Feeding Your Passion Without Burning Out

Burnout is an epidemic in the modern workplace. Technology has made it increasingly easy for us to be constantly ‘on’ – available through our phones by text, call, email, and an ever-increasing number of communication apps. Sometimes it feels like all we do is work.

There are those of us who are lucky enough to be paid to do what we love, there are some of us who hustle on the side to someday be able to work full-time doing what we love, and there are some of us who choose to practice our passion as an unpaid hobby away from work hours. No matter which person you are, you are still at risk for burnout. Burnout is not dependent on what you do, it is dependent on how much of it you do. To help you discover how to find happiness, we’ve done some research on tips and tricks you can use to feed your passion without burning out

Establishing a routine will allow you to spend less time worrying and more time doing. Set a time in the morning, midday, and afternoon when you check your emails, and stick to that schedule during the day. If you work on a team, delegate tasks to others who are more suited to them that way you don’t waste your time trying to do something someone else could do in half the time. Having a routine helps you to be more efficient and makes you feel like you’re getting more done as well. Routines make it easier for you to schedule your to-dos that way you can cross things off, helping you to feel accomplished in what you’re doing.

This sounds obvious, but many people forget to do this when working towards the completion of a certain dream or passion. If you have a huge passion or dream, but don’t set smaller goals that will help you on your way to get there, it’s like building a second story of a house with no stairs. Setting small goals, even if they are daily or weekly goals, help get you to your desired future state more quickly. They will also help you to get less burned out because you’ll be able to see your progress over time and so a sense of accomplishment.

Make sure you take the time to identify what energizes you and what doesn’t. This sort of reflection is important in terms of growth and moving forward. Focus on what energizes you and try to minimize time spent on what de-energizes you as much as is possible. Focusing your energy on what isn’t motivating you will likely negatively impact your work and chip away at your passion. Address the negative things head on instead of avoiding them and allowing them to grow into bigger things.Then, you’ll have more time to spend doing what you love

Having people around you that you trust makes any kind of work easier. Surrounding yourself with people who you care about and who care about you will help you when you’re feeling down or when you need direction. Spending time with family, friends, and loved ones helps to take away the effects of stress and burn out. However, it’s always good to meet you new people. Make the effort to continue branching out: seeking mentors, colleagues, and new friends and partners to help you learn and grow on your journey.

Taking care of your body is an important part of pursuing your passion. Good food helps you to stay energized, so you can work harder and longer. Hydration does the same, making sure you don’t suffer from fatigue or worse, dehydration. Exercising improves your mood, your strength, and your stamina, and as well as promotes healthy sleep cycles. Exercise is also a great stress reliever, which will help alleviate the effects of stress and burn out. There’s no way your body can take care of you if you don’t take care of it.

Last but not least. This is the one thing people forget about most often when they’re doing what they love, or working towards it. Finding what you’re passionate about alone is exhausting, filled with lots of wrong turns and uphill battles. And then after that, working towards your passion is even harder. Even if you have goals and a purpose, you may find it can be difficult to stop what you’re doing to take time off to relax or even to just think about how far you’ve come. However, it’s important to take time for yourself to recharge when you feel tired and need to reset. If you can, take a vacation, or a few days off. If you don’t have that much time, take a night off and do something simple like eating a nice meal or spend time with people you love. It’ll help keep you happy for the work you have ahead of you.

At the end of the day, feeding your passion shouldn’t come at the expense of burnout. You can still find happiness without working yourself into the ground. Just remember to focus on the little steps on your journey towards bigger milestones. Don’t sacrifice sleep, healthy food, hydration, friends, or exercise just to work a few more hours each week. Life is about balance. You can work harder without working longer if you focus on being efficient: make a routine, find out what works for you, set goals, and make sure to take the time to reset. Burnout might be common, but it doesn’t have to be.