Have you experienced burnout or seen it drag down your team? As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, burnout is a physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.

I compare burnout to the experience of someone rubbing sandpaper on your skin for a long period of time. It won’t take you out of commission, but it’s harmful and stressful to a pretty serious degree.

The danger here is that in a fast-growing company, without the proper preventative measures in place, entrepreneurs and team members are at risk of wearing themselves too thin and burning out. The result is a lack of motivation and engagement, and feelings of frustration.

So how do you avoid falling victim to this workplace killer?

Understanding the root causes of burnout.

In order to prevent burnout, it’s important to appreciate where it stems from. Working with entrepreneurs and their teams, I’ve found that the triggers that most commonly result in fatigue are:

1. Running yourself down.
2. Low morale and company engagement.
3. Lack of personal fulfillment.

When we do the same activities over and over again or solve the same type of problem repeatedly, without new challenges or opportunities, the future doesn’t look like much fun.

Prevent burnout with three easy-to-implement techniques.

While some forms of stress can be positive and with the right perspective can challenge us to grow and become stronger, it’s important to minimize the anxiety that has major impacts on our physical and psychological well being.

Use these productivity hacks to help both you and your team stay energized, enthusiastic, and innovative in order to prevent burnout:

1. Encourage and respect vacation time. One of the most motivating things you can do for yourself and your team is advocate for time spent not working.

   It’s crucial for creativity, perspective, and productivity that both entrepreneurs and team members have an appropriate amount of time they’re expected to use to disconnect from the workplace. This is necessary to staying healthy and maintaining the energy we need to perform at our highest levels.

   Make it a habit to plan vacation days in advance and spend this time doing things that are most important to you. Develop hobbies, spend quality time with family and friends, and take time for self-care. If you do just one thing to prevent burnout, this is most effective. It’s a guaranteed way to recharge and refocus.

2. Acknowledge and celebrate progress. Another important strategy to preventing burnout is to dedicate time to acknowledge and celebrate progress.

   The morale in any workplace is significantly higher when people are aware that their contribution is appreciated, not just expected.

   Rid yourself and your team of the feeling of being on a hamster wheel by making a point to stop and track milestones. Praise can make all the difference in connecting team members to the bigger picture. This is a powerful shift in any organization.

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   “To prevent burnout, dedicate time to acknowledge and celebrate progress.”
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3. Put the right people in the right places. When we’re working according to our natural strengths and talents, burnout is near impossible.

   It’s extremely energizing to spend the majority of our time working in the areas we’re most passionate about and skilled at. It’s when we’re working against our grain that we risk burnout. Listen to your gut when it comes to the strengths of your team. Make necessary adjustments to leverage team members and free people up to work in the areas they most excel at. When you’re open to how people can grow, it allows for major expansion to happen.

Get on the path to bigger and better achievements, and decrease burnout and breakdowns by setting up supportive workplace initiatives. When both you and your team are operating at your most productive levels, you’re able to confront issues head on and with the utmost creativity. Encourage and support people in taking time off, celebrate progress, and be open to the growth of your team!