How I Entirely Changed My Approach to Work (While Building a Successful Consulting Practice)
This month’s blog post is a little more personal. Something different in hopes that it inspires you to see the possibility for change in your own career.
As you may know, I burnt out in 2021. Badly. I quit my job and was in the middle of a creative sabbatical when years of overwork hit me at once and I collided with what felt like a brick wall. Crying on my blue velvet couch unable to function. I called my sister, I left the city, and I spent the next few months healing and learning all about burnout and how to avoid ever having that feeling again.
But, in a strange way, burning out was the best thing to ever happen to me and my career. It changed everything. I was a type A perfectionist who had been working non-stop since age 14. Burning out forced me to slow down and reflect on why. Exploring the causes and understanding some of the science around burning out shifted my perspective. We also happened to be in the middle of a pandemic where so many of us were questioning traditional approaches to work and life.
Despite my burnout I was still a bit of an ambitious overachiever (change takes time 😅). Which meant I was learning about burnout, changing my habits, and also building a brand and storytelling consulting business. One I still run today on top of what I do as a co-founder of Re-Work. And I’m able to do both because I built my business with a goal to do meaningful work that wouldn’t deplete me or ever leave me on a couch overwhelmed and crying again. My work life is set up entirely around helping me avoid burnout. And that’s what I want to share with you. Ten things I did to build that business and my new approach to working in the process.
How I Entirely Changed My Approach to Work (While building a successful consulting practice)
First I got clear. About what I wanted and needed. I decided I never wanted to burn out again. I’m lucky enough to love the work I do and don’t want to ever not be able to do it–if I wanted to keep doing work I loved I needed to change my approach.
I intentionally rested and played. All the science showed that these two were key to healing and moving forward. Dive into the Re-Work Equation workbook to understand more about this. To do it, I stopped working Fridays and stopped doing meetings on Mondays while I was healing. Three years out of burnout and I still avoid Monday and Friday meetings.
I unlearned a lot of toxic cultural beliefs around work. Most importantly, I let go of the idea that my job, title, or salary defined my worth or success for me (this is HARD and ongoing)
I was kind to myself. Leaning into self-compassion, kindness, and acceptance is essential if you want to truly re-evaluate your approach to work because the effort is countercultural in so many ways.
I re-defined hard work and success on my own terms. I let go of the traditional idea of what hard work looked and felt like—I was no longer willing to sacrifice my wellbeing for a pay cheque or by overworking. I don’t work hard anymore, I work well.
I made practical shifts. I set up my work week to honour my natural rhythms—shoutout to Marie Forleo and her Time Genius program, which launched at the end of my period of healing and allowed me to really think through how I wanted to move forward (I’m a mentor in the program).
I integrated new habits into my work days. I had learned the ways in which integrated rest made me better and play made me more creative and made them a part of my work life and life life permanently.
I got clear again. On the type of work I wanted to do, with who, and why. Career clarity is a super power I still try to help people achieve it in my consulting practice because I know firsthand how valuable it is.
I was honest about my limits with myself, my colleagues, and my clients. Which meant if I didn’t have capacity, I said so. I refused to buy into the false urgency and scarcity of my industry and set boundaries so that I could do great work without sacrificing my wellbeing. While I now have more capacity than I did post burnout, I am still boundaried and connected to my limits.
I stayed open and curious. I tried different approaches and kept what worked and let go of what didn’t. And I continue to check in and make changes as needed because as the demands of my work life shift, so too do my approach to maintaining a sense of grounded wellbeing.
Getting to where I am today (grounded, healthy, and joyful in work) wasn’t easy but it was worth it. I hope my story (and list) helps you. And if you need a bit more help you might want to join our next in-person workshop, New Visions, which is an opportunity to spend a day crafting your own unique approach to building the career of your dreams within your unique context. Because my 10 steps will get you started, but devising your own approach with a supportive community will keep you going. Reach out any time if you have questions or need support as you continue on your own Re-Work journey. If you’re in Toronto June 15th be sure to join us at New Visions.