198. How to Prevent Burnout

This episode is a bit of a departure from my normal conversations about politics, philosophy, etc. Nicole from the Infinity Twins podcast joined me to discuss productivity and how to prevent burnout. While I don't want to be in the self-help space, I do think this is a real problem today. So, I wanted to offer some thoughts from Nicole and myself to help people be more productive while also staying sane.

"You'll have time to rest when you're dead."
Robert De Niro

What is Burnout?

Burnout is what happens when you work too hard for too long. And in our culture, we are highly prone to overexerting ourselves without realizing it. The "Protestant work ethic" that Americans are praised for can be a tough burden to bear. Furthermore, what we consider rest is often not actually restful, which leads to burnout. The exhaustion that comes with burnout is our body signaling to us that it needs rest.

How to Prevent Burnout

The way to do this is to find a balance in your life. You should work, and work hard. That's good. However, we shouldn't be working ourselves into an early grave or ignoring the most important things in life. God and family should be first in our lives, with healthy recreation following closely behind our work. Even soldiers get an R&R period now and then. The Golden Mean applies to all aspects of our lives, especially knowing how to prioritize different goods.

Finding Real Rest

One of the major problems we find today is that our rest is not actually restful. Instead of calming down and spending some time in peace and quiet, we're constantly seeking stimulus. We may think we're "veging out" as we watch our favorite cop show, but that may not be the case. In fact, since so much of our work is mental, rather than physical, a little exercise might be better for rest than a couple hours of TV. But, some time with a loved one, a good book, or in prayer is always a good source of true rest.