Workplace Fatigue? Ways to Regain Balance and Focus

“No one receives a reward for burnout,” someone once said. It’s a great sentiment, but how many of us actually live by it? We don’t have many because if we did, Botox and wrinkle cream would be obsolete. We’re exhausted at work and as a result of work.

We’ve been socialised to work for the weekend from childhood, but working for two free days every week deprives us of the other 260 days.

We didn’t grow up with the goal of being fatigued, but far too many of us have embraced the rat race as normal.

We gripe about the busyness from Monday to Friday, then retreat with a pitcher of sangria on Saturday and Sunday. Isn’t this how life is intended to be lived?

There’s nothing wrong with putting in long hours. It’s what keeps the world turning, but if our sole source of happiness is zoning out to Hulu in our most comfortable jammies, we may need to reevaluate our hectic schedule.

Grab a glass of wine and enjoy this article if you’re weary of grabbing your coffee on the go, yelling at the kids as you rush out the door, and driving like a lunatic to make it to your morning meeting.

In this essay, I’ll discuss a few reasons why you’re tired, as well as some practical methods for maintaining your sanity and social life while avoiding exhaustion. Let’s get this adventure started.

Why You Might Be Exhausted

Before I go to the practical tips, let’s first discuss the two main reasons why you might be tired, especially at work.

You Are Tied to Technology

The majority of employees, according to Deloitte, are exhausted. Their cause of depletion, however, is linked to working in a “always on” and “always available” work culture.^[1]

In many respects, technology has abolished all limits, including an employee’s freedom to say no. Employees do not believe they have the freedom to turn off their phones, have a life outside of work, or escape the mountains of paperwork.

Burnout and stress are the result of this reality. Many employees feel as if they can’t get away from work or even take a breath while they’re not at work because, in reality, they’re never away from work.

Technology has created a business structure that is devoid of walls, but this also means there are no doors. This open business model is a boon, but it has also resulted in a corporate culture that disregards personal boundaries.

This 24/7 access to employees may benefit a company’s financial line, but it will eventually lead to increased fatigue and employee unhappiness.

You Value Performance Instead of Purpose

According to a report by the Workforce Institute, “95 percent of HR experts believe that employee burnout is harming productivity” in the workplace.^[2] “Life is more than the weekend,” repeat after me.

No amount of burnout will lead you to the top of the corporate ladder. Higher energy levels aren’t required to achieve your objectives.

It necessitates making the appropriate decisions. It’s important to remember that working intelligently is more important than working hard.

The hamster wheel will not get you to your desired destination. It will simply make you feel more exhausted and frustrated.

You are not alone if you feel stuck and exhausted at work. You can modify your storey and your sleep pattern, but if you want to change your life, you must change your mindset.

4 Ways to Change the Way You Work

It takes time for things to change. It also necessitates that you consider what you desire from life. You’ll have the courage to write your tale if you take the time to figure out who you are and what you require. Defining your boundaries safeguards your goal.

Exhaustion is something that we all go through. However, if you’re weary 99.9% of the time at work, something needs to change, and it’s not always your job. Many times, we are the ones who initiate the most substantial change.

You can regain your focus, but you’ll need to spend some time introspecting before you see increased production. Here are four suggestions that you may use right away!

1. Remember Your “Why”

What is your motivation?

You were driven by your ambitions and desires when you were younger, but once you turned 30, you realised you couldn’t pay the rent with pretend money or your 3-year vision board.

Adulthood necessitates sacrifice. We’ve all learned to pivot and withstand the twists and turns, after all. There’s nothing wrong with being responsible, but reality, whether we like it or not, bursts our bubble and drives many of us to burnout.

Stepping away from our core aspirations has a cost, which might include our health, wholeness, and feeling of purpose.

We must take the time to find what makes us tick if we are to restore our concentration. We must carve out time in our schedules to focus on our “why.” We can’t simply follow our “what.”

We lose ourselves in our work if we don’t take the time to recall why we do it. Remember your mission if you want to recover your attention and quit becoming exhausted at work.

Once you’ve made it your life’s emphasis, all of your decisions will revolve around it.

2. Recenter Your Life

Making time for reflection is one of the most important things you can do. I’m not referring to a brief morning routine or a meditation retreat here. I’m talking about seeing yourself as a priority, not an alternative, on your to-do list.

Too many of us make self-sacrifices in the name of meeting deadlines. We spend days researching statistics and preparing our presentation, yet we put off going to the gym or obtaining that extra hour of sleep. We place a higher value on doing than on being.

Numerous studies have reached the same conclusion: if we want to succeed in business, we must all prioritise ourselves. However, we do not pay attention to the research.

Regardless of the numbers, too many of us continue to rely on coffee and spreadsheets. It’s not good for you, yet it’s part of the business culture.

This type of behaviour is rewarded by far too many corporations. They require their employees to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and to bleed paperclips and prints at all hours of the day and night. And since we started working from home, it’s only gotten worse.

“One of the best ways to manage through turbulence is to anchor oneself in routine,” according to the Harvard Business Review.^[3] If we want to stop feeling exhausted at work, we need to incorporate self-care into our daily routine.

We must recenter ourselves in order to regain focus. It necessitates that we factor our own needs into the equation.

You can start by getting your blood flowing with exercise, drinking plenty of water, and taking at least 30 minutes each day to do something that brings you joy.

3. Rethink Your Expectations

We’ve all heard the famous Family Matters line. Steve Urkel would fix his glasses, lift up his slacks, and speak the four classic words that made him a beloved 90s celebrity.

“Did I really do that?”

We can still see his uneasy expression as he faced yet another snarl he had caused. Many of us may identify with this.

We anxiously strive to keep our eyes open at work after hours of tiredness without running into walls. We stare at the stacks of paperwork, nod absently when our boss asks us to add another item to our checklist, and hope we don’t drool during our endless meetings.

For many of us, this is our average workweek. We color-coordinate our schedules, add endless monotonous tasks to our week, and hope that we can balance everything without losing our sanity. What if there was a better way to survive?

4. Reorganize Your Task List

If you’re always weary at work, rethinking your task list is one of the most effective ways to regain focus. You don’t have to do everything, and even if you do, your work list doesn’t have to be completed all by yourself.

Use Sundays to rearrange your work week before returning to the rat race on Monday mornings. Make a list of the persons with whom you work and their corresponding skill sets. After that, take a look at your to-do list.

Make a three-column list of your tasks. Fill the first section with things that only you are capable of accomplishing.

Then, in the second part, list any functions that don’t need to be completed right now or can be deferred to a later time. Finally, fill the third area with jobs that others may complete.

While adding tasks to your checklist may give you a sense of accomplishment, you won’t be able to move forward in the long run if you continue to micromanage your task list.

Start with your planner if you want to recover attention and quit being fatigued at work. It’s not necessary to cross everything off or finish everything.

Sometimes the greatest approach to achieve your objectives is to get rid of the ones that are holding you back.

Final Thoughts

If you’re weary of being exhausted at work, go through these four suggestions and incorporate one of them into your week.

Remember, this isn’t a race, and these suggestions aren’t just another item on your to-do list. Their goal is to assist you in identifying your personal burnout causes.

You must first understand yourself in order to reclaim your joy, remember your why, and refocus your life. Take the time to set up boundaries that will help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Make 2018 the year you look forward to going to work instead of wishing for the weekend.