我们总是处在持续的压力之下。不断变化的处境，愈发激烈的竞争，持续的产出需求，足以使任何人崩溃。这篇文章分享了许多好的方法和建议，帮助我们在这样的现实下，依旧能保持精力和激情。

即使你很爱你的工作，偶尔产生职业倦怠也是正常的。也许是因为你刚刚完成了一个大项目，一时无法重燃斗志投身下一次战斗；或者目前你正需要为家庭投入比往常更多的精力；又或是你就是感到厌烦了。

当“低电量”出现时，什么是最好的充电方式？有些恢复活力的方式是否优于其他？如何判断自己的感觉是一般性的工作倦怠，还是其他症状，比如长期的不满情绪？

专家怎么说？

职业倦怠是指人们在工作量长期超负荷情况下所产生的身心耗竭状态，这种现象被称为现代职场流行病。“毫无疑问，与10年前相比，今天的人们患上职业倦怠症的风险更高。” ignite80 咨询公司创始人、《最佳工作场所：创造非凡办公环境的艺术与科学》（The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace）一书作者Ron Friedman称，“大部分原因在于，我们被各种设备包围着，它们都在牵扯我们的注意力，并让人感到每件事都需要尽快处理。”

社会心理学家、《没有人理解你那又该怎么办》（No One Understands You and What to Do About It）一书作者Heidi Halvorson 也表达了类似的观点：“巨大的压力时刻存在，这令人感到昏沉、紧张、枯竭，简直感觉被掏空了。所以你需要想办法再把自己的油箱加满。”以下是一些解决办法。

1、在工作中休息

Friedman认为：“工作倦怠的发生常常是因为人们不了解要达到最佳工作表现究竟需要什么条件。我们会很自然地认为努力工作或超越他人是最佳的工作表现，这样虽能为你带来短期效果，但对你造成的生理状态影响是不可持续的。”Friedman建议：“要长期保持最佳工作状态，你需要经常找机会补充精神活力，如散散步或去找点有趣的事做。

离开你的电脑能帮你从琐碎细节中抽身出来，促使自己重新思考一下大局。当你冥思苦想一个问题时，如果起身离开一下，你会发现就在这间歇间，解决办法显而易见地出现了。”“但是你需要在正确的时间休息，”Halvorson认为，“在精力最旺盛的时候，通常是早晨，你应当集中精力工作，将效率最大化，处理最困难的挑战，然后再离开休息。”

2、收起你的电子设备

在前黑莓时代，把工作留在办公室里是理所当然的事。“如果你想把工作带回家就需要做特别的准备安排，” Friedman说，“但现在情况不同了，今天我们每个人都有智能手机，也就相当于把办公室装在了兜里，于是我们的身心与工作时刻相连。”Friedman建议，应对这种现状的办法是要采取积极行动限制我们在业余时间使用电子设备，比如回家后将手机塞进篮子或抽屉，防止自己忍不住拿起来查邮件；或者你可以为自己制定一个晚8点后关手机的规则。Halvorson告诫说：“把手机放一放吧，无论什么事，都可以等到明天早上。”

3、做些有趣的事

Friedman建议，与其将精力集中在限制或避免自己在业余时间工作，不如去安排一些自己喜欢并能积攒能量的事情。比如约朋友打网球或和配偶一起准备一顿美餐，这能让你更关注那些带来愉快感的“追求型目标”，而不是总想着去避免像查邮件这样的“回避型目标”。研究显示，人们更容易也更喜欢实现“追求型目标”。研究还指出，做一件你感兴趣的事情，哪怕是去收税这样的琐碎事，也比单纯歇着更有效。

Halvorson认为，选择在工作外时间做什么很重要。当然，赖在沙发上抱着一桶爆米花看美剧是个有吸引力的选择，但她建议最好去做一些更有挑战的事情，比如填字游戏或下棋，“虽然这更有难度，但可以为你补充更多能量。”

