Best routines for feeling energized and productive without encouraging burnout.
Hi FGB'ers! I'm curious about what routines you rely on — whether they're daily, weekly or monthly ones — that help you stay productive, purposeful and on your A game without driving burnout and exhaustion. For example, a lot of popular advice out there has to do with making lists and time-blocking your calendar, but if I have every minute of my day mapped out, that can leave me feeling drained and uninspired. How do you stay productive in a balanced way?
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07/25/23 at 11:47AM UTC
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Barb Hansen
Startup Product, Growth & Strategy
8.43k
01/07/20 at 5:18AM UTC (Edited)
It took me years to figure what works for me instead of just working longer hours.
#1. I live in my calendar, not in my email
I schedule blocks of time to actually do work (I manage teams and products, and time can slip away quickly with team/tech/QA issues unless I'm diligent about scheduling time to do the work I need to do) and I schedule blocks of time for the types of work that I have to do.
I check my emails once every few hours, not all the time. I file emails into 3 buckets:
- Do now: if I can deal with the email immediately and quickly then I do it
- Do later: If the email can not be dealt with immediately, then I save it to my calendar to the block of time that i have set aside specific time each week tackle each type of activity. If an email needs a followup phone call then I save it to the calendar slot that i set aside for phone calls. If an email needs research, then I save it to my "research time" calendar slot. When my "time to make phone calls" calendar slot comes up, then I make all of my phone calls. When the research time slot comes up, I do all of the research-type work. I also save items and emails that need follow up with my boss or my staff in the 10 minute slot set aside ahead of my weekly meeting with staff, so I can find all of those issues quickly (cause they are all in the same spot)
- Archive / Delete: There are plenty of emails that just need to be archived or deleted.
I find the system above keeps me focused (no jumping in and out of emails).
2. I set aside an hour on Friday to review the week and plan for next week (and I schedule that review time on my calendar)
3. I will work in the evening (for me evenings are my most creative time so I like to do my creative thinking work in the evening after family time), BUT I do not read or answer emails.
I tell my staff and my boss that if an emergency comes up, then txt me because I do not (and will not) answer or read emails in the evening or I do not send emails to staff in the evening. I am militant about not sending or answering emails in the evening. I might write emails in the evening if something strikes me, but I schedule them to send in the morning :)
4. I keep a personal project management board (I happen to use Trello) where I manage my personal and "my career" life. A large part of my job is strategy and I keep track of interesting tech, cool startups, etc. These things are not directly related to my job but are related to my larger career, so I don't want to lose track of them, nor do I want to spend work time getting dragged into a black hole. When I stumble across something interesting, I store them in my Trello board (so it's all in one place) and then I move on. About once a month, I review and organize that board.
Anonymous
11/19/19 at 8:37PM UTC
I think my biggest burn out tip is just being mindful about cutting activities that don't serve you. Saying 'yes' to too many things has always been the cause of my disorganization, and ultimately, reframing time alone and self-care as more productive than extra tasks made me a whole lot better at everything I do. You don't have to tend to those hobbies, friends, jobs and other things that you aren't passionate about or that don't serve your purpose.
Anonymous
11/19/19 at 8:31PM UTC
I utilize "Noties" on my laptop and reminders on my phone to keep myself organized with all of the tasks I have going on - and it helps me to prioritize accordingly, too! Also, similar to Marianne, I give myself a day regularly to focus on myself, my self-care and my relaxation. It really helps me to reset everything going on in this brain of mine and refocus.
Anonymous
11/19/19 at 8:23PM UTC
I find that when I'm most at risk for burnout is when I'm doing, doing, doing without taking time to breathe and reflect. So my most important routine is my Sunday night self-care ritual! I light some candles and take time to look at my calendar to make sure I've blocked off adequate "rest " windows during the week. It's important to do this before the week starts and I'm already in "go" mode. It's how I look out for myself!
