We are so concerned with ‘getting it right’ that we’ve forgotten to get it done.

That’s the only thing I can think when, time and again, action gets postponed in favour of another meeting, another approach, another way of trying to get at the problem. It’s the thing that comes to mind when clients tell me that they are going to resolve other problems first, before dealing with a core issue.

Like worrying about the edges of a pie when you’ve forgotten to put the filling in.

And I get why this is a problem. By the time someone speaks to me they have been dealing with imposter syndrome, or burnout or exhaustion for longer than either of us would care of mention. The monster has seemingly become so large that they have no idea where to start to conquer it, so run around it in circles trying to find the perfect place to start, until they exhaust themselves and need a nap.

There is a saying that I love, that perfectly encapsulates my approach to burnout issues.

‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time’

It essentially boils down to this; yes, there is this ridiculously large thing that needs to be dealt with, and the only way to do it is one small step at a time.

But where do we start?? At the head? Still huge. What about the tail? Looks a bit tough. Maybe an ear will do?

This is the beauty of the elephant - it doesn’t matter where you start. Head, tail, somewhere in between (not there, filthy!), all that matters is you start, one bite at a time.

Some bites are going to be more enjoyable than others. Some are going to go down so easily. Others will be a bit tougher and take a bit more chewing over, but start where you are soon you’ll be through.

Now replace the elephant with burnout. Where do I start?!

I mean, burnout is a heady combination of exhaustion, cynicism, struggle to get everything done; it is incredibly unfair that it is such a large undertaking to manage when you’re already working at half-speed trying to get everything done.

Should I start getting more sleep so I can work quicker?
But I’m behind with deadlines so I need to work late!
What about my diet, I should definitely start there…
Even though I’m feeling so stressed out - argh!

And the truth of the matter is, it doesn’t really matter where you start, so long as you do start and (here’s the really tricky bit) commit to eating that whole elephant, one bite at a time.

In my corporate work I see time and again companies who are desperate for help, who know that their staff are fit to collapse, but they seem intent on running around the elephant figuring out where to take that first bite.

We’re going to get Mental Health First Aid training!
Maybe we should invest in Occupational Health
Or perhaps a Burnout Prevention Session?

Unhelpfully, when asked where they should start, my answer is ‘yes’.

You see, burnout, overwhelm, institutional stress management, mental health, well they are rarely strictly linear beasts that require a step by step approach. It’s the culmination of years of misunderstanding, miscommunication, mismanagement and missed opportunities that have landed companies in this position, and so to think that there is a join the dots solution, a one size fits all process that neatly progresses from A to B to C?

Well that’s sweet but come on now.

If you want to beat burnout, end imposter syndrome, increase resilience, stop stress? You can wait for the perfect solution but my love, it just doesn’t exist.

Here’s a better approach. Throw everything at it. As much time, energy, money and soul as you can muster. Take what works. Discard what doesn’t. Repeat. Ad nauseam ad infinitum ad mortem.

Treat burnout the way you would treat a life changing illness - because swap the word illness for ‘phenomenon’ and there you are. This thing will take you, your friends, your business, your life down if you don’t do something about it.
Throw everything at it.
Keep taking shots.
Keep eating it one bite at a time.

Or you can keep running around it in circles until one of you gives up. I know who will break first.

PS This weekend only I’m re-opening the doors to my monthly membership programme, The Resilience Academy. This is my ethical and low cost version of ‘throw everything at it’. It is a group filled with people who are on the same journey as you and who are continuing to eat their own elephants one bite at a time.

We have weekly live trainings that touch on exactly the topics you need to manage your own burnout, imposter syndrome, resilience and stress management issues, together with a vault of over 100 hours of trainings for you to dip in to at any point - so if you need a little bit more help in one area, it’s there at your fingertips.

This month we are spring cleaning our careers and lives by touching on all the hot button topics that come up most frequently around burnout and stress management - high volume and low control is already up and ready for you to listen to, and we will also be touching on falling back into old had habits, bullying at work and more.

Created for you.
Created with you.
Created around you.

Click here to find out how you can get weekly support from me, together with 1:1 time, for less than your daily bottle of Diet Coke.