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"Do what you love."
We've all heard this advice before. It's great advice, though not many people truly take it to heart.
But sometimes doing what you love isn't enough to keep you going. Inspiration, passion, and motivation are difficult things to hold on to. They always seem to slip away right when you need them most.
You know that feeling. Where you'rethatclose to finishing a project, or achieving a goal, or crossing a task off your to-do list … but you just can't muster the energy. You've lost interest. You're exhausted. Drained. And you don't know why.
That's burnout. It's something many of us are all too familiar with. I'd like to share with you a few ways that I fight burnout – or prevent it from catching me in the first place.
1. Achieve in increments. When you only focus on a big goal someday, it's easy to get burned out by the daily grind. It's like driving toward a mountain in the distance. You can drive for hours, but the mountain doesn't seem to get any closer. And spinning your wheels gets real tiring real fast.
The solution is to give yourself a way to measure and record every little step forward you take. Here's how:
Get a journal, notebook, or calendar. Writing things down is important.
Identify milestones on the road towards your goal.If you're writing a book, you could treat each chapter as one milestone. Or, even better, treat each 500 words or 1000 words as a milestone.
If milestones aren't obvious, create them. For example, if you're training for a marathon, hold yourself to a progression of distance. If you start out running at your maximum distance, you'll plateau very quickly. Instead, start at a shorter distance – even if it's very easy for you – then work your way up slowly.
Track milestones in a simple, visual format. Think of the progress bar on a download. One glance tells you exactly how much progress has been made. The format you choose doesn't need to be detailed or comprehensive. It just needs to show that you're moving forward day by day.
Learn to appreciate the little accomplishments. Let yourself enjoy the feeling of getting things done.
2. Train your muse. One of the biggest myths about inspiration that it's random. One day you're inspired and motivated, the next day you're burned out – and there's no way around it. Or so they say.
In fact, inspiration is just like any other skill. It may start out as unreliable, but it can be trained and developed into something you can rely on.
So how do you train your muse? The best way I've found is immersion. Surround yourself with things that inspire you and reflect your goals. Great composers listen to music. Great authors read voraciously. Great marketers attend seminars. Great productivity-ists subscribe to Zen Habits. And so on. Immersion trains your mind to work efficiently in the ways you need it to.
The more that your inspiration becomes a part of your life, the less likely it is to run out when you need it most. With that in mind, be creative. What ways can you connect with your inspiration on a daily basis?
3. Work less. Cut down on the amount of energy and time you spend working. If you have sick days or vacation days left, take advantage of them. Or, if you're self-employed, force yourself to work fewer hours each day – even if that means turning down new projects.
Working less doesn't mean you have to slack off or get less done. It does mean that you:
Eliminate unnecessary tasks.
Take strategic breaks.
Stop multi-tasking.
Seek help from other people.
4. Define success realistically. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having big dreams and big ambitions. But if you're constantly frustrated by a lack of progress, it might be time to take a step back and examine your goals. Are they achievable? Are you holding yourself to a reasonable timeline?
Here's a good way to do this. Get a piece of paper and write down your big, ambitious goal. Then write down at least 10 specific, concrete steps that will allow you to achieve that goal. Be as detailed as possible. If you can't come up with a series of down-to-earth steps to get you from here to your dream, that's a sign that you need to either redefine your goals or rethink the way you're pursuing those goals.
5. Get more sleep. You've heard this before, I know. So have I. But that didn't stop me from going against my better judgment and tiring myself out by staying up late to work. Getting enough sleep takes a conscious decision – and, just like any good habit, takes time to develop.
One of the biggest barriers for me in this area is procrastination. I have a tendency to put things off throughout the day, then stay up later as a result. What's keeping you from getting the rest you need?
6. Take it slow（er）. The world tells us to rush things: "Get there faster. Make money quicker. Retire sooner." And while these things aren't necessarily bad, they can easily get us in over our heads. If you're feeling burned out and overwhelmed, it's time to slow down.
A few ways to take yourself out of 24/7 high gear:
Spend at least 10 minutes a day in a quiet place, away from distractions. Breathe.
Put together a playlist of slow, relaxing music. Listen to it whenever you start feeling frazzled.
Take a butcher knife to your to-do list. Set a limit to the number of tasks you take on each day and stick to it.
Extend your deadlines. Do you absolutely, positively have to get this done now? Just remember – this isn't an excuse to procrastinate.
7. Get a second opinion. It's hard to spot burnout from the inside. Your close friends and family are likely to identify the signs of burnout long before you do. So listen to what they're saying. The next time your spouse, parent, or best friend tells you you're working too hard, take it seriously.
