There Is No Macro Solution To “Burnout.” There Is A Micro One, Though.

It’s ostensibly about time management and control.

Lots of hand-wringing about burnout in the last 5–10 years. It’s hard to tell how much of said hand-wringing is actually true, because in general, I think executives of companies put “burnout” in the “good thing to say, but I don’t really care if anything is ever executed” bucket. There’s a lot of stuff in that bucket, honestly. Typically the only stuff that isn’t in there is “anything related to financials, profits, margins, growth, and personal investment in the company.” Those demand execution. (And ironically, preparing spreadsheets in the name of those things is a huge burnout driver for some.)

Executives do not give a flying fuck about “burnout.”

I think at this point, it’s important to understand that there is no macro solution to “burnout,” because every person is different, and their connections to work and life are different. What might work for Tom wouldn’t work for Terrie. Burnout occurs at a very specific intersection of:

• How much you value work