The Three Sources of Burnout

Three sources of burnout.

Can you recognise any of these in your life?

Reading Ali Abdaal's book Feel Good Productivity I came across his three sources of burnout:

1. Taking on too much work
2. Not taking enough rest
3. Loss of joy or meaning

I know that I've been very guilty of 1 and 2.

Thankfully I pivoted before 3 became a severe problem.

Nearly 10 years ago Laurence and I closed our digital agency.

We had transformed our business from a website building agency to a startup studio.

Our plan was to work on a handful of projects a year to help clients launch their startups.

We'd do the ideation, design and build of their first product and get them to the launch phase.

This business model met our needs for income, creativity, contribution and adventure.

Each project was a new challenge that we could apply our wealth of design and technical experience to.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁

However, what started off as 3 to 6 month engagements soon became 2 to 3 years.

We'd launch the first version of the product and would then be asked to help grow and develop it.

We went from working quickly and creatively to slowly and iteratively:

• tweak
• test
• tweak
• test

And the products would get ever more complex.

We went rom big picture to bug fixing.

Burnout loomed:

- We had too much work
- I didn't take enough rest
- The work lost joy and meaning

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁

10 years ago we pivoted.

Drastically.

We went from selling our time to selling experiences.

Experiences of joy and experiences of change.

Now:

• we work a lot less
• we're more in charge of our time
• rest is part of work

Next month we go to the Alps to run our annual retreat.

In September we host our annual Summercamp festival.

Both are work.

Both are sources of energy.

Burnout seems less likely these days.

I'm now more sensitive to and conscious of "the slog".

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆

There are still parts of my work that feel effortful.

But I can also make them fun and creative.

I have autonomy to do these tasks in my way and at the time that works for me.

This afternoon I'll be doing invoice admin before hanging out in the evening with lovely Happy Startup community members in Brighton for some 80s and 90s singing.

Ask me 20 years ago whether this is how I'd be spending my working years and I wouldn't have believed it.

While it's what I craved it wasn't something I thought was allowed.

That's what a shift in perspective can do for you.

Which can only happen when you meet people who model the way you want to be.

Thanks to my cofounder Laurence for steering us down this path.

And thank you to the lovely people who've guided us along the way and the community that have flocked around us to keep us going.

Bye bye burnout.

Hello boogie!