beginning. Personally, I find scheduling helpful when it comes to putting presentations together and writing up reports. Over time I have found that keeping spreadsheets of tasks and documenting the time it takes to complete each one has been very helpful, especially when it comes to my weekly planning. Although scheduling seems like a common-sense strategy for handling your workload, you would be surprised at how very few people implement this approach. One of the main reasons for not doing so is fear. Scheduling requires you to look closely at a project and it highlights the fact that there is going to be a lot of work involved. There are also going to be challenges, and you’ve got to take into consideration the fact that things might not work out the way you had originally planned. The only way to get around this is to acknowledge your fears and take action regardless. There will never come a time when you will wake up and feel confident about a difficult assignment. In fact, until you start working on the project, your anxiety levels will increase. The earlier you get into the habit of doing this, the less stressed you will become in the long run. WHAT IF I’ VE ALREADY REACHED BURNOUT? I can hear you saying, “Okay, these tips you’ve provided are great but I’m already exhausted and the thought of another day of work makes me physically sick.” The only way to recover from burnout is to take some time off to give your body and mind a break. If you had broken your arm or were suffering from bronchitis, you would need to take time off to recover. The same applies to bumout. You might need one week or two of rest. Just make sure you go back to work when you are fully recovered, not when you think you have to. If you are employed, let your employer know; if you are self-employed, let your clients know. Fortunately, work-life balance is important to employers, so in most cases, you will get the sympathy and understanding that you deserve. During the recovery process, spend time reflecting on what you can learn from the experience. Remember, experiencing burnout doesn’t mean that you can’t cope with your job or you are a failure. However, it is a clear indication that you need to change the way you approach your work. When you are willing to evaluate what has gone wrong and what you could have done differently, it will provide a strong foundation for you to make constructive changes. Think back to the time when you began to show signs of burnout and write out a list of the strategies you could implement to prevent it from happening again. For example, was your burnout triggered when your work colleague went on vacation and you