How to Decrease Burnout and Increase Joy

by Bruce Daisley

In an era of always-on devices, it’s difficult to totally disconnect from our jobs outside of work hours. But not doing so can cause long-term stress, burnout, and loss of the joy we find in work.

As a top tech leader, Bruce Daisley has seen up close how an around-the-clock work culture can lead employees to feel perpetually stressed-out, disengaged, and unhappy. In this workshop, Daisley lays out specific strategies to help us break free from the unhealthy work habits that lead to burnout and shows us that protecting our personal time can lead to more inspiration and more joy on the job.

Key takeaways:

Create and acknowledge boundaries: Adopt simple habits or tactics (like taking short breaks and switching off emails on certain nights) to disconnect from work momentarily and reenergize your mind
Be open about burnout: Have honest conversations with managers and teams about the effects of workplace stress and how best to address them
Lighten up with laughter: Laugh and have a good time with colleagues to release stress and feel connected to a larger group
About the mentor: Bruce Daisley is the former European vice president for Twitter and host of the UK’s number one business podcast, Eat Sleep Work Repeat. He is the best-selling author of Eat Sleep Work Repeat: 30 Hacks for Bringing Joy to Your Job, and his writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Wired, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph.

©2020 Bruce Daisley (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Business, Personal Development, Leadership

Audiobook

Published December 28, 2020

Reviews

[Polly Savova · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too basic for me, I need more than do not open your email during the weekend and go for a walk..

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book. While there was nothing 'wrong' with the choice of narrator. The voice in question didn't gel with me. This made it quite hard to finish the book.


The author talks about how worrying it is that people were leaving without having a job to go to and what a clear sign this is of an issue at work. And while I agree to a point, I think it frustrating that the fact that these were highly paid professionals isn't acknowledged. Afterall it is a lot easier to do that when you have savings you can life off.

I also find it worrying that he talks about burnout in the context of people need a break from work. If you are burnout, a break from work like a holiday isn't enough. It takes months or even years to recover from and requires you to completely overall your work life balance.


However the stuff about supportive working environment and weekend emails was very good. This is also the first book I've read on the subject that has said it is the manager or senior management teams job to tackle burnout. All the others have said it is on the employee to build more resilience. So this is a nice change pace.

I also like how the author highlights the importance of how you bring up burnout with individuals. Overall a good read.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of it was basic information and seems obvious but I think we all need reminders to put work aside and focus on life. Ever since I’ve worked from home I’ve struggled with finding balance. Every time I get a free moment I feel like I should be working. I’m now releasing how toxic that was for me and that the expectations I was putting on myself were way to much.

[Kue Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good advice in this short read.

[Lanie J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive, constantly referenced waiting to respond to work emails on the weekends

[Nada | ندى · Rating 3 out of 5]

simple & useful

[Noor Abu Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful quick tips.

[Just Passing Through _x · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10
Would recommend! I’ve listened to this book three times and will listen to it again.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5

Pros:
- Short, can be digested in one sitting.
- It's ideas aren't bad, they just don't go far enough.

Cons:
- Sure, instituting a policy that discourages after-hours emails is perfectly reasonable, but how about providing a social safety (so people don't feel trapped in jobs they hate)?
- How about, instead of encouraging employees to "take their vacations," and, "not skip lunch breaks," how about we tax the rich (and particularly the ultra-wealthy who's accumulated fortunes could end global crises like homelessness and hunger many times over)?

Conclusion:
There is nothing inherently wrong with the ideas included in this work. They feel a little insubstantial in the context of the broader socioeconomic climate of the world (not to mention that the advice seems to apply most directly to white-collar office workers), however. In the end, the work feels a bit like telling a person who's in poverty to just, "save their way to success." How about, instead, we just pay them more?

[moxieBK · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Decrease Burnout and Increase Joy — Bruce Daisy June 7, 2021

I listened to this as I drifted off to sleep and managed to get through it all except the summary at the end.