4、放个长周末假

Halvorson 表示，身心感到枯竭可能是在告诉自己需要放假休息的信号。这个假期不需要是一个两周的长假期，对于解压来说，有规律地安排3-4天的长周末假期更有裨益。在你休假时，不要给办公室打电话或查邮件，你需要放手，其实我们每个人的活力程度都比自己想象的略低一些。

5、关注工作的意义

如果你的工作职责不允许你立刻请假，Halvorson建议，那么就要多地思考一下工作对你的意义，将目前的任务和更大的个人目标联系起来，比如，完成这个项目可以帮助我的下一次升职。这么想可以帮助你对抗懈怠倾向，并能使你迸发出一股能量撑过当日甚至之后的几日。但要小心的是，这种办法只具有短期缓解作用，如果你确因工作过重而感到倦怠，就必须停下来，获得真正的休息。

6、确定这是职业倦怠，而非其他

如果上述策略对你都不起效，那么你可能要面对更严重的情况。Halvorson说，如果你感到没有精神和劳累，但整体上看工作效率还不错，那很可能只是倦怠症状。但如果你感到工作毫无进展且没有意义，那就是另外的问题了。你的经理交给你的工作能让你表现出最好状态吗？如果不能，你也许需要一份不同的工作了。你现在的工作是在消磨你的能量吗？如果是的，你也许需要重新思考自己的职业了。

7、需要记住的原则：

要做：

为自己在业余时间使用电子设备设定规矩

在工作中设定经常性休息时间

如因工作原因不能休假，就多想想工作对自己的重要意义

不要做：

在休假或长周末时查邮件

不工作时虚度时光（不如去做些有挑战、有兴趣的事吧）

混淆暂时性工作倦怠和经常性工作疲倦、冷漠的状态。如果你每天都感到工作无效率，那该是考虑新工作的时候了。

案例#1：反思工作为何如此重要

Miko Branch是纽约一家名为Miss Jessie’s美发连锁店的联合创始人、创意总监兼CEO，她的工作艰苦而繁忙，整日被各种工作会议、电话、见客户和产品计划会所包围。“当我在公司时，人们一天到晚在我的办公室进进出出，”她说，“当我外出时，我也总在查看邮件，至少每隔几小时就查一次。”

Miko用来对付工作倦怠的小秘密是小睡。“小睡正是我找回状态的绝招，”她解释说，“有时只需要10分钟，有时30分钟，有时我在办公室的沙发上躺一会儿，有时盖个毯子或大衣就在地上躺一会儿。”但是，最近Miko的小睡绝招失灵了。一边是若干新品发布要安排，另一边要赶上书稿的截止日期，这将是一本记述Miss Jessie’s天才创始人的书，Miko感到压力巨大。

于是她为自己制定了3天的迈阿密假期，以此能够专心写作和改稿。当然，她还是要工作，但可以躲避开办公室里的频繁干扰。同时，她不断提醒自己美发店和这本书对她个人和事业的重要性。她说：“我和妹妹白手起家开创事业，我们都是女性，而且是有色人种。我希望将我们的故事讲出来，启发更多的人并为此贡献力量。”

Nicole完成了书稿并在周一回到了办公室。“我感到精力充沛，”她说。

案例#2：如果你的工作倦怠症状持续不退，就准备换个工作吧

Nicole Skogg是一位洛杉矶附近小型灯具制造厂的光学工程师。她开始在工作中感到倦怠：“我的工作非常普通，将一大堆研究数据放入数据表，然后再组织培训，”她回忆说，“这些工作只是在不断重复，没有挑战。”更糟糕的是，她在推进的一项能为公司带来长期价值的LED技术项目计划遭到了领导的拒绝。

经历这次挫折之后，她的工作动力开始下降。曾经积极能干的Nicole发现自己每天早晨都会按下闹钟上的延迟键。她发现在做新的商业计划时已经没有了原来的战略性思维。“从前的想法敦促我每天兴冲冲地去上班，”她说，“我明白了人可以多么投入于自己的工作。”而现在，她已回到了每天敲闹钟赖床的节奏。

几个月后，Nicole辞掉了工作开始单干。如今，她是SpyderLynk丹佛一家移动营销与技术公司的创始人兼CEO。回想起来，职业倦怠期成为了Nicole事业的转折点，她说：“我非常喜欢今天所做的事，我很感激多年前那个经理对我说了‘不’。”

Introduction

The constant pressure we all face from changing situations, growing competition, and the need to deliver results is enough to wear anyone down. Here’s an article that shares some good tips and advice on how to maintain your energy and desire when facing such realities.

