Battling Burnout with Design

Spring can often seem to be the season for burnout, the winter has been long, and just before the plants really spring back to life, our existences can seem bleak—and we all work too hard.

Neuroscience research indicates some ways we can realistically use design to make ourselves feel slightly less burned out:

• Create spaces where you can actually get done what you need to get done—no lying to yourself about this or imagining a rosier situation than actually exists.If you need to focus to get your work done, make sure you can work in a place that won’t distract you or divert you from your goal of getting things done.   Biophilic design can help you accomplish your goals, as described here.  (and search Biophilic Design here). Even if you enjoy the freedom to work from home, to wear whatever you feel like as you work, etc., you may actually have to leave your house from time-to-time to do your job well. Designing a place where you will do knowledge work well, for example, is discussed in this article.
• Give yourself plenty of opportunities to mentally refresh if you’re doing work that requires concentration. For example: Look at nature prints on the walls of your office if you have little time, go for a nature walk if you have more.  Listen to nature soundscapes as you work.   Use natural materials like visible wood grain.  Designing for cognitive refreshment is discussed in detail in this article. 
• Make sure you have environmental options—several places to work, different ambient conditions in various spaces, etc.
• Build a community, don’t try to go it alone.Designing for mingling and to boost social ties is covered in this article, for instance.
• Build in treats, some space-based, when you deserve them. After you finish that long report, work from the comfy chair by the window for a while, etc.
• Send yourself (and whomever else can see them) continuous reminders about what you are proud of about yourself, what you value about yourself, your team, etc. This may be that you are a great sailor or that the members of your work team are great copywriters and win loads of awards, or something else entirely. Remember what your core values are and make sure they’re readable.  For example, if you care about saving the Earth, make sure your home or office is clearly designed and managed in an Earth-friendly way.