What should I do about burnout?

[Nelson]

Recently, I've become super-productive. I've been spending an enormous amount of time going for a major goal of mine and I've spent probably 6-8 hours/day into achieving it. Finally, I completed this goal and now I have lots of free time.

This sounds like a great scenario but it's both good and bad. I have new goals that I want to work on but I seem to have lost all motivation to move foward. I believe that by spending so much time on my previous goal I lost the balance between work and play in my life. Now I'm paying for it by becoming extremly burnt out. I can't get myself to do anything but play videogames all day. Whenever I try and do somethingproductive I start to feel very drowsy and lazy.

What should I do to re-establish motivation?

[Kaspian]

Two ideas:

1 - Do something different - away from the computer. Plant a garden (even if it's just in pots!), draw, paint, learn to juggle, fly a kite, play with magnets, learn to knit, do some community service (ie Habitat for Humanity), play frisbee, build a model airplane, go on a hike, spend a day at the beach, go dancing, cook a meal from scratch, or do some other constructive/creative activity that appeals to you. Basically, give yourself a break by doing something that engages your mind & body in a different way.

See if a few hours (or a couple days) of playful creativity restores your motivation. Be aware that the quality of break you get from playing video games is not the same as you get from things that engage both mind and body. (That's whole body, not just the thumbs!) Choose to do something that feels like play.

2 - Take another look at your goals. Why did you set them originally? Have your priorities shifted since then? Do those goals align you with your purpose? Do you need to modify them? Do they need to be broken down into parts that feel more reasonable/manageable?

Also, Just because you worked intensely on the first goal doesn't mean you're committed to working just as manically on the next one. Super productivity has its benefits, but balance tends to last longer. Consider breaking your day into alternating chunks of work and play, perhaps 2 hours of work balanced by 30 minutes of something completely different.

[Sam988]

First, congrats for achieving this goal and working so hard to achieve it.


I think you are just resting and enjoying your inner fulfillment of having achieved this goal.

Your break is definitely deserved, like a vacation.


I suggest that you set a deadline to your "vacation" and once the deadline comes, you start working on whatever you need to work to achieve whatever you need to achieve. Once you get to this deadline, do NOT give procrastination a chance, take action immediatly.

I think you can do it, since you worked so hard to achieve your last goal.

[Jes]

Dude, sell the videogames. Right now. Get your camera, take pictures, eBay, package, tape, done. Nothing but a waaaaaaaaaste of time.

I gave up videogames for a while just because I lost interest, then I bought a used Xbox and an Xbox live subscription. I felt bad about not getting the most out of the subscription, so it was hard for me to stay away from playing them, and harder to disconnect the Xbox and TV.

But then I just did it. Like, a week and a half ago. I haven't even thought about videogames 'til reading this thread. And you know what? No interest whatsoever.

[newdad]

I once heard a birthday wish that said, "May you achieve everything you desire, but one." The curse of not having anything else to aim for is idleness and lack of motivation. I find that when I lose sight of my goals I lose all motivation. Sounds to me, like you need a new goal. Maybe not quite as ambitious. Perhaps it is only to get out and see one new thing in your town this week. Whatever it may, give yourself something to shoot for.

I've been reexaming the reasons why I get sidetracked with a goal, seems you have the opposite problem.

[John Wesley]

It's funny I actually wrote something very similar yesterday, about how burnout effects office workers.

Burnout is a natural part of the human energy cycle. You can't fight it or over power it. The best thing to do is nothing. Relax, sleep, do what you feel like doing and your energy and motivation will eventually return.