I burned out in my last job. I’m not proud of it, but it happened.
Thankfully, I had some time off in between that job and my next one, which gave me a chance to figure out what had gone wrong.
In hindsight, I realize I missed the warning signs that could have prevented my crash and burn.
Are you burned out?
If you exhibit one or more of the following signs, you’re certainly not far from it.
- You’re physically ill more than usual
- You get angry very easily
- You can’t remember your last day off
- You’re tired all the time
My hope is this episode will help you be honest with yourself and those around you when it comes to naming and dealing with your burnout.
Here’s the blog post on this topic.
Here’s the CDC chart about hours of sleep we need…
ASSISTANT CHALLENGE
At the end of this episode, I mentioned my 30-Day Assistant Challenge email course. You can sign up and take the challenge here.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
– Max Lucado
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
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<v SPEAKER_1>Welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast, Episode 9.
00:00:05.360 –> 00:00:07.060
<v SPEAKER_1>Please review on iTunes.
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<v SPEAKER_2>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistance to become irreplaceable, game-changing leader assistants.
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<v SPEAKER_2>This episode’s quote is from Max Lucado.
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<v SPEAKER_2>A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
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JEREMY: Hey, everyone.
00:00:31.060 –> 00:00:35.200
JEREMY: Welcome to Episode 9 of The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:00:35.260 –> 00:00:40.160
JEREMY: Today, we’re going to talk about a topic that unfortunately hits a little close to home for me.
00:00:40.180 –> 00:00:46.320
JEREMY: We’re going to talk about burnout, and we’re going to talk about four signs you’ve reached burnout status.
00:00:47.120 –> 00:00:50.900
JEREMY: So unfortunately, at my last job, I burned out.
00:00:51.140 –> 00:00:54.560
JEREMY: I mean, I was not in a good place.
00:00:55.900 –> 00:01:04.280
JEREMY: But the worst part is I didn’t know until I was in between jobs and kind of was looking back in hindsight.
00:01:04.600 –> 00:01:20.200
JEREMY: I kind of learned a lot when I had about eight months or so in between jobs to kind of consider and think through what it was that went wrong and how I could have recognized the signs of burnout sooner.
00:01:21.120 –> 00:01:30.180
JEREMY: So I wanted to share four signs that you may be burning out today, and hopefully this will help you, you know, catch it before it’s too late.
00:01:31.040 –> 00:01:35.700
JEREMY: Unfortunately, I did not catch it and crash and burn and it took me a while to recover.
00:01:36.100 –> 00:01:39.140
JEREMY: But thankfully, I’m doing a lot better these days.
00:01:39.380 –> 00:01:50.380
JEREMY: And we can talk about in the next episode, episode 10, we’ll talk about how to avoid burnout so that you can not make the same mistake again.
00:01:51.020 –> 00:01:58.720
JEREMY: So this this describes how I was or how I was feeling when I was burning out.
00:01:59.580 –> 00:02:03.380
JEREMY: Something didn’t feel right, but I was too busy to figure out what it was.
00:02:03.400 –> 00:02:04.840
JEREMY: I was stressed.
00:02:04.920 –> 00:02:06.060
JEREMY: I was exhausted.
00:02:06.700 –> 00:02:08.900
JEREMY: But I thought, you know what, everyone else is too.
00:02:09.060 –> 00:02:11.220
JEREMY: So I just sucked it up and pushed through.
00:02:12.040 –> 00:02:13.080
JEREMY: Just keep grinding.
00:02:13.100 –> 00:02:14.620
JEREMY: No one cares how healthy I am.
00:02:14.640 –> 00:02:16.660
JEREMY: That’s that’s just what I thought.
00:02:17.580 –> 00:02:18.640
JEREMY: They just want me to produce.
00:02:19.460 –> 00:02:20.760
JEREMY: That’s what I convinced myself.
