Burnout is everywhere. You see it in all sorts of industries and workplaces. From freelancing gigs to corporate jobs, regardless of what you do, going through such a depressing phase is scary and quite a bothersome experience. Although a considerable amount of caffeine or power naps can keep you going, you'll still lose some of your productivity in the process, especially if your work involves some sort of creativity or brainstorming. So, what can we do to fight it? Is there a proper plan that we can all follow?

The short answer is no. You can't just follow someone's plan to fight burnout and expect it to work for you effectively. You see, we tend to have different day-to-day schedules to work with, and there are many other different variables that we need to consider. However, there are some ways you could try to avoid burnout.

Work Smart

As a newbie in freelance writing, I realized early in my career that I’m completely capable of experimenting with my workload. The twist is, I only realized it days after I experienced a burnout. You see, in my 1st month of writing, I thought I could handle 10-12 hours of writing, but honestly, I couldn’t. I was preoccupied, and I was often late in submitting my projects. I was so unproductive that I told myself and my clients that I needed a break. Fortunately, I reassessed myself and came up with a new plan of what I should do. I started to work smart and chose my clients more wisely. Although the idea of working smart isn’t easy to apply for most people, all of us are bound to come across something that will help us sustain being sane. For instance, if I were in a workplace that overloaded me with work and had me constantly stressed out, I would work my way through finding other similar jobs even though the pay wouldn’t be as lucrative as before. The idea of working smart starts when you want to have more time for yourself and with other things.

List Them Down

It’s a great habit to note the things you have in mind. Personally, I tend to document every important thing that goes into my work or my studies. Whether it’s about goals, mistakes, or even schedules, I pretty much type or note everything I can. As an accountancy student, I tend to be meticulous and somewhat scared about entering the corporate world. So, because of this, I tend to list down safety nets or other jobs I could go with to avoid being lost in my life. Freelance writing is one of them. However, you might ask yourself, “how can taking notes or journaling help against burnout?” I firmly believe that journaling or taking notes is a great way to encourage yourself to grow more and be more than a mindless worker. Think of it as an extension of your memory and a vault of your personal thoughts or ideas. Not only will it make your job more meaningful, but it will also remind you why you’re working hard on your job, business, or studies.

Do Something You Love

Being passionate about what you do is a bonus and a privilege you should not take for granted. In a world full of many opportunities, it’s quite common for us not to know what we should do with our lives. Obviously, you shouldn’t base your level of happiness alone on your job or career. There’s always some sort of happiness you can find elsewhere. Whether it’s bonding with your family or trying out a new hobby, it’s very important that you have a support system or something to look forward to other than your work. 

Since working from home has become a common thing because of the pandemic, it has become an extremely stressful challenge for almost all of us to juggle our obligations in our homes. From simple home chores to heavy workloads, it’s undeniably become harder to develop solutions against burnout. Although working smart and proper time management are important, there are always other things you can try doing to avoid burnout. The most important takeaway is, you should always remember that money doesn't hold as much value as your mental health.