. If you communicate to others your capabilities and what you are able to provide when, it alleviates some stress that arises from worrying about meeting others’ expectations. You can bargain some downtime for yourself in the same way if you are an effective communicator.
In situations where you suspect poor leadership, you can often get a load of work dumped on you because the weak leader isn’t capable of assigning tasks appropriately to qualified resources. If you suspect that someone is about to “dump” a load of work on you, point out right away the level of effort you’ve just been presented with and go about getting details on separate smaller tasks you could perform to avoid taking responsibility for someone else’s mess.
I also employ aggressive tactics on my calendar to block off time that I WILL NOT give up during the day and I require a meeting for folks to get my attention on something. When I’m busy and I do not want to be disturbed, put up “My Cube Door” that says I’m busy. I put my chat on do not disturb and I do not let folks bother me.
Those are a little more pro-active ways I like to use to deal with stress and IT burnout.
Doing these things allows me to focus and get my job done, which wins you more free time, and makes others happy because you can deliver results consistently when you
Yes, making your life better at work is critical, too. Sometimes you have to train people how to best work with you, set some boundaries, and also work to set others’ expectations of you to a reasonable level.