Just like any other relationship, your relationship with your job is going to have its’ ups and downs. In some cases it can be clear that the best solution is for the two of you to separate – meaning you will need to find a new job. In other cases, making a few changes to how you work can rekindle your passion for what you do, allowing you to keep your job and your sanity.



You may not have any physical signs of burnout, but here are some performance indicators that you are overwhelmed and could benefit from making some changes:



It’s Monday 10 am and you can’t wait for Friday
Your meeting status: unprepared and uninterested
You’re more inspired to make an excuse than make a deadline
You day dream about getting sick so you have an excuse to stay home
You avoid people because you’re afraid of getting more work
People avoid you because they don’t want to hear about your workload
You use the 50/50 rule: you spend 50% of your time trying to figure out how to get out of 50% of your work
If you identify with any of the seven signs, here’s a quick list of practical things you can do shift out of neutral and move into the drive mode.



Get Real: Acknowledge how you are feeling about your work-life. Journal it, talk about it with someone you don’t have to sensor yourself with, but stop holding it in. The more you try to ignore how you really feel, the more anxiety and frustration you will feel about your situation. The sooner you identify how you feel, the sooner you can address it.



Get Inspired: Find a book, audio CD, or MP3 – something that tells someone else’s success story and read it or listen to it. The focus here is to connect with their ups and downs on their journey and the challenges they had to overcome to reach their goals. Let their success motivate you to press towards your vision despite how you feel right now.



Take Control: Are there too many meetings and tasks on your to-do list? Become a guardian of your time and energy by mastering your schedule. Limit the number of meetings you have a day: if your limit is 4 meetings, then meeting number 5 that comes to your invite box gets declined or proposed for another day and time.



Play a Different Role: Are you the team member that organizes everything? Or are you the ad-hoc tech support person for your team? Maybe you’re the one everyone goes to when there’s a last minute crisis. Whatever hat you normally wear – take it off. Changing how you engage can change how you feel about your work and your colleagues.