ROCK thru burnout | Part 2: Ownership
by Lee Havenga | March 9, 2023
We’re burnt out, fried in so many ways. In a 2021 U.S. survey of adult workers, 35% reported emotional exhaustion, 38% reported cognitive weariness, and 47% reported physicial fatigue. There is never enough time—too many events, texts, activities, and Netflix series. And not enough fun and stress-free moments. We’ll continue to have more to do than hours in a day until we change how we allocate our time and energy. Read on if you’re ready to get off the burnout treadmill.
OWNERSHIP
Every decision aligned with your
core values is a good one,
regardless of the outcome
Apply it
1. Become aware of your values
Burnout directly reflects our inability to align, prioritize, and act on what’s most important to us. The first step is to pinpoint the values that truly reflect our identity. Our core values are the beliefs that make us our authentic selves, who we are in our DNA and created to be. To start honing in on your values, you can download a list of 180+ single-word values to review. Then, as you skim the list, choose ten or so that you feel define you. Or the list may spark some unique value words. Finally, reduce the list to 3-5 values by asking yourself some hard questions to test your intrinsic connection to each:
“Would I be someone different without this value?”
“Is this a value that differentiates me from others?”
“Is it truly who I am or does it define who I think I should be?”
“Would I exchange this belief for 1 million dollars?
2. Accept your values
Next, accept your core values as the most defining beliefs in your life. However, embracing our core values also means setting others to the side. Trying to perform at 100% on more than our core values leads to burnout. Narrowing to 3-5 values doesn’t mean the others aren’t part of our character, just that our core values are the defining priorities for us as individuals.
3. Act on your values
Now, it’s time to live our core values with each daily decision, big or small.
When you’re…
asked to volunteer on the board of directors,
deciding whether to buy the perfect but pricey jacket,
or
invited on a trip.
Make no real-time decisions, especially about time commitments. Always put yourself in a position to pause and reflect on your values before committing. Have a go-to response, like this one, so you aren’t caught off-guard:
“It seems like something I’d be interested in, can I get back to you?”
Then ask yourself, “Does this opportunity add to or detract from my values?”
Taking action based on values isn’t always about being strong enough to decline invitations that may be too burdensome on your time. It’s also about saying “yes” to opportunities that align with your values but may be out of your comfort zone.
When you’re…
offered a challenging new role at work,
invited to take a class with a friend,
or
intrigued by a promising business idea.
If opportunities are intriguing yet spark a bit of anxiety, seeing direct alignment to prioritized values may be the nudge to take steps forward and overcome uncertainty.
Wishing you wisdom and clarity as you self-reflect to hone in on your values and leverage them to make decisions that free up time and build your energy. ROCK thru! ~ Lee
Continue your escape from burnout with these other articles in this series:
Part 1: ROCK thru burnout with Respect
Part 3: ROCK thru burnout with Connection
Part 4: ROCK thru burnout with Kindness
Source: American Psychological Association (2021). APA’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey results. Retrieved from American Psychological Association website: https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-well-being/compounding-pressure-2021 Note: Cited data is averaged across three different categories of work.
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