Welcome back, everyone, to Cracking the Career Code with Matt and Kierra, where we provide candidates the keys to success in their job search. And Happy New Year, everyone. We know a lot of people have New Year’s resolutions to find a new job, and obviously there’s no hiding the 2023 layoffs. So probably a lot of people this year still looking for jobs and might be burnt out from looking for those jobs.
So today we’re going to address burnout and share some strategies on how to manage it, whether it’s from a job search or something else in your life. Yeah. And how do you know if you are burnt out? What do you think are some common signs that you’re getting burnt out and you need to recognize that? Sure.
Yeah. So you said it right there, you know, the first step to managing your burnout is recognizing you’re experiencing it. Then you can take actionable steps to reverse it and build resilience against it, coming back. But, yeah, some steps that you would take is, you know, if you’re feeling drained all the time, if you’re lacking motivation to do your job or, you know, even like around the house, like maybe you’re letting clutter build up, the dishes are piling up in the sink.
You know, it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. So those are some of the ways that I’ve personally experienced burnout and I think are pretty common. What about you? Yeah. And I also think if you’re not seeing the results that you used to, I think that’s a common sign too. Sometimes working longer doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
I think it’s really about reflecting on what you’re doing and how you can manage time more wisely. So going into that, it’s about staying organized. I think that can be a really helpful way to manage stress and burnout. What do you want to prioritize? I think that’s the first thing that you should look at when staying organized.
What is going to be the top things that you need to take care of and want to accomplish for the week. And then from there, you’ll want to use a calendar and block off those times to manage your tasks more effectively. Whether that’s color coordinating them, blocking off a little bit of time each day for specific things, that can help a lot with managing not only your stress, but making sure that you’re not spending too much time on something that you wish you didn’t.
And I think it’s a good just reminder of where you need to be each day. And then giving yourself some time for some sunshine or a walk outside and getting that exercise I think can also reduce the stress and, also help just like with an overall better day. I know every time when I exercise throughout the day, I feel so much better and so much more productive because I have that break and I’m ready to recoup and get back into it.
Another thing that I’ve been doing is prepping my meals for the week. I feel that when i’m eating healthier and that I have things prepared ahead of time. I have an overall better day, productive day, more energy. So I think getting into a routine with all of those steps has helped me a lot with managing stress and burnout but did you have anything you wanted to add to that?
Yeah, meal prep is great. Less to think about when you first wake up, at lunchtime, during your workday. You know, I don’t know, probably not meal prepping your dinners, but like, you know, maybe planning out a menu for the week. That’s something that we do, me and my wife. So, you know what you’re going to make on every day and you’re going to have a healthy meal. I also think like, you know, get plenty of water, right? I try and start my day with a cold glass of water. And I feel like that wakes me up. And just being hydrated is great. I know it’s winter time for the people in the north. So, you know, maybe walking outside, you won’t get a ton of sunshine or vitamin D, but like letting that cold air hit your skin can kind of wake you up and get the endorphins flowing.
Yeah, and I do think that the prep also saves so much time throughout your day too that you wouldn’t have to be making something. So that’s another point I just wanted to make. Yeah, and I like to make lists for what I do in my personal life, as well as at my job, right? And I like to write them down physically with pen and paper. There’s there’s something satisfying about once you complete a task being able to cross it out. And then you can see what’s behind that crossed out line that, you know, you accomplished that, you got something done. You know, whether it’s, you know, something simple or something more complex.
And I also like to do some other things that feel a little silly, but they really helped me. Like, for example, in recruiting, like, you know, we have to call candidates, you know, maybe cold calls or lukewarm calls or, you know, send outbound messages and emails about new roles that we’re recruiting for.
Like, I’ll just keep a tally of that and set a goal of, you know, whatever it is, 20, 30 outbound attempts a day and like I won’t get up from my desk, until I do that. I also like to set timers too just like put a little stopwatch in the corner of one of your monitors and set your phone in another room. So you’re, you know, you aren’t distracted, you know, take any scrolling time on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.
And, you know, just say, I’m going to spend an hour doing this and force yourself to do it. And it really helps me be more productive and I hold myself accountable with that timer. Yeah, and I know for us Apple users, Matt has like a Google phone or whatever. Oh, there it goes. There it goes. But there is like screen time options where you can-
Google phones have that too.
Oh, they do? Okay. Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you were up with the times yet, but you can set-
Google probably made that option first. I don’t know. But yeah, you can set those options where you can lock your certain apps, like social media, so you’re not scrolling through your phone during times that are throughout the workday.
I know that I don’t like to be on my phone during the workday unless I’m on a call because it’s too distracting, so I think just having that reminder there is also helpful. But other than taking a walk outside, there is a rule called the 20 20 20 rule for looking at screens. Matt, what is the 20 20 20 rule?
Sure, yeah, so it says for every 20 minutes that you’re looking at a screen, you should take 20 seconds to stare at something 20 feet away. And that’ll help prevent you from getting headaches, migraines, just general tiredness. We stare at blue light all day. And these are my prescription glasses, but maybe you can see the, the reflection in there a little bit, but they’re blue light filters as well.
And I know they sell those for people that don’t wear prescription glasses. And, I was actually experiencing migraines until I got the blue light filter just from-
yeah, perfect, perfect. So you know that they’re a big help. So if you work a job where you have to look at a screen all day, you know, that might be a good option as well.
Yeah. And just, it just helps with eye strain too. I mean, I get headaches often and I felt that they have helped a lot since I’ve gotten them and they’re so cheap. You can get them on Amazon for like two dollars. So, definitely it’s helped with that time that I’ve spent staring at screens all day. But yeah, I think at the end of the day, it’s all about mindfulness, reflection and reframing the way you’re thinking about things.
I think positive thinking also can go a long way with just your overall productivity and just overall, positive thinking can help with your overall health and wellness for the entire day. So, those are all great. And journaling was another thing, I know you had mentioned before, can help a lot of folks.
Yeah, that’s something to do like at the end of your day. You know, this is a lot of stuff that we’re throwing at you, but like if you reflect back on each day and you write that down, you know, you’ll kind of re-evaluate what you prioritize, you’ll reframe how you spend your time. And something else we didn’t mention about burnout is like go seek support from people that you’re close with and people that you trust, friends, family, you know, whoever it is, spend some time with your pets, right?
And avoid negative people that bring you down. You know, not always possible if maybe that’s someone that you work with or even worse your manager, right? But that’s why we’re talking about burnout and you know helping people find the next step in their career in their next job that you know isn’t going to burn them out like what they’re currently experiencing. Yeah, absolutely.
Awesome, well, thank you so much for joining us today on Cracking the Career Code. Go check out talentinsights.hirewell.com for more content and follow us on Linkedin if you are not already. Thanks everyone
