How do you identify job burnout?

[Rachel]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has gone through "burnout". I don't know if that's what's going on here...I am having trouble focusing on any one thing for an extended period of time, I feel incapacitated to get things done, and by the end of the day I am exhausted - and don't always have a ton to show for my efforts.

Does this sound like burnout?...or am I just a flake?

Edit: I guess a better question might be - what are your ways of coping with the highs and lows of work?

 

[tracy5000]

This is something I've been going through off and on for awhile and haven't been able to necessarily come up with any good coping skills. I'll be watching to see what others have to say.

Tracy

 

[ddunn]

I have often felt as you. I have learned over the years to take pride in what you do and celebrate even the small victories.

Remember how to eat an elephant, one bite at a time.
The bites may seem small but after a while the elephant is gone. Sometimes no one notices the elephant is gone or they don’t remember there ever being an elephant but it’s still gone.

 

[Jim Wynne]

Sounds like classic burnout symptoms. There's some good advice here: Coping with Burnout

 

[D.Scott]

Rachel,

Don't be down on yourself. Kellogg combined burnout and flakes and became a multi-millionaire. There is all kinds of hope for you.

Tips to deal with the highs and lows:

Come here often
Play a lot of golf
Spend a lot of time with grandkids

Seriously, lots of people are feeling the same these days. It may be a sign of the times. I am not sure if it may have a base in some of the frustrations and uncertainties in the economy and life in general or if maybe people are going through an extended spring fever. I think a lot of people are pulling their thoughts back to a personal level and not thinking so much about someone else's project. This causes a lot of frustration and thoughts of "aloneness" on your own projects. It is almost as though "nobody else cares so why should I". I guess you just have to be happy in what you do and if you're not and can't fix it, change jobs.

On the other hand, depending on your age, there could be good reasons for what you are feeling. It probably wouldn't go amiss to visit your doctor if things don't start looking up.

Dave

 

[Craig H.]

Rachel, with all of the things that seem to go with being a Q professional I think all of us at one time or another have felt the way you do. The advice contained in JSW's link is good.

Maybe this weekend you can do something new. Have you been to the zoo lately, or a museum? Maybe a few hours at a spa would do the trick? Anything to refresh the mind.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

It's odd - I waffle between feeling numb and feeling totally overwhelmed.

There's so much going on right now - at work and at home - and it's just a lot to deal with. Combine that with the fact that all of my tasks at work are either (a) piddle-work (i.e., word-processing and chart-making - not unimportant, just not a challenge) or (b) so over my head that i am sinking and having to swim up from the bottom. There's very little that's in that grey area in between - it's either "retype this for me" or "complete this challenging task with little assistance". To top it off, for some of these projects, I am the only one involved - i.e., I am considered the "company expert" and I don't feel overly competent.

Sometimes I think I just need a vacation...other times I think it's more than that.

 

[Bill Pflanz]

Recently, I had the opportunity (and the financial means) to take a severance package and just walk away. I must have been burnt out since I have no regrets and don't miss what you have been experiencing.

It is amazing how much you can and want to do when you are not going into work everyday doing something that no one cares about. The problem is as much with how companies do business now as what you are doing as an individual.

Bill Pflanz

 

[Cari Spears]

It probably wouldn't go amiss to visit your doctor if things don't start looking up.

Good advice. I have a friend that couldn't figure out why she had no energy and had no patience with her kids, etc. She went to her doctor for "depression" - turns out she was anemic. If nothing else, you can at least rule such things out.

 

[Statistical Steven]

Could be ADD which is more common in adults than most people give credit. Might try talking to your doctor about it, and trying Zoloft or Wellbutrin