Spending countless hours working from the office or from home on laptops, tablets and phones can be a recipe for disaster. Mark Dickinson of DONE! Hospitality Training Solutions provides practical tips on how to avoid the dreaded burnout.

Do you suffer from lethargy, headaches, insomnia and body pains? Are you unable to wake up, spending too much time on your digital devices and lacking patience? Exposure to long-term stress can cause physical and emotional exhaustion, ultimately leading to what is known as “burnout.”

In the hospitality industry, burnout happens all the time. People tend to avoid dealing with it; instead, they choose the easy option of moving onto another workplace, believing that a change of environment will fix it all. However, this is a myth, and I would like to tell you a story to illustrate my point.

I grew up in the hospitality industry of the early 1980s. The mantra was: “Work hard, get promoted,” and it worked really well. Psychological evaluations and leadership training were new concepts, and the industry was trying to figure things out. At 26 years of age, I became a director responsible for 450 employees, handling revenues of USD 10 million a year. So, there I was, leading a massive operation at a very young age. I did what I had always done: worked hard. I started my day at seven o’clock and finished very late. Where did it get me? I got burned out.

By this time, I had already lived in England, Scotland, China, Uganda and Thailand. I was used to the moving game, so I continued doing just that. I moved to Japan and learned, once again, that hard work equals success. Three years later, burned out, I moved to the Middle East.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert in burnout. The cycle goes on and on because I allow it to. There is not some mysterious force out there that makes me work hard or causes me to burn out. It is simply my unwillingness to set boundaries.

However, you can take steps to overcome burnout. Here are just a few suggestions:

Saying “no” When work is outside your purview, you must politely and firmly decline. It is essential to take this approach. The key reason is that you become busy doing things that are not your job, while you are trying to do your job.

Spend quality time with those you love Most people that get burned out regret that they did not spend enough time with their loved ones. The path to avoiding burnout is to have regular quality time with the ones that you love and not compromise your work because of it.

Eat healthy Carbs, fried foods and sweets are not going to help you. Cut down on the alcohol as well.

Sleep soundly Make sure you get seven hours of sleep. Cutting back on sleep is the top reason for burnout. Physical exhaustion leads to mental exhaustion and vice versa.

Be grateful and have a vision I write down why I’m grateful every single day and never miss a day. Identify your values and you will never get lost again. It will help you resist the temptation to overwork and compromise on what you truly believe.

If you feel that you’re on the path to burnout, let us know. We have some amazing programs that can help you pause and reset your path.  Just drop an email to mark@done.fyi to learn more!

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