3 Ways Help You Avoid Feeling Drained, Exhausted and Burnt-out

The woodcutter’s parable introduces us to a timber merchant who has just hired a new woodcutter to cut his trees. On his first day, the woodcutter cut down a total of 18 trees, an immense feat. His boss was understandably delighted and congratulated the woodcutter on his achievement. Very much inspired with his performance and boss’ approval, the woodcutter resumed his work the next day and fell a respectable 15 trees. And although he continued to work hard, on the third day he was only able to cut 12 trees down. 

As the number of cut trees continued to fall day after day, although persistent, he became frustrated and needless to say, upset. He went to his boss and apologized. Knowingly, the boss smiled. He had seen this before. 

The timber merchant asked the woodcutter a simple question, “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” 

The woodcutter responded that he didn’t have time to sharpen the saw because he was too busy cutting down the trees. 

It is a simple story, but it conveys a very important high performance principle that says if we don’t take the time to sharpen the axe, over time we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. 

In today's rapidly advancing world we are constantly moving faster and demanding more of ourselves than ever before.  We can easily get drained, and exhausted and burnt out and as a result, our productivity declines. 

Would you like some guidance and inspiration to master energy and avoid feeling exhausted and burnt-out?  Check out my FREE axe-sharpening CHECKLIST!

Success Doesn’t Just Happen on its Own.

High performers know that getting the results they want is no accident. Yet, according to the Huffington Post, a recent survey conducted by Microsoft found that most people are unproductive at work nearly 40% of the time. With that kind of performance metric, there’s no question that people struggle to achieve the kind of success they want. 

You'll find that if you search online for how to improve productivity at work, one of the first so-called secrets to high productivity is to get more sleep.  Lauren Piro at Good Housekeeping found that Tim Cook, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos all get at least seven hours of sleep per night.  So, there's no doubt that you need to get enough sleep to perform at a high level over the long run.

But just so we’re clear, getting enough sleep isn’t sharpening the axe! 

Resting is akin to just putting the axe down. In other words, the blade will still be dull when you go to pick it back up. Only by investing the time and effort to sharpen the axe’s blade can you become more effective, and therefore productive.

3 High Powered "Axe-Sharpening Activities"

So, how exactly do you sharpen the axe? 

Well, here are 3 High Powered and strongly recommended ASA's ("Axe-Sharpening Activities") to help you take action now and ensure you have control over your energy levels and happiness. 

1. Devote Blocks of Time to Your Personal Life.  According to the OECD Better Life Index, although the desire to successfully balance work and personal life is a challenging endeavor for most people, the ability to do so is important for the well-being of the entire household. As technology advances, companies are expecting their employees to be more connected and available, even after the traditional workday ends. That inherently makes it more difficult for us to separate our work life from our personal life. Over time that leads to greater amounts of stress and unhappiness, which in turn lead to increased risks to health and safety over time. To reduce this trend, find times in your day or week to literally turn off.  You can start by scheduling short blocks of time, 15-20 minutes, when you completely turn off your smart devices and turn your attention to your personal life. That might include turning to something creative like art or music or being more present with your kids and spouse. 

For billionaire and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, it's all about recharging with family. He points to the time he and his wife spend together on weekends.

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On weekends, he and his wife hire a nanny so they can exercise and in the morning and reserve the rest of the weekend for themselves to spend time together. They plan for dinners followed by putting the kids to bed.  

Quick Note: If you find staying on task difficult, check out Dr. David Badre's awesome book, On Task. In it, he explores why we struggle to stay focused on tasks, why we put off working on tough tasks, and turn to easy "wins" like checking off quick to-do items. It’s a must-read for anyone wanting to read the neuroscience behind how to achieve big goals.

2. Meditation. Once considered new-age and "just weird", today's western understanding of this ancient practice has shows its many health benefits.  Near the turn of the century, scientific discovered meaningful evidence that meditation can rewire the brain in specific ways that lead to greater happiness and increased health benefits. Researcher Barbara Fredrickson conducted a study following meditators practicing for 20 minutes a day over an 8-week period. She found something I find particularly fascinating: after only six weeks, meditators reported triple the benefits they had experienced in the preceding six weeks. Triple. The. Benefits. That alone would be exemplary.  But even more so is the finding that the benefits were linked to the amount of time meditating. Fredrickson found that benefits like more rewarding interactions with others, less stress and more energy were tripled for every minute put into the meditation after the sixth week of regular practice.  AMAZING! Obviously, meditation is an extremely powerful tool for any high performer to reduce feeling of stress, exhaustion and burnt-out that accompany success and a demanding lifestyle. 

Entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey is no stranger to the ongoing benefits of practicing meditation.

3. Seek Out Adventures Where You Can Connect More With Nature. Be honest. When was the last time you gave yourself permission to take an entire day off to go on an adventure and connect with nature? How about to get out and experience a new culture?  According to a study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, most Americans spend 87% of their lives indoors. In addition, we almost spend an additional 6% in a closed car or vehicle. With so much time spent inside, it's no wonder so many of us are feeling disconnected and stressed out! But the benefits of being outdoors has been shown to significantly reduce the negative impacts that typically accompany a high pressure lifestyle, including stress and anxiety.  According to Stress.com, the outdoors can help us to recharge and improve our mood while releasing and managing stress. And with activities like hiking and biking, for example, you can be active and combine the benefits of spending time out in nature. 

Virgin brands CEO Richard Branson says on the weekends he takes time for himself and gets away somewhere he can be alone to recharge by doing something active. 

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In the morning Branson says he might recharge doing everything from tennis, to rock jumping, SCUBA diving to paddleboarding.  Weekend afternoons are best spent on the beach, he says, with the family and maybe a game of chess.  

Notice there is a lot of outdoor activity and exercise for Branson.  He, and countless experts recommend them both to improve your health and reduce stress. So, don't  forget to add “spend time outdoors” to that to-do list!

Conclusion

Whatever you might choose to refresh and recharge, remember that you can always start small and build from there.  As you become more comfortable with it, you can start to time block longer periods of time, especially if you choose to go outdoors on an adventure! 

So, instead of chipping away at life with a worn-out, dull blade:

• What will you do today to devote some time to sharpening your axe?  
• What new routine or habit can you implement this week to help you consistently recharge and refocus?

In closing, choose something you can commit to, however small, and commit to take action now, so you can ensure you control over your energy levels and happiness. 

After all, nothing happens in life without taking action. 

Would you like some guidance and inspiration to create or update your bucket list?

If you would like some additional guidance and inspiration in creating or updating your bucket list, check out my ULTIMATE LIFE BUCKET LIST WORKBOOK.  It's  a complete, step-by-step professional workbook designed to help you to plan and prepare for new adventures and get impressive results.

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Damien Vanderburg is a certified high performance coach with a focus on personal development, high price-point sales and serial entrepreneurship. Damien helps high performers to transform effectiveness, maximize potential and accelerate results. He is also the co-founder of Counterpoint Test Prep, a test prep and college app consulting company. 

Surf over to www.damienvanderburg.com and learn more.