Telltale Signs Your Schedule Is Running You (and What to Do About It)

Burnout can take many forms and impact a wide array of areas in our personal and professional lives. Burnout can be caused by overwork, over-focus, overexposure, over-thinking, and even under-expressing. When you find yourself thinking, Can I just get 5 minutes to breathe?, I cannot remember the last time I did something truly fun or even something like I hate this phone; all it does is ring, you may indeed be on your way to burnout and need a few tips on how to regain center and balance.

I think it's fair to say success is something everyone wants, but also something everyone views differently. For some, success is recognition for doing something well; for others, it may mean monetary success; and still others may measure success by their personal relationships. When striving to be the best you can be, regardless of how your gauge success, the pursuit need not cost you happiness.

It is hugely important that we not sacrifice the daily joys in order to meet some self-imposed expectation. You may well achieve your goal, but the cost you pay may be far greater than the sum total worth of the success you've found.

In my experience, I think burnout revolves heavily around time management. Time is a valuable resource, and its proper allocation and disbursement can mean more readily achievable success without sacrificing personal happiness. Setting boundaries is an incredibly important part of planning your way to success. I would like to share with you a few tools you can use to help you run your schedule, rather than the other way around! Some may seem pretty basic, but in reality, they may be the most challenging to accomplish.

Sign #1: Your Computer / Phone Always Take Priority

I believe it is safe to say that for the most part, you follow an established "work day." This time can easily get away from you because of controllable distractions. These distractions can be simple things such as checking your social media, calling a friend to chat, or checking the news. These are well-established time-sucking activities that may prohibit you from doing things pertinent to your success in a timely manner.

Consider this: If you took a moment to check your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other site, you may only be planning to take 3 minutes and do a quick sweep. But if we are all honest, I think we can agree this 3-minute exercise can easily turn into 30 minutes or more. Then extrapolate that by how many times you may do this a day, and before you know it, an hour or more out of your day is being spent on things not related to your work.

The consequence: You may well end up having to make up the lost time on days you should have off or extend your work time into your evening / at-home time.

Finding ways to stay on task, cut the mental clutter, remain focused and establish (and stick to) clear time frames in which you plan to have any job completed is a great step in taking back control of your schedule.

Sign #2: Your Focus Is Always Work & Never You

You may have heard the old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." It also makes Jack cranky, tired and mentally drained. The most important step in taking back your personal time is prioritizing it. If the office closes at 6 p.m., take the appropriate steps to ensure time with yourself, family or friends is only interrupted for emergencies after that time.

This may mean willing yourself to leave that email alone or even turning off the phone for a block of time. I know that seems extreme, but the reality is, without the mental break from the work responsibility, the weight of trying to carry both work and personal responsibilities simultaneously, each with requirements and deadlines, will wear you down over time.

Set clear times in your mind that will be your time to focus on yourself, your family and the things that bring you joy. When you reintroduce these things in appropriate measure and insist on maintaining that time separation from work, you will begin to feel yourself come back into a more engaged frame of mind – both during work hours and during your "off" time.

Sign #3: You're Never Off the Clock

Often in our culture, it is unofficially "expected" that we are available around the clock. If a patient calls after-hours, we often take the call, even if we are enjoying family time. If a staff member emails at 6:00 a.m., we feel compelled to respond, even while getting the kids ready for school. This expectation comes from several factors, not the least of which is the fear of disappointing the patient or sacrificing business.

This expectation that you are always available to everyone is not only unfair to you, but also impossible to maintain. When everything is a crisis, then nothing is a crisis. Soon enough, you will find yourself unable to sleep, enjoy dinner out with friends or even take a vacation without being a slave to the workplace or being immediately responsive to friends or social media.

Remember, your time away from your practice can help you be even more effective during your work time. Conversely, you time dedicated to strengthening those bonds with friends and family without the distraction of work can build long lasting and healthy relationships, giving you a strong foundation to build a life upon – a rewarding life that will make your work life more enjoyable as well.

Finding Balance

While no one has all the answers, I am confident being cognizant to the need to better manage work/ personal endeavors in the appropriate measure and time can help you avoid burnout – or if you are already burned out, revive yourself. When you consciously work to find this balance, you'll be surprised how quickly you can recharge even the most depleted mental and physical "batteries" and renew your energy resources.