The Easiest Way To Avoid Burnouts

Easiest way to avoid burnout - boostkamp agile innovation

Chaos creeps in where there is no order. The less order you have, the more likely you’ll have to scramble to make decisions or take actions, and the closer you get to burning out. Chaos also costs you time and energy. Since you only have so much time and energy to spend each day, you better spend them wisely. A great way to bring order to chaos is with routines.

Highly successful people are known to adopt routines to boost their productivity. Some of them even have routines for what they wear. Mark Zuckerberg wears his signature grey t-shirt most days. While Steve Jobs had his black turtleneck shirt and New Balance sneakers on whenever he came on stage.

On top of being part of their public persona, there’s also a strategic reason why they follow this routine. By having routines, they free up so much time on decision-making and use it for more important things.

Having routines doesn’t mean setting yourself up for a boring life. It’s because you want to channel a bigger chunk of your time for things that truly excite you, that you want to automate the things you can.

The more decisions you put on autopilot, the better you prime yourself for other things. You’ll clear up a lot of space in your mind and also your day, to spend on new ideas, or with your loved ones. This applies to you individually and as a team.

Take these examples of things you need to figure out daily

  • what to wear for work

  • what to have for breakfast/lunch/dinner

  • when to work out

  • when to have that team meeting

  • when to study or read a book

Imagine having a routine set for all the above - how much time would you save daily? How about weekly, or monthly?

You know what the best part is? You can try it out today, and start enjoying the benefit. Simplify as many decisions and actions in your daily life as you can. Find that sweet spot between routine and excitement, and tweak it as you go.

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