8. Set clear boundaries. Burnout happens when we allow work to overflow its boundaries and interfere with every other part of our lives. So set strong boundaries. The clearer the better. In writing, if possible.
For example, instead of saying: "I'll spend at three hours every night with my family," make it clearer: "I won't work after 8 o'clock. That's 100% family time." Clear boundaries are easier to stick to and harder to rationalize away.
Once you've set up your boundaries, make them public. Let your family know that you've set aside time just for them. They'll hold you accountable to your promises. Let your clients know that you'll be unavailable during certain hours. This will reduce the temptation to fudge on your boundaries.
9. When you're working, focus. I've found that concentrating on work is actually less exhausting than allowing yourself to be wishy-washy about it. When you decide that it's time to work, buckle down, eliminate distractions, and do it wholeheartedly. There's something amazingly refreshing about pure, sharp focus.
10. Create outlets. If you're a person of diverse interests （and really, who isn't?）, it's likely that you have several very different goals and ideas bouncing around in your head at any given time. These ideas need outlets. If you hold them inside, they'll eventually start interfering with your focus and creating unnecessary frustration, leading to burnout.
In other words, I think it's okay – healthy, even – to start a few side projects as outlets for creative energy. Just make sure that you keep your priorities straight and your side projects fun. If these side projects become sources of stress, cut them out immediately.
11. Know when to power through it. This is going to sound out of place given what I've said above, but it's powerful – if applied correctly. Sometimes the solution for burnout is just to power through it. Sometimes burnout can be an illusion. In these cases, the best choice is to refuse to use burnout as an excuse, ignore the fact that you feel burned out, and just work through it. It's like a runner gaining her second wind and coming out stronger on the other side.
However, just as an experienced athlete knows when to push through the pain and when to pull back, you'll need to be very careful how you take this particular piece of advice. Until you develop a keen awareness of your own tendencies, it's usually better to err on the side of caution and pull back when you start feeling burned out.
12. Never accept defeat. Burnout is an obstacle like any other. It can hold you back for a while, but it's not the end of the world – unless you let it defeat you.
