Before Burnout Hits: Planning for Rest in Busy Seasons

Another great summer is flying by. It always happens like this, summer takes FOREVER to arrive in Wyoming. And then it’s here and there are a million things to do. And then there’s that day shortly after the 4th of July, when we wake up to temps in the 30’s or low 40’s and I am reminded that fall is around the corner.

As a manager and leader of people, this time of year always has me on high alert. As glorious as the long days of summer are, they are also exhausting. We were all raised under the ethos of “make hay while the sun shines” and we’ve been hard at it since spring. Most of the people I know have been burning the candle at both ends at work and at home for a while now. If it’s light outside, we’re working or supporting our kids in one of their many activities. After a few weeks or months, it starts to take a toll.

Fatigue and dehydration can lead to some bad decisions which can lead to accidents. We have to remember that we work in an industry that can be dangerous. If we compare the Worker’s Comp Insurance rates for ranching and farming to other industries, we come out closer to logging and mining than accounting. August is the month when I’ve seen some of the worst “preventable” mishaps at work. Whether it’s working around haying equipment, driving overloaded trailers, roping big healthy yearlings in the pasture, or riding green horses, this is a time of year to have your head on a swivel and to be extra alert for things that can hurt you and the people you care about.

While I dislike getting hurt, the worst moments of my professional life have been calling a spouse or parent to notify them that their loved one has been injured at work. There is nothing more humbling than delivering bad news to a young woman with three kids behind her at the door. In those moments when prayer is our only option we realize how fragile our lives really are. Whether it is me that is injured or someone else, it has made me rethink my decisions in the context of my real priorities. Nothing sharpens focus like pain.

Too often the decisions we make that have significant consequences are made in haste. We may say something in an angry moment, cut a corner we know we shouldn’t, or ignore an important warning sign. Sometimes we get to revisit that hasty decision lying on our backs in an ER or eating a meal by ourself. But even if our decision don’t have terrible consequences, we often don’t put ourselves in a position to be our best. We forget about the power of rest.

Rest is where the building happens. It’s true in all areas of our lives. When we are trying to learn something new our mind integrates new information into our long-term memory while we sleep, not while we’re doing the learning. If we’re trying to get physically stronger, we tear down muscle fibers while we exercise and then build back better while we sleep. In either case, if we don’t rest, we don’t reap the benefits of our efforts. In some cases, lack of rest and recovery means our efforts can actually cause harm.

We all know that we should rest our pastures. The reasons and benefits are obvious. The same is true for our bodies and our minds. I think that we should consider rest at different scales. Daily, we need to sleep. Weekly, we need a day off. Annually, we need to take a vacation or two. For our businesses, WOTB is restorative. And just like our bodies, that needs to happen at different frequencies to be effective. We may need a few hours weekly most of the year and a few solid days a few times each year.

It is important to create some warning signs for ourselves. What are the signs that you are tired and about to make bad decisions? What are the things that you should keep track of that keep you out of the ditch even when you are at your busiest? We don’t need to monitor everything, but we can focus on a few things that support us as we try to stay on track. It may be as simple as counting the number of times you’ve had dinner with the family. It may be the cadence of your WOTB meetings. It may be the balance on your line of credit. It may be the time since you last trimmed your horses or cleaned your saddle. Whatever it is, use it as a reminder that time will pass whether or not your are progressing toward your goals.

Take a moment today to plan for rest and restoration. Think about the indicators that you want to monitor that show you if you are on-track. Make a plan of how you will respond if you’re off-track. Write that plan down and share it with your spouse, business partner or a friend. Your future self will thank you.