Unburnt Updates by Sabrina Ahmed

Strategic abandonment caught my attention recently. Makes you curious, right? A mate I'm chatting to about a podcast we're planning raised this topic too. They're in recruitment and we'll explore looking for roles after burnout, job crafting, and knowing when to quit. Whilst researching, I found the 'strategic abandonment' term, but it isn't a new concept. Peter Drucker, consultant, author and educator, wrote "Managing for Results" in 1964, which describes an early idea about strategic...

There are heaps of burnout myths but this one does my head in: 'they can't be burnt out, they're not that busy'. An ex-boss said this when we talked about a colleague who was clearly suffering with burnout. I silently fumed. How can he be so narrow-minded!? It turns out, most people still think this is the only reason people burnout. They're too busy and can't handle it. Nonsense! Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash Let's dispel this myth to rebalance the force. It's an aspect, but not the...

I've been collating the final evidence submission for my art-based diploma this week - about 5 weeks after I wanted to submit it. I planned to get it done over the final May bank holiday - taking extra days off my day job to complete it. Didn't quite work out like that. I got really sick and am still suffering the after-effects 6 weeks later. What's that famous proverb? Men make plans. God laughs. As a lifelong perfectionist, my personal standards have gotten me into trouble many times. My...

I notice a repeated question on social media - how do I know I'm burnt out? This is fundamental question. I realised I had a blind spot here. I've experienced and worked with so many people with burnout, I take for granted what it looks like. If you're unsure or you have a buddy you're concerned about, this email should help. Use it as a guide or crib sheet. Here's a reminder of what burnout is from clinical psychologist Dr Debbie Sorensen, who expands the term in a more practical way:...

I've always had a difficult relationship with my body. Traumatic early life experiences laid unhealthy foundations. I stopped seeing it for what it achieved, and as something to fight against instead. I still find it hard to make my peace with how I look, size, shape, tone, wobbles, etc etc blah blah blah. Yet after feeling rubbish lately, I'm reminded how precious it is. It's not perfect but it's all I've got - chronic conditions and all! When we're burnt out though, we put our body to one...

My internet has been patchy lately. During Teams calls last week the signal kept dropping, I was robotic, had to switch off video, and files weren't uploading. The internet is meant to work, right? So annoying! I was surprised at my irritation level and remembered how much of my daily activities rely on the internet. I've also had poor health issues over the past few weeks. It's been exhausting, my stomach is in constant pain, and I couldn't get a blood test due to a cyber attack on the...

I chatted with a buddy last week about their burnt out team leader. My buddy had some good ideas to improve the team's workload, but the team leader kept shooting them down. It reminded me of when I've been burnt out and whether I'd done the same. Reflecting on those burnouts, I realised I'd rejected ideas and innovations too soon because they seemed like too much work. I was frazzled and teetering on the edge of staying afloat. A new idea and related effort could bring the whole house of...

Clients are the lifeblood of our business. We create, hustle and serve to offer them something no one else can. It's rewarding in several ways, and helping others keeps us motivated. But, our relationships with clients are as complex as any other. We don't talk about it enough but sometimes our clients are toxic, driving our unhelpful coping strategies. We get pushed into burnout patterns that stop us being as effective as we should be. Here's permission not to tolerate it. Noah Buscher on...

I'm finalising my art-based coaching diploma submission and it's more work than I realised! Frustration kicks in as my expectations don't meet reality. It's a shame but life often happens like this. Am having to dig deep into my 'grit' and 'curiosity' skills, but I also want to walk away from my books and sketch pads, and wish it was all done when I return. Ha! We're fast approach the middle of 2024, and I think a bunch of us feel like this. Doing something new for the future feels hard....