00:02:21.280 –> 00:02:40.040
JEREMY: The closest to me, my wife, and even my boss, eventually, they spotted that I was burning out first, but they don’t always have the courage to speak up, or they’re too busy themselves, or they might be burning out themselves, or they don’t know how to address it, or how to even name what’s going on.
00:02:40.540 –> 00:02:55.620
JEREMY: And sometimes they do point something out like my lovely wife did several times, but I just didn’t understand or didn’t listen, and it was just too far gone to really snap out of it in that moment.
00:02:56.540 –> 00:03:07.580
JEREMY: So the word burnout, the verb burnout means to cause, to fail, wear out, or become exhausted, especially from overwork or overuse.
00:03:08.600 –> 00:03:10.700
JEREMY: That’s from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
00:03:11.780 –> 00:03:25.800
JEREMY: So hopefully, you realize you don’t have anything left in the tank before you end up in the hospital with stress-induced illness, or you end up doing something you can’t take back, like cheat on your spouse, steal money from your employer, or fall into substance abuse.
00:03:26.660 –> 00:03:32.540
JEREMY: So if you’re suffering from burnout or you’re heading that direction, how can you make drastic changes before it’s too late?
00:03:33.460 –> 00:03:38.100
JEREMY: How do you remind yourself that your overall health directly impacts your ability to produce?
00:03:39.360 –> 00:03:47.460
JEREMY: So we’re going to talk, again, in this episode about recognizing the burnout first, and then we’ll talk about how to avoid it in the next episode.
00:03:47.800 –> 00:03:55.760
JEREMY: To recognize, I think one thing we need to remember is we just need to stop making excuses and make better use of our time and energy.
00:03:56.740 –> 00:04:00.440
JEREMY: Working harder, faster, and longer does not equal more productivity.
00:04:00.740 –> 00:04:09.520
JEREMY: Well, again, we’ll talk more about avoiding burnout in the next episode, but here are four signs or four ways to tell that you’re approaching burnout.
00:04:10.400 –> 00:04:14.120
JEREMY: Sign number one is you’re physically ill more than usual.
00:04:15.600 –> 00:04:18.800
JEREMY: Do you find you’re taking more sick days than others in the office?
00:04:19.720 –> 00:04:35.320
JEREMY: Now, some of you may have chronic issues or serious illnesses, which obviously is a challenge in and of itself, but I’m talking about just general colds or flus or whatever it is.
00:04:35.640 –> 00:04:38.920
JEREMY: Are you staying home sick a lot more than you usually do?
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JEREMY: Or a lot more than those around you?
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JEREMY: If everybody in the office is sick, that’s one thing.
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JEREMY: You just think, oh, well, everybody’s doing it.
00:04:45.480 –> 00:04:50.300
JEREMY: But if people keep saying, man, you’re sick all the time, and why are you sick all the time?
00:04:50.980 –> 00:04:52.640
JEREMY: Then there may be something up with that.
00:04:53.120 –> 00:05:01.200
JEREMY: In other words, consider the possibility that being sick all the time could be a direct result of you working too much and pushing yourself too hard.
00:05:01.520 –> 00:05:02.540
JEREMY: All right, here’s a fun one.
00:05:02.680 –> 00:05:06.400
JEREMY: A few years ago, as I talked about, I was burned out and this was me.
00:05:06.420 –> 00:05:11.440
JEREMY: So sign number two is you get irritated or angry very easily.
00:05:12.340 –> 00:05:17.620
JEREMY: I was so overworked and exhausted, and unfortunately, very easily irritated.
00:05:18.340 –> 00:05:20.440
JEREMY: If you don’t believe me, you can ask my wife.
00:05:21.320 –> 00:05:23.520
JEREMY: She will tell you all about that time.
00:05:23.780 –> 00:05:31.860
JEREMY: There are more than a couple verses in the Bible that talk about being slow to anger, which unfortunately did not describe me at the time.
00:05:32.240 –> 00:05:33.700
JEREMY: I was definitely not slow to anger.
