Redefining productivity during burnout

A presentation at BADCamp 2020 in October 2020 in by April Sides

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Redefining productivity during burnout April Sides

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Storytime

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Waking up Heart/mind racing Do NOT want to get up

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Morning run Couldn’t breathe before she started

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With friends Couldn’t focus or be present

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At work Couldn’t think and solve problems

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Maybe a brain boosting supplement will “fix” my brain.

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Project A l Drupa Camp ille Ashev Project B Breaking point Projec t C

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You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you. BARACK OBAMA

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Learning from failure Wasn’t set up for success Said “yes” to too many things Wasn’t managing stress Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

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April Sides Senior Developer at Lullabot Director of Drupal Camp Asheville weekbeforenext weekbeforenext aprilsides

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What is burnout?

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Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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What does it feel like?

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Physical signs and symptoms ● Feeling tired and drained most of the time ● Lowered immunity, frequent illness ● Frequent headaches or muscle pain ● Change in appetite or sleep habits ● Shaky hands or eye twitches ● Feeling like you can’t breathe Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Emotional signs and symptoms ● Sense of failure and self-doubt ● Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated ● Detachment, feeling alone in the world ● Loss of motivation ● Increasingly cynical and negative outlook ● Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment ● Lack of emotion or emotional regulation Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Behavioral signs and symptoms ● Withdrawing from responsibilities ● Isolating yourself from others ● Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done ● Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope ● Taking out your frustrations on others ● Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Treading water in the middle of the ocean with nothing in sight and you feel like you’re sinking

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Who is at risk?

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Personality traits ● Perfectionistic ● Pessimistic ● Controlling ● High-achiever ● People-pleaser ● Selfless and caring Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Predisposed, not predetermined.

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What are the causes?

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Work-related causes ● Feeling like you have little or no control over your work ● Lack of recognition or reward for good work ● Unclear or overly demanding job expectations ● Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Lifestyle causes ● Working too much, without enough time for socializing or relaxing ● Lack of close, supportive relationships ● Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others ● Not getting enough sleep Help Guide: Burnout Prevention and Treatment

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Counter-productive productivity

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Notifications

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Managing notifications ● Remove frequent notifications ● Use Do Not Disturb mode ● Try website and app blockers ● Set app time limits

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Task switching (aka multitasking)

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Replacement cycle 2.5 years 3 - 5 years Irreplaceable

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Effects of task switching ● Damage to the brain in the region of empathy and emotional control ● Loss of productivity from interrupted flow ● Reduces concentration and focus ● Lowers your IQ and emotional intelligence ● Causes stress, anxiety, overwhelm and burnout ● Affects impulse control and decision making ● Affects creativity Thrive Global: 9 Ways Multitasking is Killing Your Brain and Productivity, According to Neuroscientists

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Multiple monitors

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How do I avoid burnout?

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Self-care

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Manage self-care habits ● Take inventory of your habits ● Focus on one small, systems level change at a time ● Read/listen to Atomic Habits ○ Good Habits: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. ○ Bad Habits: make it invisible, unattractive, difficult, and unsatisfying. ○ Habit stacking (like IFTTT)

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Body care Sleep Nutrition Exercise

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Mind care Relaxation

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Meditation

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Meditation

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Mind care Relaxation Play Connection

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Work smarter

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Build relationships at work ● Build a personal relationship with your manager, client, employee, and team ○ Makes it easier to raise flags when you are struggling ○ Makes it easier for them to recognize when something is wrong “Radical Candor” is what happens when you put “Care Personally” and “Challenge Directly” together.

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Manage time and energy ● Schedule time blocks for work and self-care ● Don’t respond immediately to emails and messages ● Leave work, at work Deep Work ● Set boundaries and say “No” 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do

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Manage projects ● Clearly define scope of work, deadlines, milestones, etc. ● Manage pace of work ● Agile software development ○ Iteration ○ Sprints ○ Retrospectives Icon Credit: Scrum by Rflor from the Noun Project

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How do I get out of it?

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Identify the light at the end of the tunnel

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Getting through the tunnel ● Communicate with team ● Ask for help ● Embrace flexibility in schedule and environment ● Practice self-care as able and take breaks ● Use positive self-talk

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You are on a journey of imperfection

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Resources websites

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Resources books

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Resources books

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Thank you. Any questions? weekbeforenext weekbeforenext aprilsides