Managing Burnout: Using the Break to Reset How We Work

Managing Burnout:
Using the Break to Reset How We Work

In 2020, I participated in The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition during the height of the pandemic lockdown in Singapore. Twelve episodes were filmed over two months, averaging one to two episodes each week. Each episode followed a fixed structure: a physical challenge in the morning, then a business task in the afternoon. We were briefed on the challenge on the same day, and after lunch, we received a dossier outlining the task.

From that point, we had about three days to move from concept to boardroom presentation. There was no lead time and no opportunity to prepare in advance. The cycle repeated, with one task ending and the next starting almost immediately. The pace required long hours. Eighteen-hour days were common, and some stretched to twenty-two. Everyone was working hard. The strain came from operating without recovery, structure, or clarity beyond the immediate task. Team dynamics added another layer, as you constantly adjusted to new teammates, different working styles, and shifting levels of trust under pressure.

That environment led to burnout within a short period, especially for those who advanced deeper into the competition. Burnout is not simply fatigue. The World Health Organization defines it as an occupational phenomenon marked by exhaustion, increased mental distance from work, and reduced professional effectiveness (World Health Organization, 2019). In practice, it showed up in clear ways. Patience wore thin. Focus slipped during meetings. Mistakes increased, even on routine work. Simple tasks started taking longer than they should. The show compressed what many professionals experience over time.

In most organizations, the pressure is less visible but more sustained. People deal with competing priorities, unclear expectations, and little time to reset. When direction is unclear, everything feels urgent. Priorities blur, and effort becomes fragmented. Without structure, decisions pile up and fatigue builds. Output drops even if effort remains high. This is often made worse by office politics, where decisions stall, accountability is unclear, and work shifts based on interests rather than priorities. Time and energy are spent managing people instead of getting work done.

In entrepreneurship, the pattern shows up differently. The line between personal life and work becomes blurred. Problems come up without warning. Cash runs tight. Plans change. You adjust as you go. The situation is different, but the effect is the same. Without clear direction, effort becomes reactive, focused on whatever is in front of you instead of what should come first. Burnout may not always be about workload. It may also come from misalignment. Effort is there, but misdirected.

Managing burnout requires more than rest. It requires clarity and control. Most of the problem is not the workload. It is how time and attention are managed. Too many tasks compete for focus. The day is driven by reaction instead of deliberate action. The upcoming Holy Week break is an opportunity to step back and reset how you work, not just recover from it. Keep it simple and practical:

1. Resolve decisions that have been left open. Identify items you keep revisiting without progress. These are decisions that were not completed. Clarify the next step, assign ownership, or close them. Leaving them open creates unnecessary mental load.

2. Pause before responding to new requests. Not every message or request requires an immediate reply. Take time to assess the context and your current priorities before you respond. A short pause helps you avoid taking on work that does not need your attention.

3. Leave capacity in your day. Avoid filling your schedule completely. Keep room to handle changes, urgent work, and unexpected issues without disrupting your priorities. A full schedule removes your ability to adjust.

Work and life are not separate systems. They are integrated. The goal is not balance but control over time and energy so both can be sustained (Clark, 2000; Ashforth et al., 2000).

Most of us are not performing under cameras and lights, but we are still under pressure. We answer to colleagues, clients, and stakeholders every day. The scrutiny is quieter, but constant. Use this long weekend to reset how you work. The workload will still be there, but you decide what stays and what goes. The difference is whether we use it deliberately or fall back into the same habits.