Burnout is a condition of total physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, and contrary to what some might believe, it is very real. In fact, it's even recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an occupational phenomenon and is included in the International Classification of Diseases. The WHO defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Sound all too familiar? I’ve been right where you are!
Research on workplace burnout is staggering, to say the least: it shows that as many as 77% of professionals experience burnout in their workplace. It’s often caused by overworking, an unhealthy work environment, toxic co-workers, and much more. But it doesn’t just affect people who work outside of the home. Believe me when I say, that even if you work from home you can still experience burnout. This is especially true for parents.
Feeling like you can’t be your authentic self at work can also lead to burnout. When you feel like you are constantly having to live up to a professional persona you’ve created, it can really take a toll. (You can read more about my thoughts on this in my newsletter.) In turn, burnout can negatively impact your productivity and performance, but it can also take a toll on your personal life and your relationships outside of work. My children, Caden and Willow, and my husband Jason are the most important people in this world to me, which makes preventing burnout a top priority for me. When I am at my best, I can be the best for my family!
Setting boundaries at work is an effective way to avoid burnout. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to set boundaries, especially when you’re not the boss or employer. That’s why today, I’m sharing tips on how you can set healthy boundaries at work to prevent burnout. Let’s get into it!
How To Set Healthy Boundaries At Work To Avoid Burnout
Experiencing burnout can be a challenge. It affects you physically and emotionally, and at work as well as at home. Setting boundaries can help prevent many of the things that contribute to burnout and create a much healthier work environment that you deserve.
Signs of burnout at work
- Fatigue, exhaustion, and energy depletion
- Feeling detached, cynical, or negative regarding your job
- Reduced efficacy or a decrease in work performance
Effects of burnout at work
Decreased productivity
It’s no secret that the better a person feels, the more productive they tend to be at work (and at home). One of the major effects of burnout at work is a recognizable decline in productivity.
Burnout negatively affects concentration, creative thinking, efficiency, and output. Decreased productivity can lead to missed deadlines, more errors, and lower-quality work.
Insomnia and exhaustion
Research also suggests that people experiencing burnout at work are more likely to struggle with insomnia, restless sleep, and exhaustion.
Depression
Burnout can also have a significant impact on your mental health. Although people with burnout don’t always have depression, burnout can increase the risk of becoming depressed.
Depending on the person, the other effects of burnout compound their emotional well-being, negatively impacting their mental health. Shockingly, job burnout has been linked to a 180% increased risk of developing depressive disorders.
Physical health issues
Studies have revealed numerous physical health issues that can arise due to burnout. Burnout is associated with cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases. Alarmingly, one study found that “workers with high burnout levels had more than twice the risk of developing musculoskeletal pain compared to those without burnout.”
Additional studies found a link between burnout and headaches, prolonged fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, and respiratory issues.
Here are a few more statistics related to burnout and health issues:
- 57% increased risk of workplace absence greater than two weeks due to illness
- 84% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
- 40% increased risk of hypertension
4 Tips For Setting Boundaries At Work
Set working hours on your calendar.
Setting boundaries at work is crucial to creating a healthier working environment. One effective way to do this is to set working hours on your calendar. This can help prevent early meetings or late meetings from being scheduled.
These unexpected meetings are rarely met with optimism. And while last-minute things are bound to pop up now and then, setting working hours on your calendar ensures that they occur less frequently.
Dedicate three hours in the evening to family and personal time.
One of the key ways to set boundaries at work is to be intentional with your personal time. An effective way to create a healthy work-life balance is to dedicate three hours in the evening, i.e. 5:30p to 8:30p, to family and personal time. Pause Slack notifications, silence your phone, etc. during this 3-hour evening time block.
These three hours are dedicated to uninterrupted time with your family for dinner, activities, bath time, bedtime routine, cleaning, laundry, etc. You can even consider meal prepping so that you have even more time to spend with your family during this allotted time during the day.
Ensure maximum productivity during working hours to avoid scope creep.
Someone who effectively manages stress at work takes full advantage of their working hours. One way to ensure maximum productivity and one of my favorite ways to structure my day is to begin each day setting your 3-3-3: three hours you want to spend on your highest priority project, three shorter tasks to complete that you’ve put off, and three maintenance or ongoing tasks for your role.
Time-block your calendar to avoid meetings.
You can also create healthy boundaries with your coworkers by time-blocking your calendar. This allows you to avoid meetings throughout the day so that you have time specifically dedicated to getting work done.
You can also create a time block for lunch breaks to discourage others from interrupting a necessary mid-day break.
With just a few simple changes, you can set healthy boundaries at work and avoid burnout.
Setting healthy boundaries at work doesn’t have to require significant changes. The tips in this post clarify what simple steps you can follow to create a healthier work environment. This will work wonders for your physical and emotional health in the long run, just like it did for me.
In need of more inspiration? Be sure to check out these mom influencers to follow. Then, for more ways to balance work and your personal life, as well as valuable insight into my motherhood journey, head over to the blog.
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