How to stop burn-out when you work crazy hours

Freelancing, contracting and starting earlier so you can finish earlier can mean greater work flexibility. But for those of us who don't work fixed hours, whose working days look different every day of the week, who hold high-responsibility roles, who travel a lot, or whose busy periods are seasonal, maintaining control over our work/life balance can be tricky – sometimes impossible.

To prevent burnout and avoid living to work instead of working to live, we need to become more intentional with our time outside of the office, starting with re-evaluating what we think work/life balance actually looks like.

Rethink Your Day

People who don't work a traditional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 job need to stop thinking that their work/life balance will look anything like those who do. In fact, there's no point looking at your life in a 24-hour window. Instead, look at your working week or the month ahead and be intentional with what you choose to do at what time for what part of your life. For example, scheduling a date night with your significant other or trips to the zoo with your kids, booking into your favourite gym classes or committing to a couple of work-free evenings at home a week will help you remember that there's more to life than working.

Start Traditions

Feeling connected to life outside of work will help you feel like you're not missing out as much. For example, if you work evenings and regularly miss out on your kids' bedtime, try FaceTiming them at dinnertime. If you and your partner pass each other like ships in the night, set an alarm to call them at a certain time every day or prioritise one night a week where you hang out at home and watch your favourite TV show together. A monthly reservation at your favourite bar, regular quiz night or weekly indoor netball game could keep you connected with your mates too.

Set Your Priorities

Find more time in your day and increase your profitability by quitting unnecessary activities that get in the way of the other things you'd rather be doing. Stop snoozing your morning alarm, setting up meetings for meetings' sake and absentmindedly scrolling through Facebook. Instead, use that time to do things like getting to the gym, meditating or calling your mum.

Set Boundaries

Establishing boundaries during quiet weeks and months will help you feel more in control when you're busy. If you make a rule that you're always at home with your family on a Monday evening or that you always go to that 6:15pm Pump class on a Thursday, the weeks when your 'non-negotiables' don't work won't feel so sacrificial. If your job is particularly up and down or you travel a lot, being religiously organised will become your saving grace. That means if something's not in your calendar, it doesn't happen – it's as simple as that.