00:05:33.720 –> 00:05:35.040
JEREMY: I was quick to anger.
00:05:35.060 –> 00:05:36.960
JEREMY: I’m not proud to admit it.
00:05:37.400 –> 00:05:40.700
JEREMY: Again, you can ask my wife all about that time.
00:05:40.720 –> 00:05:42.960
JEREMY: It was not a fun time in our family.
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JEREMY: If other people are frightened or on edge around you, consider it a warning.
00:05:49.680 –> 00:05:52.400
JEREMY: You are likely in the midst of burnout.
00:05:53.440 –> 00:05:54.080
JEREMY: So that was me.
00:05:54.140 –> 00:05:59.500
JEREMY: My wife was kind of on edge around me, and it’s such a shame that it came to that.
00:06:00.200 –> 00:06:06.980
JEREMY: But thankfully, through job change and kind of a rude awakening, thankfully, we’re in a better place now.
00:06:08.240 –> 00:06:09.500
JEREMY: All right, sign number three.
00:06:10.420 –> 00:06:12.320
JEREMY: You can’t remember your last day off.
00:06:13.040 –> 00:06:15.720
JEREMY: Now, by day off, I mean you didn’t check your email.
00:06:15.860 –> 00:06:17.600
JEREMY: You didn’t get a text from your boss.
00:06:18.220 –> 00:06:21.420
JEREMY: You don’t have to call someone in the office to check on something real quick.
00:06:22.360 –> 00:06:26.140
JEREMY: Maybe you had one recently, but when was the last time you had a few days off in a row?
00:06:26.980 –> 00:06:29.620
JEREMY: If it’s been a while, it’s time to take a real vacation.
00:06:29.640 –> 00:06:35.800
JEREMY: Like we talked about in episode seven, use your vacation days, take a vacation.
00:06:36.480 –> 00:06:37.720
JEREMY: All right, sign number four.
00:06:38.340 –> 00:06:40.180
JEREMY: You’re tired all the time.
00:06:41.240 –> 00:06:46.240
JEREMY: How many cups of coffee do you need to stay awake or stay alert throughout the day?
00:06:47.160 –> 00:06:48.960
JEREMY: Are you tired even after your day off?
00:06:50.360 –> 00:06:57.520
JEREMY: Are you doing stuff on your day off that re-energizes you or are you doing more work and are you doing stuff that drains you?
00:06:58.640 –> 00:07:00.360
JEREMY: How much sleep do you get each night?
00:07:01.920 –> 00:07:08.560
JEREMY: If you’re tired all the time, it’s likely due to many factors, but if you’re not getting at least seven hours of sleep every night, start there.
00:07:09.860 –> 00:07:13.060
JEREMY: Next, you can try other things to combat your sleepiness.
00:07:13.080 –> 00:07:15.580
JEREMY: For example, don’t eat after 8 p.m.
00:07:16.420 –> 00:07:17.600
JEREMY: You can exercise.
00:07:18.220 –> 00:07:19.640
JEREMY: You can eat healthy food.
00:07:20.800 –> 00:07:22.800
JEREMY: You can also start by just going to bed early.
00:07:23.780 –> 00:07:31.540
JEREMY: Check out this simple chart from the CDC in the show notes at leaderassistant.com forward slash nine.
00:07:32.140 –> 00:07:35.220
JEREMY: It’s leaderassistant.com/nine in the show notes.
00:07:36.180 –> 00:07:43.740
JEREMY: I’ll put this chart in here, but it basically talks about how many hours of sleep is recommended based on your age.
00:07:44.620 –> 00:07:46.100
JEREMY: So check that chart out.
00:07:46.220 –> 00:07:47.060
JEREMY: Look at your age.
00:07:47.080 –> 00:07:55.360
JEREMY: Look at how many recommended hours of sleep the Center for Disease Control suggests you get, and try to start getting more sleep.
