By Matt Veradamo, Well Built Construction
At 28 years old, I burned out.
I was recently promoted to Vice President of Preconstruction & Sales at a specialty trade contractor in Baltimore, Maryland. We were doing over $30M in revenue at the time and well-regarded in the industry.
We were growing. I had also just completed my Master’s in Construction Management from Purdue University. My career was accelerating. I was winning multi-million-dollar projects. I was building the precon department. I was getting thousands of engagements writing thought leadership content on LinkedIn. And to top it all off, I had recently got engaged to the love of my life. By most measures, I was crushing it!
But I wasn’t happy. In fact, if I’m honest with myself, I was miserable.
I still remember going to my mentor, John Wheaton, the CEO of an engineering firm called Wheaton & Sprague, and telling him about my situation.
“John”, I said, “I don’t understand why I feel this way. All this good stuff is happening, but I don’t feel good about it. I don’t feel happy.”
Like any good mentor, he asked me some questions to diagnose what was going on:
- Are you getting enough rest?
- Are you prioritizing your free time?
- Are you living your full and complete purpose?
- Are you giving yourself enough credit for your successes?
The answer to every question was “no”. I was working way too hard and not enjoying life nearly enough. And I didn’t know what to do.
But John—as well as many other mentors and loved ones—helped me to see a path away from burnout, which for me, included 3 practices that I still follow to this day:
#1: Embrace the present moment
Earlier this month, I came down with a 24-hour stomach bug. Every few hours, I was filled with anxiety because I had work to do and felt like I was getting behind. Instead of letting that thought win, I kept reminding myself to be in this moment. I couldn’t do anything about the work right now, so what was the point of getting anxious about it? I would get to it when I got to it, but worrying certainly wasn’t going to help get it done.
So, as I reminded myself to just be, I was reminding my body to get some much-needed rest. It worked exceedingly well for me mentally and physically—and spoiler alert—I ended up getting caught up on my work anyway. The anxiety wasn’t necessary! All I needed to do was be in the moment. You can practice this at any time—let the anxiety be your indicator that it’s time to settle into the Present Moment.
#2: Plan rest
Until 2 years ago, I always had a work plan but never had a rest plan. My whole week revolved around work, and I would get rest whenever I was lucky enough to squeeze it in. But John helped me to see that without a plan to get rest, we usually struggle to get enough.
So now, every week, I take Saturday as a full, guilt-free rest day. I don’t let myself do work or worry about work. I just enjoy breakfast with my wife, walking with my dog, and watching the Premier League. Planned rest makes a huge difference towards burnout and being the best version of you!
#3: Measure backwards
Finally, another reason why I felt so burned out a few years ago is because I was rarely giving myself credit for my success. Instead of being proud of what I had accomplished already, I kept looking forward to what I had not yet accomplished. This left me living in a constant state of fear of the future. “I’m not good enough and never will be”.
Lately, I’ve been working on reprogramming my mind and body to recognize that fear of the future is not necessary.
My therapist recently said to me something like, “Preparing for the worst is a defense mechanism that was useful at some point in our lives, but once we’re adults we have better ways to prepare and cope with the future.” That resonated because I know for me personally I’ve spent a ton of time in my life preparing for the worst instead of appreciating the successes of the past.
It’s actually been fascinating—and very satisfying—to realize that I am allowed to measure backwards! I am allowed to be proud of my accomplishments and use that positive feeling to keep driving forward to accomplish more and more. And it’s much easier to stay motivated and accomplish more when you are feeling good about yourself, rather than afraid of the future. Can’t recommend measuring backwards enough.
Overcoming burnout
If you want to accomplish great things, one of your job responsibilities is to show up and be at your best. If you’re not at your best, then your team will struggle to be at their best. So as backwards as it may seem, to be a great worker, you need to rest. And you need to enjoy the moment. And you need to give yourself credit for all the work you’re putting in. Remember: You’re no good to anyone if you’re burned out!
I hope that helps.
About the Author:
Matt, a seasoned VP of Preconstruction & Sales with a Master’s Degree in Construction Management, empowers contracting firms as a Group Director at Well Built. His engaging social media content has fostered a collaborative community of industry leaders driving collective progress.