When I first began my chapter at the previous restaurant, I was given the rundown of the place by fellow Cooks and the Sous Chef. How things are done, where things go, and who’s who. When it came to who’s who, I remember them telling me about a person or two who had left the company because of “burnout.” I mean literally, they threw up their hands and walked out during a super busy dinner rush—no warning or reasoning. That’s how burnt out they were. I began to discover that burnout was an actual thing in the restaurant business. Anthony Bourdain even mentioned it in one of his writings about how intense the hours and operational demands are in the restaurant business, to the extent that cooks and chefs are inevitably in danger of experiencing burnout. He warned to be alert of the telltale signs to avoid it. The restaurant biz is no special case, however. Burnout can occur in just about any field, any business, and in any position.
The work-related term, “burnout”, refers to a stress-induced condition caused by being overworked, many times accompanied with feeling underappreciated, ineffective, unfulfilled, and uninterested in the work and the work environment. If you think you might be on the cusp of it or already in the thick of it but just not sure, the Mayo Clinic suggests asking yourself these questions.
- Have you become cynical or critical at work?
- Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
- Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
- Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
- Do you find it hard to concentrate?
- Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
- Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
- Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
- Have your sleep habits changed?
- Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
I believe that sometimes things need to get a bit topsy-turvy so we can be enlightened about where we are in certain aspects of our lives—like a wake-up call. So if you’re experiencing burnout, this could be a good opportunity to focus on steps towards peace, healing and personal growth. Here are some things to consider.
THE TASK EXCHANGE METHOD TM
You must’ve heard this a million times in self-help books along the way of your career, to “learn to say no.” I’m a fan of this solution when you’re feeling like too much is being asked of you. What I don’t like so much is the potentially awkward delivery and the stirring up of unnecessary conflict. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work expected of you, sit and speak with your direct report and explain what’s going on. In that conversation, make suggestions of what to remove from your plate in order to fit in the new projects that they find most important. There’s a capacity for everything. Just like a glass, you can only pour so much water in it until it overflows. Some of it needs to be poured out or consumed before putting more into the glass. Same for us!
GET CLARITY ON THE “WHY”
When you don’t have clarity on your leadership’s expectations of you, this can bring about frustration. You can feel like you’re getting things done, but at the same time, spinning your wheels because the goal is unclear. Get clarity on why you’re doing what you’re being asked to do. I’ve had several types of leaders, and the ones I appreciated the most were the ones that gave me a charge, but also gave me detail behind that charge. They explained how my work would affect the team from a micro standpoint, but also the organization as a whole. Getting that information helps you feel less of a worker-bee and more of a valuable asset contributing to a meaningful and tangible goal.
CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE
If the nature of your job requires repetition of a certain task every time you work, and you’re getting bored of it, this is definitely a sign of burnout. If no one else can take this on for a little while and this must live on your plate of responsibilities, find a different approach to the task or even a way to make it fun. There’s this one task in particular that I had to do at the restaurant, and it’s called blanching. This is when you steam or immerse into boiling water a food item to pre-cook it for immediate plating or for further cooking procedures. What I blanched were broccoli and asparagus, every-single-day that I worked. And it’s not just the blanching part that was so monotonous, it’s the going up and down the stairs for the equipment—perforated pan, hotel plan, bane of ice, shallow pans for storage, the heavy Cambro bin filled with broccoli, and two cases of stalk bunches of asparagus. It’s the process and it’s the repetition. One day I said, I have got to switch things up because this alone will burn me out! So I started to do this task at different times of the day. Sometimes I got one of the guys to help me bring the items up. And sometimes I made extra one day, to carry us through the following day. Finding a way to skip a day was a victory—also like a little adventure! Find a way to decrease the monotony of your routine.
OUS – OFFICIAL UNTERRUPTED SHUT-EYE
This is an easy concept, yet so hard for us to do sometimes, huh? Simply get sleep. Have you ever got up to get ready for work, worked all day, came back home late in the evening for whatever reason, got ready to go to bed, then woke up early to do it all over again? Yeah, I have too. Well that’s a contributor to the burnout. We need sleep, dear. I know that the clinical recommended number of hours for sleep is 7 to 8, but I’m actually okay recommending 6 to 7—ideally 7. But we can’t live off of less and think we’re going to be happy at work, which is where we spend most of our awake hours during the workweek. When we get enough official uninterrupted shut-eye at night, we’re rejuvenating ourselves, nurturing the brain, getting ourselves ready for the new day ahead of whatever will come our way. Going to work sleep deprived is just fuel to the fire towards burnout. Since you have more control over that factor than others during the day, take advantage of that power and get good sleep.
SCHEDULE TIME TO PLAY
In Ecclesiastes, it says that there’s a time for everything. That’s true for play-time as well! When we’re consumed with our work, that’s where the burn out comes about! Life can’t be all about work, work, work. We have to reserve some time for fun—something that you really enjoy. A friend of mine is an executive at Chase Bank and she has quite a full plate at work, but guess what. She reserved time in her schedule to show up for rehearsal each week for a musical called viva La Diva, that she played a role in recently. How amazing is that! And she was fabulous in the show! But you see, that’s what I’m talking about. I know it may feel like there’s no time for play, but you have the “planner and the pen” in your hands. You get to schedule your time the way you best see fit. So add in the time for play. Taking a break from work for some playtime is vital to our mind, body and spirit. I know you can make it happen!
BOODLES (BEET NOODLES) WITH COCONUT MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
-Ingredients-
2 Beets, spiralized
2-3 tbsp. Sunflower Seed
1 cup Spinach
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1 tbsp.Dijon Mustard
1/2 tbsp.Whole Grain Mustard
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Honey
1 dash Cayenne Pepper
1-2 dashes Salt & Pepper, or to taste
-Instructions-
Create noodle shape out of beets with a spiralizing device–you can find one for low cost on Amazon. You can also find pre-spiralized beets in the frozen aisle at the up-to-date supermarket near you.
Steam or sauté your spiralized beets until tender but still has a crunch
In a small bowl, add dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork
Arrange your plate with the beets, spinach and sunflowers seeds just the way you like it
Pour dressing on top, mix and enjoy!
To powerful workweeks & good morning eats!
Love,
Yardley
