Burnout

Which Zone??

  • The performance zone is when your energy is high and positive. It’s where you want to be when you’re working toward a specific goal. You feel upbeat, engaged, challenged, and optimistic.

  • The survival zone is when your energy is high, but negative. When we feel threatened or devalued, control of our nervous system shifts from the prefrontal cortex to the sympathetic nervous system and we move into fight-or-flight mode. People in this zone are anxious, impatient, irritable, fearful, and self-critical.

  • The burnout zone is when your energy is low and your feelings are negative. People in this zone feel helpless, empty, and exhausted.

  • The renewal zone is when your energy is low but positive. It’s where you can recharge and get back to the performance zone. It feels tranquil, serene, mellow, and peaceful. The key to sustainable high performance and well-being is to move regularly and deliberately between the performance zone and the renewal zone.

"Work/Life Balance"

There has been much discussion recently of “work/life balance” as the pandemic surges and recedes.  The difficulty with the discussions of “work/life balance” is a misunderstanding of the idea.  There is a notion that “balance” implies a tradeoff between work and non-work.  There is an idea that it is an on/off switch – either you are working or you are not.  “Work/life balance” is not the compartmentation of work and the rest of life.  “Work/life balance” is finding what is needed to perform at a high level in work and non-work settings.  It is the essence of finding what will make you a better whole person.  “Work/life balance”  should not be represented by scales.  "Work/life balance" is better represented by the whole person and what fuels them to be a better person.