Experiencing burnout is inevitable at work when we prioritize our job more than our well-being, and unfortunately, a lot of people have to struggle with burnout day in and day out while trying to provide for themselves and families.
It's easier to discuss this topic and advise people when you are self-employed since you are in control, but in a situation where you work for someone, especially with an unreasonable boss, burnout might turn out to be an everyday thing. I won't dispute the fact that there are some self-employed people who still overuse themselves until they experience burnout, believing that the time spent at work determines their level of productivity, which is not always true.
The human body is designed to endure so many things, but when it comes to stress, it easily breaks us. Regardless of how strong we think we are, there is this need to take breaks just to replenish the lost energy at work. When we do the opposite, believing that breaks aren't important, we are automatically paving the way for burnout, and in some situations, it can even be more than burnout.
I once worked in a factory that gives us weekends as off days, but a time came when people who wanted to work on weekends could come for overtime. The reward is juicy and tempting, but it wasn't an option for me because I knew how important resting was. A lot of colleagues who jumped on the offer called me lazy, but it wasn't long before the repercussions kicked in. I know of a particular one who was dozing while operating a machine and nearly lost his fingers.
This reminds me of a Yoruba adage that says, "The life span of a job is longer than that of a human," which is true because there are so many jobs that have been passed down from our ancestors that still exist today, but those who did the job back then are long gone so why to have to sign a partnership with burnout when we can avoid it?
Taking breaks at my job has been one of my simple secrets to handling burnout, and it's very effective. It necessarily doesn't have to be a long break, it can be as small as 15 minutes just to stretch and flex your muscles. Drink water, grab snacks, or even participate in a small entertaining activity.
I know people are always like, those breaks end up as wasted time, and they can achieve something within that time, but the reality is that those who take the break come back stronger and can even be more productive than you, who didn't take the break.
I was a paster for three years, and taking breaks was my tactic in outperforming my colleagues every week. We worked as a team with different companies on a contract basis, and we get paid weekly based on your productivity.
During my early days of doing the job, I experienced burnout from time to time. Sometimes, work ends for me on Thursday when we still have Friday and Saturday. It continued like that for a while, and I always ended up getting little money at the end of the week.
One day, I felt tired, and instead of forcing myself to continue working as usual, I went to our lodge to rest my back but ended up taking a nap. Surprisingly, I woke up feeling a lot better, and upon returning to work, I still achieved my daily target. I went from taking breaks to not staying up at midnight to work. I took a stroll in between work, and sometimes, I even listened to music or played mobile games.
Despite those times I took to do something different, I still made more money than those who didn't take breaks.
Aside from taking breaks, working smartly can prevent burnout as well. I have seen people who don't want to split their task just because they want all the rewards for themselves, and they eventually break down along the way.
Yes, we all want more money, but we don't have to choke ourselves at work before making more money. I believe in delegating tasks at work so we can be more productive, which means making more money with less stress.
Yoruba will say, "hard work doesn't guarantee wealth" which is true because there are those who do less work and make more money.
I used to be a sales bus supervisor for Chinchin Company in Lagos, and it was my duty to get six promoters for the two buses in my care. I got 12 promoters, and other supervisors on different routes criticized me for getting the complete promoters.
The game was that you get fewer promoters, force the team to get the results for 12 promoters while I get the salary for the ghost supervisors. It's a good plan, but that would mean piling stress on not just the team but me as well.
I didn't listen to them and just continued my job as I should. Month after month, my team did more than their targets, and we got lucrative incentives enough to cover whatever the other supervisors were getting with their dubious tactics because they barely met their targets. Automatically, breaking the job into smaller bits or having more hands at work if the job permits is a good way of preventing burnout.
Those breaks and even delegating tasks will help you more than you can imagine, so put away the mindset that you are wasting time or resources while avoiding burnout. It's a big win for you when you make more money with good health and a sound mind.
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