As both a manager and someone who trains coaches to help people through burnout, I think your last three suggestions are killer!
Figure out what you’re missing and ask for it. What do you need from your work to feel nourished? Autonomy? Positive feedback? A sense of completion? More social connection? Everyone is different here, and you’ll learn over time what you need. But you have to actually ask for it and make it happen, rather than assuming the mission will eventually reward you.
I’ve never met anyone who has acted on this too soon. If you’re slaying, you might be shocked how much you organisation will be willing to adjust to keep you. That said, every day you perform without adjustments strengthens the argument you don’t need adjustments and every day you don’t perform is evidence they’d be better off hiring someone else. It never gets easier. Schedule a meeting with someone ASAP!
Seek outside help. Find a coach or therapist you can talk to about your relationship to work, to impact, to this whole EA thing. For what it’s worth, I had a therapeutic relationship during my burnout period. It didn’t prevent me from burning out, but it still helped a bit, and if I’d been in less of a cage, maybe it could have prevented the worst.
If you’re looking for something specific, consider doing an “energy audit”. Essentially, track how you feel before and after different work activities. You’ll likely identify that ~20% of your job (sometimes it’s one particular colleague!) is responsible for ~50% of the energy being sucked from your life. In my case, one hour of admin drains me about as much as 6 of any other task. I hired someone to do that hour for me, and now I can work many more hours without tiring. If you’d like to do this with a coach, consider Overcome—the charity I run. It’s free.
Other great options exist, especially if you got cash. The best predictor of how well it’s likely to go is how much you like and respect the coach / therapist after a session or two. It should feel as though it’s really aligned with your goals and preferences. If you’re dreading showing up—move on!
Speak openly about what you’re experiencing. Tell the people around you that you’re struggling. This is harder than it sounds in a community that valorizes sacrifice and grit, but it’s important.
We’ve coached 30+ EA founders. The advice that’s produced the most impact per second is talking openly to their peers about their struggles. Besides being a necessary step to getting support from your friends and peers, the best best placed to support you, it’s a massive public service. Others are in the same place you are now, hiding it because of shame.
If you don’t have peers that you think would be open, you could consider Rethink Wellbeing—they gather a bunch of EAs who want to improve their mental health into groups that support each other. Last I spoke to them, they put a ton of effort into picking who goes into each group so everyone gets their needs met.
For Managers / Founders
One of my biggest ever mistakes as a founder was underestimating how seriously you need to take agreeable staff members dropping hints that they are unhappy. Schedule a meeting with every new hire about what they need to be happy. The framing I’ve found that works best is: “Everyone has selfish reasons to choose a job over others. For me personally, [3-5 unvirtuous ways my job satisfies me]. What about you?”
There’s something about going first that unlocks more candid responses.
As both a manager and someone who trains coaches to help people through burnout, I think your last three suggestions are killer!
I’ve never met anyone who has acted on this too soon. If you’re slaying, you might be shocked how much you organisation will be willing to adjust to keep you. That said, every day you perform without adjustments strengthens the argument you don’t need adjustments and every day you don’t perform is evidence they’d be better off hiring someone else. It never gets easier. Schedule a meeting with someone ASAP!
If you’re looking for something specific, consider doing an “energy audit”. Essentially, track how you feel before and after different work activities. You’ll likely identify that ~20% of your job (sometimes it’s one particular colleague!) is responsible for ~50% of the energy being sucked from your life. In my case, one hour of admin drains me about as much as 6 of any other task. I hired someone to do that hour for me, and now I can work many more hours without tiring. If you’d like to do this with a coach, consider Overcome—the charity I run. It’s free.
Other great options exist, especially if you got cash. The best predictor of how well it’s likely to go is how much you like and respect the coach / therapist after a session or two. It should feel as though it’s really aligned with your goals and preferences. If you’re dreading showing up—move on!
We’ve coached 30+ EA founders. The advice that’s produced the most impact per second is talking openly to their peers about their struggles. Besides being a necessary step to getting support from your friends and peers, the best best placed to support you, it’s a massive public service. Others are in the same place you are now, hiding it because of shame.
If you don’t have peers that you think would be open, you could consider Rethink Wellbeing—they gather a bunch of EAs who want to improve their mental health into groups that support each other. Last I spoke to them, they put a ton of effort into picking who goes into each group so everyone gets their needs met.
For Managers / Founders
One of my biggest ever mistakes as a founder was underestimating how seriously you need to take agreeable staff members dropping hints that they are unhappy. Schedule a meeting with every new hire about what they need to be happy. The framing I’ve found that works best is: “Everyone has selfish reasons to choose a job over others. For me personally, [3-5 unvirtuous ways my job satisfies me]. What about you?”
There’s something about going first that unlocks more candid responses.