No matter which field of study we are in, all of us have had burnouts several times. But there are some set of of students that we all get jealous of, who seem to never get tired studying and looks like they are the most confident in a room. How are they managing to do so, let’s debunk!
Study or work burnouts occur when we push ourselves round the clock to do something by depleting our energy until it gets exhausted. Burnout occurs mostly during exam season or when we are appointed to follow a new work or schedule. This statement itself unlocks the ‘elephant in the room’ - lack of proper planning.
How do we plan better?
Planning doesn’t always need to be elaborate. We can spare a bare minimum of 2- 5 minutes and break down the tasks or routine into smaller ones. We might not have same energy/ motivation levels on all days, so we have to consider all scenarios while planning. For most of the days, assign tasks in such a way that you have a “buffer energy” of say, 10- 20%. For the days where you feel low on energy, don’t push yourself too hard, do the bare minimum task for that day and take a pause. We can compensate for that in the upcoming days by using up the buffer energy that we have been keeping as a backup. In this way, we don’t feel overwhelmed or over- exhausted.
Also, by adding small yet productive breaks in between works as a refresh button. Instead of scrolling, we can go for a tea / coffee break, do a small craft work, take a nap etc.
How do you manage your burnouts and how does your break schedule look like?
MBH/AB