Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work

by Bill Burnett

Try Stuff GETTING OVER OVERWHELM 1. Overwhelmed (Y/N)? Ask yourself if you feel continually overwhelmed—do you have this problem or was it just one tough week? If yes, continue. If no, go play Frisbee or walk the dog—you deserve it. 2. Burned Out (Y/N)? Check if you’re actually burned out or overwhelmed by reviewing the burnout indicator questions. If you think you are headed for burnout, put the book down and immediately find yourself a therapist specializing in burnout and get good support. If not burned out, continue. 3. Pick Your Flavor of Overwhelm: Hydra, Happy, or Hyper. Review the characteristics of Hydra, Happy, and Hyper-Overwhelm. Decide which description best fits your circumstances and start designing your way out. 4. Hydra and Happy—Implementation a. Less Is More List: Make your Less Is More List of things to drop, delegate, or renegotiate. Notice that implementing this is quite different in Happy versus Hydra Overwhelm, but the goal is the same—something has to go. Make a list. b. The Boss or Colleague Giving Plan: If you’re in Hydra, you’ll have to renegotiate some relief, most likely starting with your boss. Figure out what your top Less Is More items are and the best pitch you can come up with to get your boss on board, then arrange that negotiation meeting. If you’re in Happy, you’ll likely be able to delegate to colleagues (who, if you remembered to pick tasty things to give away, will be easy to find), so plan what to hand off and to whom. Then plan th...