In this week's episode of Billable-Hour Burnout, we're diving into how our thoughts can lead to overworking and burnout, and what we can do about it.
The Impact of Our Thoughts on Overworking
Our minds can be our best friends or our worst enemies. The thoughts we harbor can either support and encourage us or push us to work harder than necessary, leading to burnout. As the Upanishads wisely state, "Watch your thoughts, for they become your destiny."
Breaking the Cycle of Overwork
To break free from the cycle of overwork, we need to recognize and challenge the thoughts that keep us trapped. Here's a six-step process to help:
Notice the thoughts that are coming up
Pause and reflect on these thoughts
Decide what you want instead
Communicate with your colleagues
Constrain - push back and hold your ground
Evaluate, tweak, implement, and repeat
How People-Pleasing Contributes to Overwork
People-pleasing might seem like being a team player, but it often leads to overwork and burnout. It's not just a loss for you, but also for your colleagues and clients. By always saying yes, you might be:
Denying colleagues valuable learning experiences
Creating inconsistencies for clients
Sacrificing your own well-being and productivity
Creating a Better Work-Life Balance
The goal isn't to stop working hard, but to stop overworking. Here's what a better balance could look like:
Slow Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee on your porch
Evenings where you can close your computer without guilt
Vacations where you don't feel compelled to check your email
Take Action
If these ideas resonate with you, don't just stop at reading. Take action:
Watch the webinar replay (available until 8/30/24) for more detailed information
Subscribe to my newsletter
Book a consultation for a personal strategy to breakthrough the cycle of overwork
Remember, your thoughts are making you work harder than necessary. It's time to remove the overwork, remove the overwhelm, and start enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Are you on my newsletter? Subscribe HERE to join the community of ambitious women in accounting, law, and consulting who are breaking the stress cycle. By joining, you'll always be the first to know about upcoming events, workshops, and opportunities to overcome burnout once and for all!
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
How your thoughts contribute to overworking
The six-step process to break through fatal thoughts
Why people-pleasing can be detrimental to you, your colleagues, and your clients
The importance of setting boundaries and saying no
How to identify and change thoughts that lead to overwork
The long-term consequences of overworking
Strategies for balancing a full workload with personal time
Watch The Full Episode:
Full Episode Transcript:
# Billable Hour Burnout: Your thoughts are making you work harder
## Introduction
Hi everyone and welcome. We are live. Happy Thursday. This is Billable Hour Burnout episode 23. I know you work long hours regularly, but I want to ask you why. Is it client demands, statutory due dates, maybe your team's waiting on you? Here's the thing that I know: That's not the reason why you're overworking. It's actually because you have thoughts that are keeping you on the hamster wheel. These thoughts are having you work more hours, and these thoughts are painful. The best news about it, it can be stopped today.
If you need helpful tactical advice that helps you have the career of your dreams without the stress or the overwhelm, you are in the right place. If you want to finally enjoy the life you spent decades building, you are in the right place. If you find yourself here today, it means you're looking for more work-life balance, more ease, more confidence, and you're ready to make it happen without quitting your job or burning down your life.
My name is Lauren Baptiste, your Big Four auditor and regulatory tax consultant turned life coach, and you're listening to Billable Hour Burnout. On the show, I share simple tactical advice for the modern accountant, attorney, and consultant.
## Personal Updates
I just had a nice long weekend at the Jersey Shore. I am a Jersey girl. I grew up in Jersey. So I am Jersey Beach loyal. I was with my family. It was my mom's birthday. We had time together. My niece and my sister came and spent time with my aunt, my uncle, and it's been a little bit. So it was a nice little family reunion. I also got some moments to myself, a lot of yoga, a lot of walks on the beach.
Tomorrow is my nine-year anniversary with my husband. Time flies. I'm already thinking about what we want to do for our 10th anniversary.
## Client Success Story
I want to talk about some of the feedback I got from Tuesday's webinar. One was just a really clean, "I highly recommend this. Amazing." Another one that I really wanted to share is "I feel my body calm down as you were talking."
## Main Topic: Your Mind as Your Best Friend or Worst Enemy
Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I want you to check in. Who's clocking in for you right now? Is it your best friend that's supporting you, encouraging you, and giving you helpful thoughts? Or is it your worst enemy, the one that's saying you're not good enough, you're not working hard enough, you're not doing this right?
There's a beautiful quote from the Upanishads: "Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny." In essence, watch your thoughts or they become your destiny.
What if your thoughts helped you work smarter, not harder? What if your thoughts helped you work more intentionally, not harder? What if your thoughts stopped you from working so hard?
## Client Example
I spoke to a client this morning who was struggling with people-pleasing. She kept accepting extra work because she wanted to be a team player, which was causing her to overwork. We discussed how this was not only affecting her negatively but also her colleagues and clients.
## Six-Step Process to Break Through Fatal Thoughts
1. Notice the thoughts that are coming up.
2. Pause.
3. Decide what you want instead.
4. Communicate with your colleague.
5. Constrain - be able to push back and not take it back.
6. Evaluate, tweak, implement, and repeat.
## Call to Action
I encourage you to watch the replay of Tuesday's webinar, which is available until August 30th. In the webinar, I spent an hour talking about five fatal thoughts that keep you in a cycle of overwork, the six-step process to have more time to yourself, and a tried and true plan so that you can accomplish more without doing more.
If what I'm sharing resonates, I encourage you to take it to the next level. Come work with me. On a consultation, we can discuss specifically what's going on in your life, what you're struggling with, and I'll give you a specific plan of action custom to you.
Remember, your thoughts are making you work harder than they need to. Let's remove the eating hours, remove the overwork, remove the overwhelm, and start to feel the success. Start to have the life where you can enjoy the fruits of your hard labor.
For more information about me and my work, visit my website at www.acheloawellness.com. You can find me on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. Now is the time to take action to finally have the life that you deserve.
Bye.