Hi,
Let me start with a few things I forgot to mention in my previous editions.
First, the theme for this month is “Burnout”
Second, the method I want to adapt is to pick a theme every month, and then share stories, tools, and my perspective on it, helping you make small, practical changes and gain clarity.
Let’s begin.
Today, I would like to share a typical scenario from our workspace, where we often find ourselves caught up in a stressful project that pulls us in all directions, and the stress mounts until we find ourselves on the verge of burnout.
This is what was happening with, let’s call this person Mr M.
Mr M is struggling with a demanding project related to cybersecurity protection for a major corporate client. He is under constant stress, is experiencing anxiety, loss of sleep and needs help with time management.
The client(Mr M) wants – Less stress and greater time management skills to help ease tension.
While there is a lot of content available on the internet on how to manage his time and tall promises of productivity, it is seldom true that these techniques, as easy as they sound, can be applied in all contexts and situations.
So,
What’s most likely to happen is Mr M would look for a workaround, some hack and with some of his trial-and-error method, may find a temporary solution to the problem.
However, it is highly likely that he will be back in the same stressful situation and may experience low productivity within the next 48 hours, along with the next challenge in the project, whichever one may arise early.
There goes Mr M trapped in the loop, which, if not attended to, may one day, not very far away, push him to the verge of Burnout!
Most of us are no different from Mr M and therefore stand equally vulnerable to burnout.
So, what’s next?
Here is a set of 5 key questions that have helped Mr M get a grip on the issue and assisted him in gaining a perspective and finding a possible solution.
The 5 Key Clarity Questions are as follows ;
- What is the single most critical outcome one must achieve in this project to be considered a success by your client?
- What tasks or processes are consuming time but not contributing meaningfully to the project’s success?
- Where are the most common communication breakdowns happening, and how can you simplify them?
- What are the known risks and knowledge gaps that keep resurfacing? What can be done here?
- What is within our control right now, and what can we let go of to maintain focus and emotional clarity?
The possible solution is somewhere hidden in our response to these questions, so whether you are on a project or not, these questions can be easily applied to the work that is sucking your soul and leaving you exhausted and overwhelmed.
More power to you, go slay the demons of stress and prosper in your work.
Warmly,
Mehnaz Amjad.
P.S.: If you want to read my stories of burnout, click here for the first edition and here for the second edition.
And if you’d like to discuss this further, consider finding a possible solution, as Mr M did. Here’s the link to the free clarity call.