Balance is another term that we often mistake for meaning “equal”. Work/life balance is not about spending the same amount of time and energy on work and “life”. It’s finding an equilibrium, a still point that allows for a sense of stability, even though things are still in flux around us. Likewise, equilibrium does not mean “equal” - where the equilibrium point is could be 80% of A and 20% of B or any other combination. It simply means that there is a stable quantity of each.
Balance is another term that we often mistake for meaning “equal”. Work/life balance is not about spending the same amount of time and energy on work and “life”. It’s finding an equilibrium, a still point that allows for a sense of stability, even though things are still in flux around us. Likewise, equilibrium does not mean “equal” - where the equilibrium point is could be 80% of A and 20% of B or any other combination. It simply means that there is a stable quantity of each.
ou’re maxed out on tasks that you now see will have no benefit to your promotional path but feel stuck doing them anyway. People see you as the “go-to” person for extra assignments and you only say no when you’re so overwhelmed it comes out as hostile instead of strategic and confident.
If this sounds all too familiar, you may be wondering….
How can I break the pattern?
Change is inevitable and if our only plan to stay on track with our goal is to have everything go perfectly, we’re in trouble. It’s important to keep track of what we are working towards and WHY it’s important, preferably somewhere easily visible so that in the midst of chaos we can come back to our center. What we need is a clear and simple statement that reminds us of what we are striving for and how we can best attain it.
One of the first signs that I was burning out in my teaching career was when grading a stack of lab reports went from taking 2-3 DAYS to 2-3 WEEKS. Even the easiest tasks seemed to take extreme amounts of energy and effort. In order to get your mojo back at this stage, we need to put what we learned through defining our Beliefs and Loves into Action.
It’s hard to answer questions about vision and passion when you’re having to scrape yourself off the couch to do the most basic tasks. The irony is that one of the most effective ways to move out of burnout is to have a future-focused motivation that aligns with your passions. Identifying the activities that fill your energy tank is the best way to gain momentum that will get you out of the fatigue zone.
I’ve been seeing a recurring pattern in my conversations and coaching lately. I hear a lot of stories about feeling stuck because of competing desires. At first glance, it seems like FOMO (fear of missing out): “If I go for option A, that means letting go of option B. What if I don’t end up liking option A?”
