Burnout and work · worksheet 99
Your energy is like a bank account: some activities spend it and others top it up. When we are exhausted, the account is in the red. Watch where your energy goes for a week.
Before you start
- What it is for: To see what drains and what recharges your energy, and to spread your efforts better.
- A minute each evening for a week, and 10 minutes at the end to take stock.
- Imagine your energy as a budget: some activities spend it and others recharge it. When you are exhausted, the budget is in the red.
- The same activity can drain one person and recharge another: what counts is your experience.
Prefer paper? Download the PDF to print (with a page for psychologists).
What to do with your results
The very negative activities are the ones to reduce or spread out better; the positive ones are those to protect in your schedule even when you are overwhelmed.
If you find it hard
If almost everything drains you, that is a sign of significant exhaustion: talk to a doctor or a psychologist.
For psychologists
The PDF also includes a page for the psychologist: how to run the exercise in session, points to watch and scientific references. You are free to use it with your clients.
For psychologists: aim, audience and duration
Help the person observe, for a week, the activities that consume or restore their energy, so as to rebalance their schedule.
Tiredness, burnout, feeling of never recovering. Duration: 5 min a day for a week.
References
Sonnentag, S. & Fritz, C. (2007). The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 204-221.
Maslach, C. & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111.
These worksheets do not replace therapy. If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe; 3114 in France, free, 24/7).
Free worksheet for non-commercial use: you may share it with credit to the author, without modifying it (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence).