How To Overcome Burnout And Stay Motivated

Even if you love your job, it’s common to feel burnt out from time to time. Perhaps you just wrapped up a big project and are having trouble mustering motivation for the next one. It could be that your home life is taking up more of your energy than usual. Or maybe you’re just bored. What’s the best way to recharge? Are some forms of rejuvenation better than others? How do you know if what you’re feeling is ordinary burnout or something else, like chronic dissatisfaction?

What the Experts Say

Burnout — the mental and physical exhaustion you experience when the demands of your work consistently exceed the amount of energy you have available — has been called the epidemic of the modern workplace. “There’s no question that we’re at greater risk of burnout today than we were 10 years ago,” says Ron Friedman, the founder of ignite80, the consulting firm, and the author of the book, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace. “In large part, it’s because we’re surrounded by devices that are designed to grab our attention and make everything feel urgent.” Heidi Grant Halvorson, a social psychologist and the author of No One Understands You and What to Do About It, agrees. “There’s a lot of pressure in this 24/7 cycle,” she says. “It can lead you to feel lethargic, stressed, and depleted — literally spent.” So you need to find ways to “put gas back in your tank.” Here are some ideas for how to do that:

1、Take breaks during the workday

Burnout often stems from a “lack of understanding about what it takes to achieve peak workplace performance,” says Friedman. “We tend to assume that [it] requires trying harder or outworking others, [which] may get you short-term results but [is] physiologically unsustainable.” To perform at your best over the long term, you need regular “opportunities for restocking your mental energy,” says Friedman. Take a walk or go for a run. Have lunch away from your desk. “Stepping away from your computer gets you out of the weeds and prompts you to reexamine the big picture,” he advises. “It’s often in the intervals between thinking really hard about a problem and then stepping away that solutions becomes apparent.”  But take your breaks at the right time, Halvorson says. When your energy is highest – often in the morning – you should focus on work and maximize your productivity.  “Tackle your toughest challenges at those times,” she says. Then step away for a rest.

2、Put away your digital devices

Before the Blackberry era, leaving your work at the office was the default. “If you wanted to take work home with you, that required effort and planning,” says Friedman.  That’s no longer the case. “Today we’re all carrying around an office in our pocket in the form of a smartphone,” so we’re both psychologically and physiologically still attached. The remedy, he says, is to actively limit your use of digital devices after hours. Place your smartphone in a basket or drawer when you arrive home so you’re not tempted to pick it up and check your email; or you might devise a rule for yourself about turning it off past 8pm. 

3、Do something interesting

Instead of concentrating on limiting or avoiding work in your off-hours, Friedman recommends scheduling “restorative experiences that you look forward to.” Making plans to play tennis with a friend or cook a meal with your spouse compels you to “focus on an approach goal — doing something pleasurable — instead of an avoidance goal — not checking email,” he says. “Research shows that approach goals are easier and more enjoyable to achieve.” Studies also indicate that doing an activity you find interesting — even if that activity is taxing — is better for you than simply relaxing. “What you do with your downtime matters,” says Halvorson. Sure, it’s appealing to laze on your couch with a tub of popcorn and a Netflix, but she recommends engaging in something more challenging — like a crossword or game of chess. “Even though it’s difficult, it will give you more energy.”

