The Burnout Myth: Is It Overwork or a Lack of Purpose?

The Burnout Myth: Is it Overwork or a Lack of Purpose?

You don’t need a vacation. You need a new mission.

Many professionals find themselves dreaming of a sabbatical or retirement, assuming they are simply physically or mentally overworked. However, there is a distinct difference between exhaustion and being intellectually and emotionally misaligned with your role, your team, or your organization.

The Pandemic Paradox

Throughout a 25-year career talking to thousands of people one-on-one, I observed a steady decline in role satisfaction alongside a drop in employee engagement as measured by global polling organizations. Gallup data during the same period showed that while US employee engagement peaked at 36% in early 2020, the subsequent years introduced significant volatility.

Counterintuitively, I found that many people were actually more engaged and happier during the height of the pandemic crisis. It wasn’t only the increased productivity they experienced when they were spared a tedious commute. For example, when IT professionals were on high alert, working around the clock to ensure entire workforces could operate from home in a matter of days, they felt a renewed sense of purpose. They weren't focused on the commute or office distractions; they were experiencing real challenges and meeting the moment. They also reported that their executive management was surprised–and appreciative–of how productivity seemed to hold steady or in fact increase.

The dissatisfaction didn't return until the gradual shift back to business as usual. People weren't burned out from the hard work of the crisis; they were burned out from the return to meaningless work—work where there was and is no point. My take is that people managed themselves and their lives more effectively when they had a lot to do within a structure that allowed them to actually balance life and work. I’ve got a standard rant here, but I’ll spare you for now. Suffice to say that life and work are not separable. It is simply LIFE and how you earn a living should feel like an integral, satisfying, and manageable part of that life.

It’s Not About the Money

Modern corporations, especially larger entities, are often structured in a way that creates a separation between daily tasks and actual impact. For high-level leaders, managers, and domain experts, this can lead to a specific kind of unhealthy psychological disengagement. These are people who are rewarded in line with what the market will pay for their talent and experience and are generally satisfied with their compensation.

When work lacks meaning beyond salary and benefits, it creates a deep internal conflict. Money and benefits are extrinsic motivators, which are only a proxy for what really matters. When work is not enjoyable, satisfying or meaningful, and no one but upper management seems to buy into a larger mission, people are generally not as productive as they might be.

Intrinsic motivation, as the term implies, comes from within. Examples include learning and exploration, mastery and problem solving, and belonging and respect. The more intrinsic motivation that your job provides, the more satisfied you will be. The happiest people find what they do meaningful and that it makes the world–other people’s lives–better.

This isn’t unachievable nirvana. It is all there if you want to do the hard work on yourself.

The Framework of Happiness

Happiness is not an emotion; it is a state. According to Arthur C. Brooks, whose Office Hours podcast I highly recommend, happiness is defined by three interrelated and highly subjective elements: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.

My personal and professional experience is congruent with this idea. Happiness at work means doing something you enjoy that also gives you a sense of satisfaction. For me, that is writing. It isn't always fun—it can be difficult and even frightening to publish—but when I provide insight that helps or clarifies a challenge for someone else, I achieve satisfaction.

Satisfaction has two parts: my own opinion of the work and the opinion of my readers. That leads directly to meaning. If you are mid-career or later, you have the opportunity to achieve both material and emotional rewards, but it takes courage and a willingness to do the intellectual work required to fix the misalignment. Sometimes that will lead to a search for a new role, a new opportunity or a whole new career direction. Sometimes, the adjustments are relatively minor.

I have helped clients on their own journeys from dissatisfaction–sometimes desperation–at work to new opportunities encompassing both personal and professional growth. I know you can do this too IF you are willing to put in the work.

Why not start right now?

Journaling to Find Your Why

The key to a more productive and happier future is taking stock of your current situation. I recommend journalling as a regular practice.

These prompts are designed to help you diagnose whether you are suffering from a lack of rest or a loss of purpose.

A few guidelines before you start. Dedicate a notebook solely to this purpose. Raid the stationary cupboard for a new notebook or if you are like me, you might want to go out and buy something at the stationary store.

This is for no one but yourself. Ideally, you should make a short entry each day. Don’t be tempted to re-read until you’ve got a few weeks under your belt. This is a narrative of your day-to-day life and it will read as a story as time goes on.

Do. Not. Type. Handwriting, no matter how terrible it is at this point in your life, uses different neural pathways in your brain and opens up different ways of communicating.

Here are a few prompts. You don’t need to use these of course. If you want to start simply, sit and recall how your day went. What you did, what you found interesting, what seemed like tedious make-work, meetings that felt productive and those that didn’t, enjoyable interactions and those that were not.

Energy and Purpose

• Energy Leak: List three recurring meetings or tasks that leave you feeling emotionally drained rather than just physically tired.

• The Mission Check: If you were stripped of your salary for one month, which parts of your job would you still feel a moral or intellectual obligation to perform?

• The Talent Gap: Identify one talent you possess that you used during a crisis—like the pandemic—but have stopped using during business as usual.

Applying the Brooks Framework

Definition of happiness as a state comprised of enjoyment satisfaction and meaning from Arthur Brooks. He has invited all of his readers and listeners to become teachers of happiness. I’m in, Dr. Brooks.

• Enjoyment: What is one difficult task you do (like the writing example) that isn't always fun but with which you feel engaged and motivated?

• Satisfaction: Whose opinion of your work, other than your own, matters most to you? Are you currently providing them with insight or help?

• Meaning: How does your daily output specifically contribute to the larger mission of your organization? If you can't see the connection, why is that?