As a coach to 100+ high-achieving humans and as a self-observing person, I’ve noticed that the first sign of burnout is losing the joy of doing whatever it is that you’re doing. It’s when you no longer feel excited about the work that you know in objective terms is very exciting – this is the sign that you’re losing your edge and you’re no longer performing at your best.

The level of joy you’re getting from your work is a fairly accurate barometer of whether you’re performing at your best.

A quote to keep in mind

“People rarely succeed unless they are having fun in what they are doing.”

– Dale Carnegie

How to maintain your edge on an ongoing basis

You’ve probably guessed it – by keeping your ‘joy tank’ fairly full 😉. And how do you do that? Here are two things that can help you:

💡 Keep an eye on your joy levels daily or weekly: “On a scale of 1 to 10 , how much joy am I getting from the work I’m doing?”

💡 Make a list of those activities that help you recharge and replenish your joy reserves e.g. going for a daily walk, having a weekend away, having social work days.

While ad-hoc ‘joy interventions’ can be helpful, it’s even more helpful to be proactive and have those activities scheduled and booked in advance on a recurring basis. Build your ‘joy infrastructure’ in advance, such that it takes care of you!