4、Take long weekends

Feeling mentally and physically exhausted may also be a sign that “you need to take some time off,” says Halvorson. The break need not be a two-week vacation; rather, she says, when it comes to stress-reduction, “you get a much greater benefit from regularly taking three- and four-day weekends.” While you’re away, though, don’t call the office or check your email. “You need to let go,” she says. “Each of us is a little less vital than we’d like to believe.”

5、Focus on meaning

If your job responsibilities preclude immediate time off, Halvorson suggests “focusing on why the work matters to you.” Connecting your current assignment to a larger personal goal — completing this project will help you score that next promotion, for instance — will “help you fight the temptation to slack off” and will provide a “jolt of energy that will give you what you need to barrel through that day or the next couple of days,” she says. Be aware, however, that this may provide only temporary relief. “If you’re burnt out from working too hard, you need to stop and take a real break.”

6、Make sure it’s really burnout

If none of these strategies work, you could be dealing with something more serious. If you’re listless and fatigued but still feel effective on the whole, then it’s probably just burnout. “But if you feel as though you’re not making progress and that the work you do doesn’t seem to matter,” it’s a different problem, Halvorson says. Is your manager giving you what you need to work at your best? If not, you may need a different position. Is the very nature of your work sapping your energy? If so, you may need to rethink your career.

7、Principles to Remember

Do

Set boundaries around your use of digital devices during off-hours

Incorporate regular breaks into your workday

Focus on why the work matters to you if professional obligations preclude a vacation

Don’tCheck your email when you’re taking a vacation or long weekend

Spend all your downtime vegging; engage in activities that challenge and interest you

Mistake constant fatigue and apathy for a temporary case of burnout; if you feel ineffective on a daily basis, it might be time to look for a new job

Case study #1: Reflect on why your work matters

As the co-founder, creative director, and CEO of Miss Jessie’s, the New York-based hair care line, Miko Branch has a busy and demanding job. The workday is a constant blur of team meetings and calls, appointments with clients, and product planning sessions. “When I am in town, people are in and out of my office all day long,” she says. “And when I’m travelling, I always check in by email at least every couple of hours.”

Her secret to avoiding burnout had always been daily nap breaks.  “Naps are just what I need to get my bearings,” she explains. “Sometimes they last only 10 minutes; other times it’s 30 minutes. Sometimes I use the couch in my office; other times I just lie on the floor with a blanket or jacket over me.” But recently her naps weren’t doing the trick. Facing multiple product launches and a looming deadline for a book about the genesis of Miss Jessie’s, she was feeling extremely stressed.  So she booked herself a three-day weekend in Miami to concentrate only on writing and editing. She was still working, of course, but she escaped the constant distractions of the office. And she inspired herself to keep at it by reminding herself why her business and this book meant so much to her both personally and professionally. “My sister and I created a business with no money,” she says. “We’re also female and we’re women of color. I wanted to tell our story to inspire others and contribute in that way.”

She completed the draft and she was back at work on Monday. “I felt refreshed,” she says.

Case study #2: Be prepared to change careers if your burnout symptoms linger

Nicole Skogg, an optical engineer, felt tired and burnt out by her job at a small lighting manufacturer near Los Angeles. “I was doing a lot of mundane tasks — putting together a bunch of research data in a spreadsheet and organizing training sessions,” she recalls. “The tasks felt repetitive and unchallenging.” Even worse, a proposal she’d be working on — a business plan for an LED technology project that could drive long-term value for her company — had been rejected.

After the setback, her motivation flagged. Nicole, who had always been a go-getter found herself hitting the snooze button when her alarm went off each morning. She realized that she missed the strategic thinking she’d been doing on the new business plan. “It got me excited to come into work every day,” she says. “I realized how you should always want to feel about your job.” She was back to just “punching the clock.”

A couple of months later, she left her job and struck out on her own. Today, she is the founder and CEO of SpyderLynk, a mobile marketing and technology company based in in Denver. In retrospect, her case of burnout was a turning point. “I am really excited about what I’m doing and I’m so thankful that all those years ago, that manager told me no,” she says

Source：Hbr