If you have a great goal in mind, don't give up on it, no matter how apathetic, exhausted, or frustrated you might feel. If everything I've said up until this point fails, do this: hold on to your dream – even if it doesn't feel like much of a dream at the moment. Hold on to it anyway. That way, when the storm clears, your dream will still be intact, ready for another try.
"做你喜歡做的事。"
我們都曾聽過這個建議。這是一個很偉大的建議，雖然不是很多人真正的將它放在心裏。
不過，有時候即使是幹你所愛的事情也不能足以讓你一直保持熱情。靈感、熱情和理想是那種難以堅持的東西。它們似乎經常在你最需要它們的時候溜之大吉。
你很清楚那種感覺。在差不多搞定一個項目，或接近一個目標、或將你一項任務從你的待辦清單拿下等等的那些時刻，但你就是不能提起勁來。你變得毫無興趣，筋疲力竭。而你不知道這是為什麼。
這就是怠惰。一個大多數人都非常非常熟悉的現象。我很樂於向你分享一些我戰勝怠惰的方法--或者說，防止它從一開始就發作的方法。
1.完(wan)成(cheng)微(wei)小(xiao)的(de)疊(die)加(jia)。當(dang)你(ni)隻(zhi)將(jiang)注(zhu)意(yi)力(li)放(fang)在(zai)一(yi)個(ge)大(da)目(mu)標(biao)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)，很(hen)容(rong)易(yi)你(ni)就(jiu)被(bei)日(ri)常(chang)單(dan)調(tiao)的(de)事(shi)情(qing)磨(mo)得(de)筋(jin)疲(pi)力(li)竭(jie)。這(zhe)就(jiu)像(xiang)開(kai)著(zhe)車(che)朝(chao)著(zhe)遠(yuan)方(fang)的(de)山(shan)前(qian)進(jin)一(yi)樣(yang)。你(ni)可(ke)能(neng)開(kai)幾(ji)個(ge)小(xiao)時(shi)了(le)，但(dan)那(na)座(zuo)山(shan)看(kan)起(qi)來(lai)一(yi)點(dian)都(dou)沒(mei)有(you)靠(kao)近(jin)。你(ni)的(de)輪(lun)子(zi)一(yi)直(zhi)不(bu)停(ting)的(de)轉(zhuan)啊(a)轉(zhuan)，當(dang)然(ran)很(hen)快(kuai)你(ni)就(jiu)累(lei)了(le)
解決方法是，用一種方式來測量和記錄在前進道路上的每個小小的一步。這裏是建議：
*拿起一本日記、筆記本或日曆。寫下事情是很重要的。
*找出朝著你目標前進的道路上的裏程碑。如果你在寫一本書，你可以將每個章節視為一個裏程碑。或者，可能會更好，將500個字或1000個字視為一個裏程碑。
*如(ru)果(guo)裏(li)程(cheng)碑(bei)不(bu)是(shi)很(hen)明(ming)顯(xian)，創(chuang)建(jian)它(ta)們(men)。舉(ju)例(li)而(er)言(yan)，如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)在(zai)正(zheng)在(zai)進(jin)行(xing)馬(ma)拉(la)鬆(song)訓(xun)練(lian)，給(gei)自(zi)己(ji)設(she)定(ding)一(yi)個(ge)漸(jian)進(jin)距(ju)離(li)作(zuo)為(wei)目(mu)標(biao)吧(ba)。如(ru)果(guo)一(yi)開(kai)始(shi)就(jiu)設(she)定(ding)你(ni)能(neng)跑(pao)的(de)最(zui)遠(yuan)距(ju)離(li)作(zuo)為(wei)目(mu)標(biao)，那(na)麼(me)你(ni)很(hen)快(kuai)就(jiu)會(hui)到(dao)達(da)平(ping)台(tai)期(qi)。相(xiang)反(fan)，如(ru)果(guo)從(cong)一(yi)個(ge)較(jiao)短(duan)的(de)距(ju)離(li)開(kai)始(shi)-即使這對你而言相當容易-你會慢慢地取得進步
*以一種簡單的、可ke視shi的de方fang式shi來lai跟gen蹤zong你ni的de裏li程cheng碑bei。想xiang象xiang一yi下xia，你ni下xia載zai東dong西xi的de時shi候hou，出chu現xian的de進jin度du條tiao。隻zhi要yao你ni瞥pie一yi眼yan就jiu能neng知zhi道dao你ni現xian在zai的de進jin度du是shi多duo少shao。你ni所suo選xuan擇ze的de方fang式shi，不bu必bi拘ju泥ni於yu細xi節jie或huo在zai內nei容rong上shang有you多duo麼me廣guang泛fan。它ta所suo要yao做zuo的de，隻zhi是shi告gao訴su你ni每mei天tian你ni進jin步bu了le多duo少shao。
學會去欣賞你每一小小的成就。享受那種完成某件事的感覺。
2.訓練你的靈感。靈感是不可捉摸的，這是一個最大謊言。在前一天你還充滿靈感和活力，第二天你就開始筋疲力竭--別無他法。這就是他們所說的。
實際上，靈感和其他的技能一樣。在一開始，它可能不那麼能靠得住，但是它可訓練的，具備成為你信任的能力的發展性。
