items down – on paper, dammit
- and draw a thick, aggressive
line through each one when
done. The satisfaction may
help your attitude.
Your job is booooring.
Tedious or unsatisfying work
erodes your sense of worth.
Nobody likes throwing away eight
(or 10 or 12) hours a day on doing
nothing. But pulling an Office
Space stunt isn’t always possible;
somebody’s got to pay the rent.
BURNOUT BUSTER If you’re
stuck in a decent-paying gig that
just isn’t doing it for you, Hakanen
recommends “job crafting.” This
means working within the
confines of your job to focus on
what you enjoy or find fulfilling. Is
there another duty you could take
o n t h at you ’r e g o o d at a n d
genuinely like doing, even if it
adds to your workload? Go for it.
That goofy kid right out of uni
trying to make his way in the firm?
Consider mentoring him. And
although this may sound crazy,
changing your attitude about your
job could help too. Think of it this
way: you’re not just managing
employees and tasks; you’re part
of a company pushing technology
forward and making life better for
customers. Go ahead and roll
your eyes, but the benefits of such
“cognitive restructuring” are
supported by research.
Steve Blank learned all these
lessons the hard way. After that
frightening Friday, he took a
couple of days off and drove
an unspoiled stretch of coast.
Amid the trees, rolling hills,
seaside cliffs and scent of
eucalyptus, he realised that no
one was going to send him a
memo to work less. So he
decided to work only at what
interested him most. And he
vowed to forge a life outside
work, eventually buying a
home on a serene patch of
land by the sea.
These life decisions didn’t
sabotage Blank’s career or make
him any less successful. No, he
went on to eight different startups
and was an innovator in startup
creation. But by keeping work in
perspective, he did it on his
terms. You can too.
Are you fried?
We all hate our jobs
sometimes, but how can you
tell the dierence between
a rough month and serious
burnout? Psychologists
have questionnaires for
employees and work teams
that gauge such things
as emotional exhaustion,
satisfaction, and cynicism.
Paula Davis-Laack, a former
lawyer (who incidentally
became a “stress and
resilience expert” after
burning out), suggests asking
yourself these questions.1
Are you chronically – that is, more
often than not – physically and
emotionally exhausted?2
Do you feel a persistent sense of
cynicism? That everybody and
everything bugs you or rubs you the
wrong way?3
Have you started to lose empathy
for your coworkers or clients?4
Do you often feel a sense of
ineffectiveness, that you can’t
process or handle work the way you
used to?5
Are you feeling physically ill more
frequently? Do colds and f lus
come on after the adrenaline from big
assignments wears off?6
Is every curveball a crisis? Do you
overreact to minor last-minute
changes to plans or assignments?If you answered “yes” to
three or more of these
questions, you may be
more than just annoyed
with your job, says Davis-
Laack. That’s okay, though.
“Help can come in a
variety of ways,” she says.
Depending on your com-
fort level, you could talk to
your boss, find a work and
stress coach, or reach out
to a counsellor. Signing up
for a company-provided
training course or even a
single-day workshop can
teach men how to cope
with – and beat – career
burnout. Whatever you do,
don’t just stew.Feeling like
toast is no
longer a
career boast.CAREER