It might be a bad time to create a newsletter post about things burning as the Americas are dealing with rampant wildfires in California, Canada, and Hawaii. But lately, I've been dealing with all the signs of burning out. For me, it's an apathy towards my work that makes me procrastinate until the sh*t hits the fan or a feeling of dissatisfaction even if I check things off my to-do list.
This is because I'm an inherently lazy person. It's also one of the reason that I start up projects, only to change course in the middle, for something more exciting.*
I guess other people are feeling the burn, too. The covid lockdown changed everything, no matter how many employers try to fight the masses. Those who cannot or refuse to adapt will be left behind ... because people will just work somewhere else. In Pennsylvania, the all-mighty legislators are introducing a bill to shorten the work week to 4 days if an employer has over 500 employees. A sign of the times? They did a big study about it in Europe and concluded that a shorter work week keeps production at about the same.
So the question I have for this week is ... how does one overcome burn out? Here's my top 10 not-so-hot list of things for overcoming mental exhaustion if you just need a break.
Go on vacation. Anywhere. Even for a weekend. You might be surprised at what you can find, last minute, because hotels (and airlines) want to sell out available rooms. You possibly could think about Maui, for example.
Take a nap. Napping, like coffee and bacon, makes things better. You get bonus points if you build a bed underneath your desk at work ala George Costanza.
Delegate Like a Diplomat. Pass on tasks like a hot potato, but make it sound like you're empowering others. You're not avoiding work, you're fostering team growth!
Turn down the heat. Oh, wait, wrong kind of burn-out. Whoops.
Take a "sick" day. Your mental health counts, right?
Procrastinate like a pro. I'm talking about real procrastination, like watching television for a day straight while your in-box gets flooded with more things to do. There's nothing like the threat of being fired to heat things up.
Feng-Shui yourself. Moving things around your house, your office, or your life could give you enough change that you forget how burned out you really are.
Read. I like to read fantasy because pretending you have magical powers and you live in a magical place is just cool. Not so cool if the wall was destroyed or the Dark One is coming. But that's why it's called reading and not living.
Do something on your bucket list. Sometimes it doesn't feel like I have enough time on the weekends, but it is 2 days out of the week.
Say F it, and do something you want to do. This is similar to the above, but on a smaller scale. Sure, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, but it can be done tomorrow. Or a week from now. (Don't judge me about my bathroom cleaning schedule, okay?)
* The Husband laughs at me whenever I change course.
The Promos
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Happenings
I stopped reading Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams. Tbh, I cannot understand why she is a New York Times bestseller because this book is ... f'n horrible. In the first chapter, she changes point of view (POV) about seven times. By the second chapter, I already guessed the entire plot of the novel, which (in the world of AI advances), is no longer relevant. Reading a book should be fun, and this one is not.
This week will be the last of The Lincoln Lawyer TV series until Netflix drops the next season (I promise!). I added the show to my top 10 list of courtroom dramas. I'll be taking a break from the television shows for a while (I'm currently obsessed with The Witcher), so next week is a review for a legal thriller book, the week after you'll hear all about my trip to South Carolina ... hopefully, I won't be seeing any alligators ... and then we'll be into the Suits world.
I've got to say, being an attorney by day then coming home to be more of an attorney ... is burning me out. I'm thinking after Suits, I will be reading and watching more fantasy and sci-fi instead.