What People Think Burnout is- What Burnout Actually is

How do I avoid burnout?

I love this personal question!
I want more personal questions, guys and gals! 🙂
Anyway, let’s see if I can give you something new.
Here are 3 things I do.

1.    First off, I try to stick to my non-negotiables.
Sometimes, burnout comes from trying to prioritize everything all at once.

Instead, what I do is this:
→    I try to figure out the most critical priorities in everything I do.

For example, one of my non-negotiables is exercise.
In the last 10 years, I’ve worked a lot.
In 2013, I was working 15-16 hours a day.

Now, I’m probably working 12.
But I’ve never allowed my work to cut exercise from my daily routine.
I did that with sleep — but not with exercise.
From 2013 to 2019, I slept 6 hours a day.
Then I realized sleep is really important for my daily focus.
So now, even sleep has become a kind of non-negotiable.
In reality, I can sleep 6 hours a day for 3 days — if I have to.
But I can’t go 3 days without exercise.

2.    Another thing I do is take frequent breaks throughout the day.

Studies show that the “perfect rule” for productivity is:
→    52 minutes of concentrated work
→    17 minutes of break.

Personally, I do this:
→    50 minutes of concentrated work
→    10-minute break

I simply use a timer on my Mac.

And as we know, small breaks can help us:
→    Regain energy and focus
→    Have time to eat healthily
→    Have time to drink (water, and sometimes coffee)
→    Look at nature (which is really important for our creativity and focus)

3.    Last thing, I focus on things I can actually control.
I think many people burn out because they focus on everything.
But focusing on everything is like focusing on nothing.
They feel bogged down by the things they can’t change.
I think I got this ‘skill’ through sports.
Sports teach us that it makes no sense to waste time on things we can’t control.
If you can’t control tomorrow’s weather, it makes no sense to focus on that.
If you can’t control your competitor’s tactics, it makes no sense to focus on that.
But if you can control your preparation, well, prepare yourself!

It also boosts confidence — not just prevents burnout.
You know what I mean?