If you overwhelm yourself with difficult decisions and endless tasks, it is inevitable that you will reach burnout. There is more to taking time out to relax than just enjoying yourself—it will allow you to recharge your batteries so you can perform at the highest level. Even members of the Special Forces and Shaolin monks aren’t expected to work or train seven days a week. They understand that too much physical and mental pressure can have a negative effect on their ability to exercise self-control. When you take time out to relax, make sure you do so properly, which means letting go of all thoughts about work. Don’t keep checking your phone to see if a client has responded to any of your messages. Relaxation is about giving yourself a break from the stress and pressures of the outside world. In general, it isn’t the workload that drives people to burnout, it’s the thought process that accompanies the workload. Everything boils down to choice and how you choose to view your experiences. If you don’t enjoy your work and see it as a burden, eventually, you will start feeling the pressure. Alternatively, you can adopt the attitude that, although the task you are working on is demanding and will require that you put a lot of effort into it, in the long run, you will reap the benefits. It is also important to apply self-discipline to your workload, which will help reduce stress levels and highlight any potential problems before they start. Avoid trivial distractions and procrastination or your workload will pile up. Backlogs will force you to do an excessive amount of work in a short time frame, which can cause burnout—this is a form of self-induced stress and you can avoid it by being proactive. Most people are motivated and excited at the start of a project, which is good, but you should also bear in mind that things might not always work out as planned, which is why you need a framework to work from. THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHEDULING At the beginning of any project, take time out to work out a schedule. In this way, you Can come up with a realistic estimate of how much time you will need to put into the project. If you are not sure, ask someone who has more knowledge or experience than you do for advice. If you are still uncertain, assume that the project will take approximately one and a half times longer than you had expected. If you finish early, you can take the extra time you have available to relax or get a head start on the next project. If you do need the extra time, you haven’t lost out on anything because you anticipated it from the