Are You Overworking? 7 Important Steps To Avoid Burnout

Do you have a good work-life balance right now? Do you spend a good amount of your time working? Do you feel like you have a lot of things to do but you can't seem to finish them? Has it been a long time since you had a break or a vacation?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, there's a good chance you're prone to burnout. That's especially so if (a) you're a workaholic or (b) you constantly receive (and accept) more work than you can handle. The upside is the increased work exposure helps you gain experience and develop your skills. The downside is, you neglect your mental well being, relationships, and health. Prolonged periods of working without rest wears you out, without you even realizing it. Before you know it, your productivity is waning, you feel tired more easily and you are on the verge of breakdown.

When that's happening, you're entering burnout mode. Burnout is common among working level executives, freelancers, self-employed, entrepreneurs and students, because you're directly responsible for everything and there are no work processes to guide you. Many people who are burned out for prolonged periods sink into depression which can be tough to deal with.

Below are 7 essential steps to avoid burnout.
Plan ahead
Have a clear schedule. One of the biggest reasons for burnout is lack of proper planning. Thus, you over-commit yourself, sometimes having multiple deadlines running in the same time. This leads to late nights and high stress levels later on.

Prepare a schedule that shows what you have to do on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. Create an overview template where you can see your upcoming commitments at a glance. That way, you know periods when your plate is full and periods when you can slot in more work. Leave sufficient lead time for each project.

Set aside non-work/leisure time
Work can never replace what non-work activities can give you. For those of you who love what you do for a living, you probably just want to do it 100% of your time (apart of sleeping/eating). I know I feel that way as I absolutely love my work. I feel 110% blissful and excited just writing personal development articles day after day, working on my blog and doing 1-1 coaching with my clients.

However, there are areas of your life that can't be fulfilled by just work alone. They can only be fulfilled by non-work activities. For example, activities like time with your loved ones such as family and friends. Time with yourself, to go for a quiet walk or pursue your other hobbies and interests. Exercise sessions where you rejuvenate your body and mind. Vacation to take a break and regroup. These activities are important, quadrant 2 tasks, essential for your well-being. They should be planned in your schedule too and shouldn't be deprioritized for work. Set aside some time every week where you can work on your relationships, your health, recreation and your spiritual self.

Define clear expectations with others
Often times your colleagues, manager or clients have sudden, last minute requests where they need your assistance. This ripples out and causes a backlog in your own work. Without enforcing your boundaries, these will keep happening in the future. Let them know your commitments at the on-start so all of you can plan accordingly. Of course, it'll be hard to enforce this 100% of the time especially if you're working for someone, but clear communication will help move there. You have your boundaries and it's up to you to enforce it.
Stop overworking. Have a clean cut off for work
Set a clean cut-off for your work. If you set aside X-Y time for a project, then make sure you end at Y time. Don't let it seep into other items on your schedule. If a particular task is taking way longer than expected, you're probably not going to get much done with the extra hour or 2. Stop working on it and get back at a later time or tomorrow where you'll have a fresh mind. I know I'm a lot more productive when I do that.
Cut off the 'busy work'
There are always fire-fighting activities and administrative tasks in every line of work. Eliminate them as best as you can and get right to the content creation. What I do is I write down all the things I intend to do for a day, then I circle out the high value tasks - 20% tasks on the list that give me 80% of the value. Then I focus on them for the day. As for the remaining 80% tasks that give me lower value, I either put them off, delegate them or outsource them. When I do this, I feel I accomplished a lot more in the day. Otherwise, I get stuck in the 80% tasks that give little rewards, which is highly unproductive.
Talk to someone
Having a listening ear helps you to sort out mental clutter. If you're feeling overwhelmed, share it with your friend. Ask him/her out and have a chill out session over drinks. Or give him/her a ring and just chat on the phone. You don't have to be alone in this. You'll be surprised at how ready your friends will be to listen and be there for you. You can also talk to fellow colleagues, and even your manager/teacher if you need advice from someone of experience.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Working under crunch deadlines, you might often forgo sleep to get work done. At first it seems like it's okay - you can just recoup lost sleep by sleeping more the next day. However, the impact of lost sleep piles up over time, to a stage when it weighs heavily on you.

Don't take your health for granted. Please make sure you sleep at least 5 hours every day. Having a proper diet and exercise regime is very important too. I used to take my health for granted, easily having days of not sleeping when I have a project deadline/workshop the next day. Now I don't do that anymore because I realize it takes a toil on the health in the long run. Proper scheduling (Step #1) is important to make this step a success.How about you?
Try the 7 steps above to avoid burnout. Do you have any personal experiences with avoiding burnout or dealing with burnout? Feel free to share in the comments area.


