Burnout is having a moment right now. And it’s not just one thing.
Oh, how times have changed. From the Regency era, and Bridgerton, to now where things move at lightning speed and nothing really… ends. Today’s email is about grit and burnout, which aren’t always mutually exclusive.
LEADERSHIP
Burnout is having a moment right now. And it’s not just one thing.
For some, it’s workload.
For others, it’s mental.
Sometimes it’s meaning.
And sometimes, it’s the system itself.
Same word.
Very different experiences.
Work used to feel… finishable.
When a meeting ended, it ended.
You had a minute before the next thing started.
If someone needed you, they called your desk (from their tan box phone with a long curly cord)… or sent an email and waited.
You could actually be unreachable… and nobody panicked.
Your to-do list had edges.
When something new came in, something else moved out.
And when you left for the day… you actually left.
Work didn’t follow you into the car, into dinner, into your thoughts at night.
There were real moments of completion.
Got it. Did it. It’s done.
Now?
The work keeps piling on (3 new projects by noon).
The notifications keep coming (email, Teams, Apple Watch).
The finish line keeps moving (upgrades to this and phase two of that).
And eventually, you stop getting the psychological signal that you’re done.
And we need that signal to feel sane.
Because while we can’t control every demand, every system, or every season…
something about how we’re working isn’t giving us that signal anymore.
And I can’t stop thinking about that.
The real ripple effect might be less about “fixing” burnout
and more about understanding how we’re actually experiencing it right now.
So I’m curious.
If you’re leading a team… what does burnout look like for you?
I’m looking to have 5 short conversations with leaders who have a team reporting to them.
Here’s what I’m curious about:
- How burnout shows up for you and your team
- How often you feel it (if at all)
- What advice you give when someone is burnt out
- What you actually do to manage it
If you’re open to sharing your perspective, just hit reply.
LIFE
We are all diamonds.
I went to hear Julia Quinn (yes, Bridgerton Julia Quinn) speak in Des Moines recently, and I keep thinking about something she shared about grit and persistence.
She’s been writing since 1991.
1991.
She wrote the first Bridgerton book in 1998, and it wasn’t released until 2000.
Which is just a really good reminder that what looks like an overnight success is usually anything but.
It’s years of showing up.
Years of working at something.
Years of wondering if it’s going anywhere.
And then one day… it does.
I think a lot of us have moments where we wish we were further along.
Further ahead.
Further something.
But listening to her, it was like… oh.
This is what it actually looks like.
Gritty.
Committed.
A little uncertain at times.
And still choosing to keep going anyway.
And now look at the ripple effect she’s created.
It made me think maybe we’re not behind.
Maybe we’re just in the middle of it.
So if you needed the reminder, I did too.
Keep going.
You really don’t know where it might lead.
Have Good Ripple Effect,
Lisa