If you’re feeling the effects of overwork, these tips can help you overcome burnout and create a better balance.
Consider Office Hours
When working with borrowers, you are under a lot of pressure to meet with them during their lunch breaks, in the evenings, and on weekends. This schedule is a great level of service to offer, but too many long days can wear you down.
Try limiting your evening meetings to a couple of days a week, and avoid weekend meetings as much as possible. That will allow you to balance excellent service with your own need for downtime when you aren’t thinking about mortgages or answering borrower questions.
Get to the Spa
Yes, getting a massage or a facial is advice often given when you’re trying to level up your self-care regimen. It’s a common suggestion because spa treatments are highly relaxing, and they give you an excuse to turn your phone off for an hour and focus only on yourself. Massage can also relieve aches and pains that lower your productivity.
If you’re not into spa treatments, look at other ways to force yourself off the phone and into a relaxing experience. Visit a local botanical garden and enjoy some time in nature, or go to your local library and find a new book.
Prioritize Exercise
When you’re busy working, it can seem wasteful to spend an hour exercising. But time spent exercising will relieve stress and help your body function properly. Depending on the type of exercise you choose, it could also give your brain time to focus on problems you’ve been trying to solve — or to shut off completely while you learn a new routine.
Put your exercise classes or solo workout time in your calendar, so you are committed to following through.
Plan Some Fun
Even if you don’t feel like you have time to do anything fun right now, plan something exciting for the future. You can do something small, like an outing with friends to a movie. Or you can plan a vacation. The key is to create an experience you can look forward to when you’re feeling overwhelmed and overworked. Keep a visual reminder in your office or work area — or as the lock screen on your phone — so you can remind yourself that good things are on the way.
Respect Your Plate Size
Each of us has a finite capacity for work and other responsibilities. Some people refer to this as plate size. Some people have a smaller capacity, like a saucer. Others have more capacity and can fill a serving platter with tasks and to-dos without feeling any stress. You can typically push yourself past your personal plate size for the short term, but in the long term, it’ll better serve you to understand your capacity and not push yourself past that.
Overall, we recommend you take time for yourself and ensure you aren’t burning yourself out. You’ll be much happier and healthier over time.
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