It was a good, quick audiobook-only book that I downloaded through my Audible Plus membership. (Audible Plus is a steaming-only service, although one can download the books onto tablets and phones.)

I have been enjoying audiobooks (while reading the ebook companions) for most of the year. But audiobooks are a joy when laying in bed before sleep. This one was around 38 minutes, the perfect amount of time to calm down.

In this audiobook, the author discusses the title in quick sketches. I honestly didn’t find a lot of helpful hints (perhaps because I was sleepily lying in bed.) But the European voice calmed me and that made it worthwhile.

Three stars.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick primer on decreasing burnout that focuses on setting work-life boundaries, especially if you are the boss, and using these boundaries for subordinates when you are the boss. The 8 tips are: 1) no E-Mail policy on the weekends, 2) take regular breaks from work and electronic devices, 3) lead by exampe by taking vacations and not working on the weekends, 4) encourage subordinates to take vacations and breaks, 5) make time for subordinates to talk to you, 6) take walking meetings (and phone calls while walking over video calls), 7) list out costs of burnout, and 8) seek out joy.

[Rick Yvanovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 30 minute short audio book from Audible Business

The author shares some ideas he used in his career with big It names such as Twitter.

Some pretty basic/simple ideas that many people may just casually discount as they seem so simple and basic, however, the author clearly made a big difference with such simple changes.

Sometimes simple is good enough and can move e the needle.

and if it's so simple, what's stopping you from trying it ?

[Kam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a teenager working in the service industry, I'm defenetly not the target audience for this book, so a lot of the things discussed I don't have a frame of refrence for. However, I feel that this book was still a meaningful experience and I hope to one day revisit it when I'm older and have more experience in a corporate setting. If you work in management and find that your employees are experiencing burnout, or are a burnt out employee yourself, I recommend giving this a listen.

[Biggest Little Book Talker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good book with different examples of burnout and ways to improve it.
I think this could be a really good read and reminder to unplug from work. I know that when I was working remote I personally struggled with separating work and home.
I also think that this is good book for employees and supervisors as it talks about having good communication and leading by example to help decrease burnout.
At the very lease the book encourages you to be mindful of burnout.

[Katrina Splatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably give it a 3.5. It is basic information and I was really hoping for more. But, it did at least get me to start thinking a little more outside the box and figuring out what exactly it was that I was needing/lacking etc. So, it was more like a short conversation that made me think after, but didn't really give me any actual guidance that was relevant to my situation.

[Nadia Sheikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple tips of don’t email over the weekend, take lunch break, take regular breaks from phone and screen, take vacation, if you are a manager show by example, don’t respond to emails in bed and do things that give you joy and get in flow. Basically nothing new.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Useful tips.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

All good advice

[Louise Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, quick listen (audio book) and certainly relevant during these times of working remotely where the lines between work and home are more blurred

[Austeja St. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic, but advices are good! I loved “laughter with colleagues” - this is human and social, often forgotten in remote work environment and busy agendas. Great reminder.

[Sarah Joynt]

Basically— don’t send emails after work.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit too short and basic, but okay for a starting point

[Kurt Wallinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty self-evident recommendations. It's short enough to make it worthwhile.

[Andi Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t email on the weekends, she reads while working at 11PM.

[Monika M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short "book", very simple suggestions, more suited for managers.
This could be an article in media, and not an audio book..

[Madeline Lundberg]

My light bulb moment while listening to this audible original was, “We generally only laugh with people we trust, so laughter is a powerful signal.”

Wowza.

[Charmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. No email over the weekend.

2. Take short breaks.

3. Go on vacation and relax over the weekend.

4. Do things together that bring laughter. Laughter rejuvenates.

5. Walking meeting of a phone call.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short book. I'm currently experiencing burnout at work. All the author's points are true in my opinion.

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combat teams stating they laugh together… BS!

Leave noisily. How absurd