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Did you know that a fire burning out often produces more visible smoke than a fire burning at its peak? Burnout works in much the same way. Before the flame goes out, there are often smoke signals we overlook. Recognizing them cues us that it’s time to rethink how we're approaching our workdays.

Several known workplace issues lead to burnout: the culture of an organization, workload, lack of control, unfairness, and inadequate support. In my clinical experience, there are also interpersonal and cognitive patterns that can intensify feelings of burnout, especially in highly capable professionals. Actual workload only tells part of the story, sometimes it’s also the emotional weight we’re carrying from the habits we bring to work that are adding to our exhaustion.

These habits, drawn from principles I discuss in my book Beyond Happiness: The 6 Secrets of Lifetime Satisfaction, (Guttman, 2023), fall into five patterns of behavior:

Assuming Responsibility For Everything

Many capable people feel a sense of ownership for work that may fall outside of their job responsibilities. As a result, we micro-manage, or feel a sense of hyper-responsibility for everyone’s work. This leads to chronic work vigilance, an overloaded brain, resentment, and mood swings. “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done,” is the code we live by. It’s that code that is exacerbating our burnout. This code is based on an assumption, not reality.

Pausing and recognizing what can be delegated is key. We need to focus on tolerating the discomfort of sitting with the anxiety of not being in constant control. Try these exercises. Challenge yourself to delegate one task a day and build from there. Take a 10-minute break in the middle of the day. Put a boundary around........

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