ruhexunliannidelinggan？wosuozhaodaodezuihaodefangfajiushi，chenjindaonidemubiaozhongqu。jinjinweiraozhenizijidedongxi，quanbudoushinengjilinihefanyingchunidemubiaode。weidadezuoqujianuliditingyinle。weidadezuojiatanlandeyuedu。weidadejingyingzhenulidecanyugeshigeyangdetaolunhui。weidadegaoxiaozhe，dingyueZenhabits,如此等等。沉浸到你目標中去，能訓練你的頭腦，讓它以你期待的方式，變得高效。
當(dang)你(ni)的(de)靈(ling)感(gan)越(yue)來(lai)越(yue)融(rong)入(ru)你(ni)的(de)生(sheng)活(huo)，它(ta)就(jiu)越(yue)來(lai)越(yue)不(bu)會(hui)在(zai)你(ni)需(xu)要(yao)它(ta)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)溜(liu)掉(diao)。要(yao)變(bian)得(de)有(you)創(chuang)意(yi)，記(ji)住(zhu)這(zhe)一(yi)點(dian)。究(jiu)竟(jing)什(shen)麼(me)方(fang)式(shi)能(neng)讓(rang)你(ni)每(mei)天(tian)都(dou)與(yu)靈(ling)感(gan)接(jie)通(tong)？
3.shaogongzuo。kandiaonaxienihuazaigongzuoshangdeshijianyujingli。ruguonibingle，huoniyougongjia，liyongtamen。huozhe，ruguonishigeziyouzhiyezhe，meitianqiangpozijishaojigexiaoshiqugongzuo--即使這意味著你拒絕了新計劃。
工作得少，並不表示的變得懶惰或完成得少。它的意思是讓你：
*去掉不必要的任務。
*獲得關鍵性的進展。
*停止同時多任務的方式。
*從別人那裏獲得幫助。
4.給gei成cheng功gong下xia明ming確que的de定ding義yi。擁yong有you一yi個ge大da大da的de夢meng想xiang，或huo抱bao負fu是shi沒mei有you任ren何he錯cuo的de。不bu過guo如ru果guo你ni經jing常chang為wei缺que少shao進jin展zhan而er感gan到dao沮ju喪sang，那na麼me可ke能neng是shi時shi候hou回hui過guo頭tou去qu檢jian查zha一yi下xia你ni的de目mu標biao了le。它ta們men都dou達da到dao了le麼me？你ni是shi否fou一yi直zhi堅jian持chi一yi個ge合he理li的de時shi間jian表biao？
這裏有一個好方法。拿起一張紙，在上麵寫下你大大的夢想、抱負。然後寫下至少十個特定的、具(ju)體(ti)的(de)能(neng)讓(rang)你(ni)達(da)到(dao)目(mu)標(biao)步(bu)驟(zhou)，越(yue)詳(xiang)細(xi)越(yue)好(hao)。如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)不(bu)能(neng)務(wu)實(shi)的(de)暗(an)處(chu)一(yi)係(xi)列(lie)能(neng)讓(rang)你(ni)從(cong)這(zhe)裏(li)到(dao)達(da)你(ni)目(mu)標(biao)的(de)步(bu)驟(zhou)，這(zhe)就(jiu)表(biao)明(ming)你(ni)需(xu)要(yao)去(qu)重(zhong)新(xin)調(tiao)整(zheng)你(ni)的(de)目(mu)標(biao)或(huo)重(zhong)新(xin)考(kao)慮(lv)你(ni)去(qu)實(shi)現(xian)這(zhe)些(xie)目(mu)標(biao)的(de)方(fang)式(shi)。
5.shuiduoyidian。wozhidaonitingshuoguozhege。woyeshi。buguozhemeinengzuzhiwoweibeiwozhengquedepanduan，wohaishimeiwanaoye，lingzijipilei。chongzudeshuimian，nengrangrenzuochuqingxidejueding--但睡眠也和其他好習慣一樣，需要時間去培養。
我在這裏遇到最大的阻礙，就是拖延症。我喜歡將事情一整天拖著，結果我要熬夜到很晚。那麼，是什麼阻止你去休息？
6.慢慢來。全世界都告訴我們要匆匆忙忙做事情："更快。賺更多錢。更早去退休。"雖然這些東西並不一定是壞事，但是它們讓我們更容易衝昏頭腦。如果你開始感到怠惰，不知所措，那麼就到了放慢腳步的時候了。
這裏是把你從一個星期二十四小時高負荷工作裏麵弄出來的方法：
*每天都在一個安靜的地方花上十分鍾，遠離那些煩人的事。深呼吸。
*將那些緩慢、放鬆的音樂放進同一個播放列表裏。當你感到勞累的時候，就開始聽它們。
*幹淨利落地砍掉你的待辦清單。在你每天必須要做的事情上設定一個限度，然後堅持下去。
*放寬你的期限。你是不是絕對要在這個時候把它完成？不過要記住，這不是拖延的借口。
7.傾聽不同的聲音。要認識到自己陷入了怠惰狀態，這很難。你的好朋友、家人會比你更早的發覺怠惰的跡象。所以，要聽聽他們的意見。下一次你的愛人、父母、或你最好的朋友跟你說你工作得太忙，要認真對待。
8.設(she)定(ding)明(ming)晰(xi)的(de)分(fen)界(jie)線(xian)。當(dang)我(wo)們(men)讓(rang)工(gong)作(zuo)超(chao)出(chu)了(le)其(qi)必(bi)要(yao)的(de)限(xian)度(du)，並(bing)讓(rang)它(ta)滲(shen)透(tou)到(dao)我(wo)們(men)生(sheng)活(huo)中(zhong)的(de)每(mei)一(yi)個(ge)方(fang)麵(mian)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)，怠(dai)惰(duo)就(jiu)會(hui)發(fa)生(sheng)。因(yin)此(ci)要(yao)設(she)立(li)一(yi)個(ge)強(qiang)力(li)的(de)分(fen)界(jie)線(xian)，越(yue)清(qing)晰(xi)越(yue)好(hao)。盡(jin)量(liang)把(ba)它(ta)寫(xie)下(xia)來(lai)。