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Massively Increase Your Reading Comprehension

What was the last great non-fiction book that you read? What one book was so good, that after you finished it, you promised yourself that you were going to read it again?

One more question, how many books on your bookshelf do you have, that you told yourself you were going to reread because there was more you wanted to get out of it?

I will go first, my answer is 38 books. I currently have 38 books on my bookshelf, that were so good that I told myself I would read them again. Since I average a little less than two books a week, that’s about six months of reading material that I have already read before.

There’s too much great work out there today, to spend six months rereading books I have already read. Instead of spending six months taking in new ideas, I have to spend six months going over what I should have already learned.

Reading comprehension, isn’t a word most of us have heard since taking college entrance exams. However, as I get older, I’m starting to see how important this skill is to have.

After my personal library got to the point where I needed to reread more than 30 books, I saw that it was time to change. The following is a very simple approach that I have used that has not only increased my comprehension many times over.

The Index Card Method for Increasing Your Reading Comprehension

Start this process, before you begin reading:
Write out the purpose for reading the book on the top of a 3 x 5 index card.Review the outline, index, author bios, reviews, etc., for five to ten minutes. List the top five questions that you want the author to answer on the 3 x 5 index card. Use the notecard as a bookmark and review questions before each reading session.
Why Does This Work?
Chances are, that you probably not that amazed with this approach. Just stay with me here, as I explain to you why this works.

Take 60 seconds and take the test in this video. To get the most out of this post, take the test before reading another word.



Done watching? OK great. Now be honest with me, how many of you noticed? Even though I was writing a post on selective attention, I still didn’t notice.

This video is a great example of how our brain chooses to process some items and discard others, also known as selective attention. You have the choice to use the phenomenon to your advantage or disadvantage.

Imagine if you started watching that video after they asked you to count how many passes the white team made. You probably wouldn’t be able to record how many passes the white team made, how many passes the black team made, or the fact that a bear moon-walked across the video. In other words, watching that video would be of no use to you.

This is exactly how I used to pick up a book. Without asking myself what I should focus on, I would start reading page from page # 1. It wasn’t until after I was done, that I finally started to understand what the author was trying to tell me. The next part is the worst, knowing that there is much more to get out of the book, I would file it on my bookshelf, and tell myself I was going to read it again.

The first time I tried the index card method, I noticed an inner voice in my head. A voice that told me when to sit up straight and pay attention because an important part of the book is coming up. Just as important, this voice also let me know when to read a little faster because the current material just wasn’t that important. Not only will did I see an increase in comprehension by applying this method, I also found myself reading much faster because my brain knew it was OK to skim the non-essential.

What to Focus On
The questions that you write down on your notecard will vary from book to book. One tip is to be as specific as possible as to what area you want to improve. For example, say you’re reading a personal development book. Instead of asking yourself, “How can I apply this information?”, ask, “What habits can I form to help implement the author’s core message?”

Other questions that I find myself asking a lot include:
What is the one thing that the author wants me to start doing? What is the one thing that the author wants me to stop doing? What will be my immediate action, once I put this book down? Are there any projects I need to begin, that will help me implement the ideas in this book? How can I apply what I have learned to become a better financial planner?It Doesn’t have to be a Book
This method isn’t limited to just books. Brainstorm a few questions before the next blog post or newspaper article you read. I have even started implementing this approach to emails.

The goal is to create more, while consuming less.

Good luck!


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Are You Wasting Your Time Reading About Personal Development?

Walk into any bookstore, and you'll see shelves full of books about personal development. You'll know the titles of some classics, even if you've never read them: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

7 Amazing Success Lessons from Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was a very successful inventor, scientist, and businessman whose inventions significantly impacted the world. Inventions such as the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting everyday electric light bulb were all the result of Edison’s work.

Called "The Wizard of Menlo Park" by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to mass produce his inventions and is therefore often given credit for creating the first industrial research laboratory.

Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Today I want to talk about seven amazing lessons we can learn from “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”

:
Impossibility

“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged."
Roadblocks are sign-posts letting you know that success is just around the corner. Roadblocks are there to keep the uncommitted out. Roadblocks qualify you for success. Don’t get discouraged when things seem impossible, it’s darkest just before dawn.
Perspiration

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Thomas Edison said, “The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it goes around wearing overalls and it looks like hard work.” There is no success without hard work; success is something that is only earned after much labor. Success can only come to those who labor for it, it is through labor that you become a valuable person, and your value attracts success.
Capability

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”
Most people are living considerably beneath their capabilities. They’ve never focused all of their efforts on a singular task, so they are completely unaware of the power they possess. Everyone is good at something, and if singular focus is given to that talent over the course of years, amazing things will be done. You are capable of astonishing yourself!
Solitude

