4 ways I'm avoiding burnout in 2022

I declared 2020 the year of "me." Turns out I was wrong.

Between 2017 and 2019, I had a baby, bought and sold a house, and was promoted at work. My husband was laid off, took a new high-stress job, was laid off again, and found a new job (that he loves!). His father passed away, and he had shoulder surgery.

Ooh weeee, it was a lot, a lot.

I also had pink eye like 7 times, and something called hand, foot and mouth, which I do not recommend. Zero stars.

So I said "no more!" and booked a yoga retreat in New Mexico for January 2020. It was a glorious three days of hot springs, meditation and alone time. 

Coming home from the retreat, I was inspired and ready to prioritize my happiness and health. I bought a yoga membership, and I went regularly. I washed my face at night and started making plans to see my girlfriends. It was a magical month.

You know the rest of the story…by February, the WHO declared a global health emergency, and suddenly the year of me turned into the year of surviving a global pandemic.

There's a quote by Cleo Wade that says, "If self-love says, 'I love you,' self-care says, 'Prove it."

I. Did. Not. Prove. It. There was zero self-care during the first year of the pandemic. We were surviving, and that was okay. Until it wasn’t.

In November 2020, I had to get a colonoscopy. And I tell you what, that was one of the best days of my life.

How’s that for a pandemic vibe?

For a few short hours, I was cared for and doted upon. The nurse brought me warm blankets and juice. She held my hand and asked if I needed anything. It felt so nice that I cried. I was self-caring! That colonoscopy was enough to get me through another six months of the pandemic.

Unfortunately, twice-yearly colonoscopies are frowned upon both medically and socially, and eventually I hit burnout status. After two years of powering through, I couldn't do it anymore. Turns out it's not possible to be a working person, parent, wife, dog walker, junior epidemiologist, chef, teacher, housekeeper, personal trainer, good neighbor, and supply chain expert. Thankfully, I found anxiety medication that works for me. And I have a very supportive partner who helped me make some life changes to create more space for rest.

The pandemic isn’t going away for me anytime soon. My daughter isn't old enough for a vaccine, so we're hunkered down for the foreseeable future. Stress still looms large. So this year I'm not making any resolutions or adding any new hobbies. Instead I have declared 2022 is the year of doing less, including less burnout. 

Here's some steps I’m taking in my work and personal life to avoid burnout:

1. Structuring my day to prioritize my physical and mental health

For much of the pandemic, I woke up with my insomniac daughter, got her ready for school, and then ran down to my computer, already feeling late, stressed and guilty. Around 3 pm I would remember to brush my teeth. This year, I'm scheduling a "commute" to my computer that includes drinking water and taking my anxiety medicine and vitamin D, some movement, — I love walking and the Peloton app — getting ready, and then heading downstairs to work. 

In the evening, I try to save a chunk of time to read a book. Reading helps with my anxiety. It also makes me feel less guilty than being on my phone all the time in front of my kid. Because let's face, parenting can be hella boring sometimes.

2. Scheduling work to maximize my creative peaks

I have found that I do my best writing between 2-4 pm, so I try to block my days off to take advantage of this window. Email, billing, admin work is easy to accomplish in the morning, and meetings often take up the rest of the day. Keeping some large blocks of time to be thoughtful and focused has been a game-changer for me. I took a chronograph quiz, and it turns out I'm a dolphin which aligns with this schedule.

I know it's not always possible to keep large chunks of time free in the corporate world, but could you carve out time on a day that is light on meetings to find flow?

3. Calendaring fun

I don't really know how to do this one. Please send your advice. My husband and I are both an Enneagram 1, and our entire family is very heavily Virgo energy. We're great at cleaning the refrigerator, but no one would ever call us "fun." We're all aiming to relax and enjoy ourselves a little more this year, and since we will never, ever be impromptu about it, we're going to need to put it on the calendar. PTO days, vacations, lunch dates; I know they won't happen if we don't plan.

I'm always in awe of families that go on cute little last-minute weekend trips. How do you do that? Who is the fairy godmother that makes it work? We need a CEO of Fun. 

4. Outsourcing

I am a good entrepreneur, a fantastic mom, and a pretty decent life partner and friend. I also just told you that I am prioritizing my physical and mental health, and somehow being a "fun person." Plus, I have a dog to walk. That doesn't leave much time to do the other bazillion things I'm responsible for, so I'm hiring help this year. I've been tracking my work on Toggl and I’m excited to dig into the data to see where I am most impactful and what might make sense to outsource to an expert.

What about you? Are you making plans to banish burnout this year? What tips do you have for prioritizing fun? Send me a DM on Instagram.

And if you could use some help creating ease in your life, I'm always here to take some work off your plate.

Happy, healthy 2022.

xo

Alison