舉例來說，與其這樣說："我每晚將與家人共處三個小時。",倒不如讓這句話更明了："晚上八點之後，我將不再工作。之後的時間100%是家庭時光。"劃清界限讓你更容易堅持，而且更合理。
一yi旦dan你ni設she立li了le你ni的de分fen界jie線xian，公gong諸zhu於yu眾zhong。讓rang你ni的de家jia人ren知zhi道dao，你ni專zhuan門men為wei他ta們men抽chou出chu了le時shi間jian。他ta們men將jiang為wei你ni的de承cheng諾nuo負fu責ze。讓rang你ni的de顧gu客ke知zhi道dao，你ni在zai一yi定ding的de時shi間jian段duan是shi不bu在zai工gong作zuo的de。這zhe將jiang減jian少shao你ni在zai捏nie造zao分fen界jie線xian的de機ji會hui。
9.當(dang)你(ni)工(gong)作(zuo)時(shi)，專(zhuan)注(zhu)。我(wo)發(fa)現(xian)，專(zhuan)注(zhu)於(yu)工(gong)作(zuo)確(que)實(shi)是(shi)比(bi)讓(rang)自(zi)己(ji)在(zai)工(gong)作(zuo)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)搖(yao)擺(bai)不(bu)定(ding)，更(geng)不(bu)容(rong)易(yi)疲(pi)勞(lao)。當(dang)你(ni)決(jue)定(ding)了(le)工(gong)作(zuo)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)，全(quan)力(li)以(yi)赴(fu)，排(pai)除(chu)那(na)些(xie)讓(rang)你(ni)分(fen)心(xin)的(de)事(shi)物(wu)，全(quan)心(xin)全(quan)意(yi)的(de)去(qu)做(zuo)它(ta)。你(ni)就(jiu)會(hui)發(fa)現(xian)單(dan)純(chun)、犀利的注意力，擁有著神奇的恢複力。
10. 創造出口。如果你是一個興趣愛好廣泛的人（當然，誰不是呢？）,namehenkenengzaimeigeguidingdeshihou，nidouyoujigefeichangbutongdemubiaohexiangfa，zainidenaodailimian，butingdetiaolaitiaoqu。zhexiexiangfaxuyaoyigechukou。ruguoniyizhibaoliuzhetamen，tamenzuizhonghuiganraonidezhuyili，zaochengbubiyaodekunrao，shinibiandedaiduo。
conglingyigejiaodulaikan，worenweiqidongyixiexiaojihuazuoweichuangxinnengliangdechukou，shihenhaode，shenzhifuhejiankang。zhishiyaoquebaoniyizhizaizuozhongyaodeshi，yijibaozhengnaxiexiaojihuadouyouqu。ruguozhexiexiaojihua，kaishibiandeyouyali，lijibatamenkandiao。
11. 知道什麼時候撐下去。這個建議與我上麵所說的相違背，但這個方法很強大--ruguonenggouzhengquedeyunyong。youshihou，yaojiejuedaiduodewenti，jiushiyaoyikaochengxiaqudeliliang。youshihou，daiduokenengshiyigehuanjiao。zaizheyangdelizili，zuihaodefangshijiushibuyaojiangdaiduozuoweiyigejiekou，buyaolihuinigandaodaiduodeshishi，jiushibuduandegongzuoxiaqu。zhegeguocheng，jiuxiangyigepaobuderen，zaitajinglizuichudepilaozhihou，huifulejingli，fanershitadeliliangdedaolezengqiang。
不bu管guan怎zen樣yang，正zheng如ru一yi個ge經jing驗yan豐feng富fu的de運yun動dong員yuan所suo知zhi道dao的de那na樣yang，當dang在zai經jing曆li了le痛tong苦ku之zhi後hou和he在zai開kai始shi回hui複fu的de時shi候hou，你ni需xu要yao特te別bie細xi心xin的de對dui待dai這zhe個ge特te別bie的de建jian議yi。直zhi到dao對dui你ni的de意yi圖tu有you了le敏min銳rui的de認ren知zhi，這zhe個ge方fang法fa才cai能neng讓rang你ni避bi免mian從cong感gan到dao怠dai惰duo的de時shi候hou開kai始shi往wang往wang犯fan下xia的de錯cuo誤wu。
12.永遠不承認戰備。怠惰，與別的阻礙一樣。它可以阻撓你一時，但它不能阻撓你一世--除非你讓它擊敗你。
如果你心裏有一個大大的目標，不要放棄，不管你感到別人多麼冷淡、你自己多麼勞累和灰心。即使我在這裏所談論的每一點都錯了，你也要這麼做：保持你的夢想--即便它此時此刻並沒有那麼美妙。不管怎樣，都要堅持。在那邊，當風暴褪盡，你的夢想仍完美無瑕的時候，再次上路吧！