“The best thinking has been done in solitude.”
I have had my best thoughts locked away in a quiet room. Take time everyday to escape to a quiet room, if only for five minutes, to have your best thoughts. It’s hard to think about achieving the impossible, when you’re surrounded with people wanting to discuss only the possible. Escape to a quiet room today, and begin to see all your possibilities.
Restlessness

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress.”
Thomas Edison said, “Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.” As long as you’re perfectly content you can’t make progress. Nothing happens until you become discontented. If you can live with being 30 pounds over weight, if you’re content with that idea (not happy, but content), then you don’t have the power to change it. Remember, "discontent is the first necessity of progress."
Perspective

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
Perspective is everything! Edison said, “Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.” That’s the way we should view our life, not as a compilation of failures, but as series of necessary experiments letting us know what doesn’t work. From this perspective, we can move into doing what works, from this perspective we can succeed.
Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common Sense

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.”
Nothing can replace hard work, it’s fundamental to success. If you’re not willing to work hard, you don’t even have a chance at success. No one succeeds and says “That was really easy!”

Additionally, you have to have a no-give-up-attitude; you must be willing to stick to a task that you’re passionate about, and never lose focus. And the final key is "common sense," we all have it, but we all don't use it like we should.In closing, "you have what it takes to succeed," you have the ability to work hard, to stay focused, and to use common sense, the question is, “Are you going to do it?” I think you are.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Mexican divers suspend search for American

Mexican divers have suspended their search for an American whose wife says he was shot on a lake that straddles the U.S.-Mexican border, authorities said Friday.
David Hartley was reportedly shot to death September 30 by gunmen who investigators believe are linked to a Mexican drug gang.
His wife, Tiffany, told authorities the couple was on a sightseeing trip on Falcon Lake, a reservoir on the Rio Grande. She believes the attackers may still have her husband's body.
She said she met with the lead Mexican investigator in the death of her husband days before the police officer was killed and his severed head delivered to authorities in a suitcase.

RELATED TOPICS

• David Hartley
• Tiffany Hartley
• Mexico
• Crime

U.S. and Mexican authorities vowed the search for Hartley's husband would continue despite the investigator's slaying on Tuesday.
"I met him. He sat right next to me," Hartley said, referring to Mexican state official Rolando Armando Flores Villegas. Her remarks aired on CNN's "American Morning" Thursday.
"We talked through a translator and he just seemed like a really good guy who really wanted to just do good for -- you know, his country," Hartley said.
Hartley said she wonders if the death of the lead Mexican investigator will hamper the search for her husband.
"It definitely makes me worried that nobody is going to want to take over," she said.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is doing everything it can to find Hartley and told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she is "sickened" by the case.
"I hope that we can [find him]," said Clinton. "I mean, the beheaded body of the brave Mexican investigator that just showed up shows what we're dealing with."
She said the United States is "supporting local law enforcement, supporting the authorities on the border, doing everything that we know to do to try to assist in helping to find the body and helping to find the perpetrators."
A report issued by a Texas-based think tank suggested Thursday that Hartley's death may have stemmed from a case of mistaken identity in the ongoing war between two Mexican drug cartels.
The Stratfor report, which cites anonymous sources, noted that Hartley worked for an oil and gas company with operations in Reynosa, Mexico, and the couple had lived there for two years and had only moved to McAllen, Texas, within the past few months.
The truck they drove to Falcon Lake on September 30 still had a license plate from Mexico's Tamaulipas state.
The couple drove their personal watercraft to the Old Guerrero area of the lake, which the report said is a "known battleground in the ongoing war in the Los Zetas and Gulf cartels."
The sources told Stratfor both cartels have been known to conduct surveillance and countersurveillance operations on
personal watercraft, so Zetas scouts identified them as possible Gulf spies, because of their license plate and their method and direction of travel on Falcon Lake. They were then apparently confronted by "Zetas enforcers," Stratfor said.
The sources told Stratfor the attack was unauthorized by senior Los Zetas members and "a damage control campaign is currently under way ... to identify and eliminate those who engaged the Hartleys without proper authorization."
Protocol involves prompt disposition of a body to ensure no evidence can be brought against the group, the report said.
Sources said that "once Hartley was identified as an American, his body was destroyed the same day as the incident to prevent a backlash from the U.S. government against the group," Stratfor said.
"With the heavy diplomatic and public pressure on both U.S. and Mexican authorities to find David Hartley's remains in the investigation, the decapitation of Flores Villegas was a stern signal to both the United States and Mexico that no body will be produced and to leave the situation alone."

Falcon Lake is about 70 miles west of the Hartleys' home in McAll