00:07:55.940 –> 00:07:59.460
JEREMY: So again, next week we’ll talk about avoiding burnout.
00:07:59.960 –> 00:08:04.660
JEREMY: I just want to encourage you to be honest with those around you about what’s going on.
00:08:04.960 –> 00:08:06.400
JEREMY: Let someone know you’re struggling.
00:08:06.420 –> 00:08:14.500
JEREMY: If you see these signs and you’re checking all the boxes and all four of these signs that you’re burned out, tell your boss, tell your spouse.
00:08:15.620 –> 00:08:24.640
JEREMY: It’s better that your boss or your coworkers find out now, as opposed to when you end up so burned out that you quit or you end up getting fired because you can no longer produce.
00:08:25.240 –> 00:08:26.420
JEREMY: So be honest with yourself.
00:08:26.600 –> 00:08:27.720
JEREMY: Are you approaching burnout?
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JEREMY: To recap, are you physically ill more than usual?
00:08:32.420 –> 00:08:35.620
JEREMY: Do you get irritated or angry very easily?
00:08:37.000 –> 00:08:38.620
JEREMY: Can you remember your last day off?
00:08:39.740 –> 00:08:40.960
JEREMY: And are you tired all the time?
00:08:41.560 –> 00:08:45.760
JEREMY: If you can relate to one or more of these signs, then slow down.
00:08:46.640 –> 00:08:47.600
JEREMY: Don’t ignore it.
00:08:48.320 –> 00:08:49.880
JEREMY: Okay, thanks for listening, everyone.
00:08:50.280 –> 00:08:56.840
JEREMY: Again, next episode, we will talk about avoiding burnout and how we can avoid it before it’s too late.
00:08:57.460 –> 00:09:05.300
JEREMY: So be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, wherever you listen to podcasts.
00:09:06.080 –> 00:09:11.380
JEREMY: You can find those links at podcast.leaderassistant.com.
00:09:11.960 –> 00:09:17.360
JEREMY: And again, the show notes for today’s episode will be at leaderassistant.com/nine.
00:09:17.680 –> 00:09:22.540
JEREMY: Lastly, I just want to share a resource that I have called the 30 Day Assistant Challenge.
00:09:23.400 –> 00:09:25.200
JEREMY: I put this assistant challenge together.
00:09:25.220 –> 00:09:33.540
JEREMY: It’s a 30 day email course where you get a challenge or an encouraging note every weekday for 30 days in your inbox.
00:09:34.380 –> 00:09:41.520
JEREMY: And I put this together because one of the reasons I burned out in my last job was I was not networked with anybody.
00:09:41.820 –> 00:09:43.940
JEREMY: I was not connected with other assistants.
00:09:44.520 –> 00:09:57.180
JEREMY: So I was kind of working under a rock and not putting myself out there and learning and even being in community with other assistants that could tell me, hey, you looks like you’re working too hard or it looks like you’re burning out.
00:09:57.620 –> 00:10:08.500
JEREMY: So I put this email course together, had about 500 to 600 people go through the course so far, assistants all over the world, and would love to have you join us.
00:10:09.020 –> 00:10:16.220
JEREMY: There is a standard package for $29 and you get 30 emails in 30 weekdays.
00:10:16.660 –> 00:10:20.060
JEREMY: You can sign up at assistantchallenge.com.
00:10:20.760 –> 00:10:22.880
JEREMY: Again, assistantchallenge.com.
00:10:23.580 –> 00:10:40.360
JEREMY: It’s my 30-day email course that is designed to challenge you and encourage you to become a leader and to step outside of your comfort zone and to really network and grow your leadership skills as an assistant.
00:10:40.360 –> 00:10:42.960
JEREMY: So check that out at assistantchallenge.com.
00:10:52.383 –> 00:10:54.723
<v SPEAKER_1>Help my dad out in review on iTunes.
00:10:59.263 –> 00:11:01.083
<v SPEAKER_1>goburrows.com
