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Every day you focus on your Next Actions, on completing your projects at work and your chores at home. Errands, grocery shopping, and getting to the gym all take their toll. I’d like to suggest one more thing that you can add to your list that will make getting through the list much more fun!

Choose one (or both) of the following:

1. Take the time to do something for yourself each day:
   • Read your favorite magazine.
   • Buy flowers or a plant for your home or office.
   • Splurge on something nice (like that Circa notebook you have your eyes on).
   • Turn on your favorite CD and rock out.
2. Or, do something nice for someone else:
   • Send a quick e-mail to someone you haven’t been in touch with for a while, just a friendly update and “what’s up with you?”
   • Write an actual note card and put it in the mail. No one does this anymore so it is a nice treat to get a note in the mail.
   • Share a book or magazine that you have recently read. No, don’t recommend it, give it to somebody. They will appreciate it.
   • Buy someone a cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever) and tell them to take a little break. Offer to give them a few minutes to themselves to relax.

Go ahead, do something nice for yourself or someone else, you’ll feel better, and be able to get back to your constructiveness faster.

Related articles:

Dealing with Burnout, Part I

Dealing with Burnout, Part II

I found a great list of traits that you can develop for dealing with stress at Stress to Power.com. Read the whole list:

Traits of Stress-Hardy, Resilient People

1. They have a sense of meaning, direction, and purpose. They are value-centered rather than reactive and defensive. They understand that emotions are great sources of energy and motivation but are often poor guides for action. Instead these people use their values as guides.

Yesterday I posted an article about the warning signs that you may be experiencing burnout. Do you feel like the young lady pictured at the left? Or are you feeling a little more sluggish?

Do not fear, I have some helpful suggestions that should be able to help you break out of the cycle of stress, get some rest, and recover from the burnout that you are experiencing.

Take a Vacation

Even one day off, away from the office or other responsibilities, can have an amazing effect on your state of mind. Important note: This means not working, not checking e-mail from the office, not calling people and giving directions. It means taking some time off for you. Your body needs to rest. Your mind needs to decompress. Are you worried about things that you feel that you should be doing? Take a few minutes and do a brain dump - write down everything and put the paper in your organizer/ Tickler for your next Weekly Review. Now that everything has been recorded, there is no need to worry about it.

Join a (Sports) Team

A real one, that gets together and does something physical. Fantasy football leagues do not count. Not getting enough exercise is a contributor to burnout and depression. Getting in shape, improving your cardiovascular health, and the social aspects of organized teams are all very good for overall health. As for social aspects:

Make Time for Your Friends

Socializing is relaxing and energizing. It can give you a better perspective on your situation, and others may have input or advice that you haven’t thought of. You might be surprised, other people have gone through burnout too. You can brainstorm and build your ideas with people that are experiencing the same difficulties.

Make Some Time for Yourself

Go to the movies, read that book you’ve been meaning to get to. Or get back into a hobby or activity that you enjoy, but have stopped doing because you’re just too busy. If you don’t have a hobby, well, here are some ideas.

Prepare Yourself to Say “No”

Many people cannot say “No” to new obligations and activities. If you are overwhelmed with things to get done, perhaps this is not the time to take on a new one. Saying “No” does not mean that you do not like or will not help another person. It means that you know the value of your time, and that you are being honest with yourself (and the person asking) about your available time/energy.

 Taking control of your time, and engaging the practice of even one of these suggestions should be enough to tip the balance back into your favor. Once it tips, you are on your way to recovery. I invite you to share your own “burnout recovery” ideas in the Comments.

Being productive and Getting Things Done is hard work. In fact, your work load can become so great that you risk the dreaded condition of “Burnout”. (This Burnout, not the other one)

It’s not just work, your homelife can have many demands on your time and energy as well. You may have obligations to your church, a social club, political party, school or university, or athletic team. If you have children they will need to get to music lessons or sports practice. Groceries. Laundry. Housekeeping. Your car needs an oil change. Your spouse wants to go out to dinner, and your dog deinitely needs obedience training. Whew!

Are you getting close?

Dr. Steve Stephens has put together a list of warning signs that may mean you are approaching a critical condition. Not an exhaustive list, nor does having one or two of these conditions mean that you are “burning out”.

1. Lack of energy
2. Loss of enjoyment
3. Apathy
4. Avoiding people
5. Hard to get motivated
6. Lowered productivity
7. Change in appetite
8. Trouble with sleep
9. Poor concentration
10. Difficulty in making decisions

If you are suffering from more than a couple of these conditions, it may be time for a little check-up. Tomorrow I will have some suggestions for how to recover from Burnout, and start cranking out those widgets again.