Burnout Prevention,  Attention and Intention

I’ve had two people in last two hours describe me as a “striver”.  I guess that explains why I’m so reliant on the skills I teach; without a constant level of mindfulness about energy going out and nurturance coming in, I’d have burned out long ago!

 

One of the most intriguing presenters at the Wisdom 2.0 Business conference last month was Tony Schwartz.  You might recognize Tony as the author of  The Power of Full Engagement or How to Be Being Excellent at Anything, or perhaps  you’ve read one of his many articles for the Harvard Business Review.  Tony speaks eloquently about the need for sustainable work habits and various strategies for burnout prevention.  For a recovering striver like myself, his words serve as powerful reinforcement for a different way of looking at life.

 

One of Tony’s key strategies for making the most of internal resources is a “sprint and recover” work flow, which centers around 90-120 minutes of concentrated work effort followed by 20 minutes of mindful downtime.  This strategic work pattern is based on research surrounding excellence in athletic performance, based on the understanding that increasing capacity results from “stressing” a muscle and then allow time for recovery.  Learn more with this HBR article on “The Energy Audit” and remember,  any change of habit requires attention and intention to succeed.