The Linear Progress Myth: Why Taking a Break Isn’t Losing Momentum
As a high school senior, I had a few people in my circle who were planning to take a gap year, and this plan was usually met with alarm. The most commonly held view was something like, "If you quit now, you’ll never go back." There’s certain amount of momentum involved, the argument goes, and if [read more]
Four Mindset Shifts to Combat Productivity Guilt
There’s a moment that happens right when you walk through the door at the end of the day, or maybe as you shut down your work computer or pull into the driveway after picking the kids up. You’re looking forward to finally relaxing for a moment, taking a walk, shutting your brain off, maybe watching an [read more]
Better Than New Years Resolutions: Three Alternatives
Every year, January brings an explosion of discussion around resolutions and goals. I get it. There’s an exciting energy in the start of a new year that we want to harness. But most of the time, the way we handle this sets us up for feeling disappointed and guilty by February. Some pitfalls that seem to [read more]
How to Hibernate During a Busy Season
If your neighborhood is anything like mine, the Christmas lights seem to come out right about when Daylight Savings ends. It’s clear we collectively dislike the dark! Some can’t wait to get the holiday season started while others roll their eyes. Either way, the ever-expanding season has many of us feeling the urge to hibernate (an [read more]
Why Burnout is Contagious (and What We Can Do About It)
I’ve worked in a few high burnout, high turnover environments. Most memorably, I was once part of a department that lost 75% of its people in about 3 months, and those who stayed were openly looking for new jobs. A lot of us have war stories about what it’s like to be in that situation, and [read more]
Decline Invitations to Burnout
I recently read Aja Hammerly’s article on the phrase, “We don’t do that here,” which she explains is one of her magic phrases, or multipurpose interpersonal tools for setting culture and defusing the reflexive defensiveness people often feel when they’re corrected. [read more]
Burnout is not an individual problem
Most approaches to combatting burnout treat it as though it’s an individual problem, or worse, an individual failure of character. Burned out people aren’t engaging in proper self care, we’re told. [read more]
We’re Encouraged to Medicate Burnout
Several years ago, a manager who was hoping to talk me out of quitting a company whose culture was becoming more toxic by the day told me he had given up on trying to advocate for most of the things that make people feel appreciated: better pay, better benefits, or more resources. [read more]
An Anti-Burnout Holiday Strategy
By the time this month’s article hits your inbox, we will have been in the ever-expanding Christmas season for many months. My local grocery store began displaying Christmas items in October, which showed some restraint, actually, since Home Depot had Christmas decorations out in August. [read more]
I help passionate and multipassionate people identify and dismantle the cultural drivers of burnout so they can serve their big visions more sustainably.
i offer the following ways to work with me around burnout
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Each month I take a deep dive into one aspect of resisting burnout.
Monthly Deep Dive Letters name cultural dynamics that generate burnout and open doors to imagining how we might do things differently. For examples of what I write about, take a look at the blog.
No productivity tips, and no motivational pep-talks. Just in depth, thoughtful content to support you in resisting burnout culture. You’ll also be notified of new events and programs.
