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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Overcome Overwhelm, Beat Busy, and Sustain Success in the New World of Work
In grad school at Stanford, Dr. Jacinta Jiménez was a typical straight-A student. The child of first-generation immigrants, she’d internalized the message that hard work was the secret to success. But one day, it all came tumbling down. She got a call from her mother that her brother had been hospitalized.
Jiménez ended up needing to play a big role in his care along with balancing her dissertation writing, lab work, and other responsibilities. But instead of adjusting her schedule or asking for support, she reasoned that she could get through it by just hustling harder, working smarter, and eliminating social activities.
Soon, she became completely exhausted. She lost all pleasure in her work and struggled to get up in the morning. In short, she started experiencing burnout.
The key message here is: Working harder or smarter isn’t enough to survive the pressures of the modern workplace.
All of us come under pressure at points in our careers, but we’re often ill-equipped to deal with it. Like Jiménez, most of us still believe that being successful means having “grit” and being able to tough out the bad times.
But, as the burnout epidemic shows, grit isn’t enough to survive and thrive in the modern workplace. In 2019, the World Health Organization officially classified burnout as a major global health challenge. And a recent Deloitte workplace study found that 77 percent of the employees interviewed had experienced burnout. Workplace stress has created unsustainable cycles of employee turnover and absenteeism, and it’s a contributing factor in 120,000 deaths every year in the United States.
Anyone entering the modern workplace should assume that burnout is one of the greatest risks that they’ll face. This may sound fatalistic, but it’s actually pragmatic and empowering. With this knowledge, employees can take proactive strategies to foster resilience and avoid burnout before it starts.
Learning from her own difficult experience – and those of her hundreds of clients – Jiménez developed several core strategies that allow modern workers to stay in tune with their own personal pulse and vitality, no matter the situation they’re in. By making feasible goals, interrogating negative thinking, and taking time to rest and connect, you can also learn how to develop your own resilience and create a career fueled by sustainable growth instead of chronic stress.
The Burnout Fix (2021) is a practical guide to thriving in the modern workplace. Today’s world of work is characterized by uncertainty, change, and a blurring of lines between home and the office. That’s why it’s essential that employees learn to set healthy boundaries, develop core skills, and make choices that prioritize their well-being.
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Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trialBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma