I was recently forced to update my laptop—and let’s just say it took much longer than expected. For weeks I’d been dismissing the notifications with a quick click on “remind me later,” always too busy to deal with it. Sound familiar?

When I finally gave in (because I was forced to), the critical software updates felt like an eternity (though in reality it was only about 45 minutes). For the first time in ages, I sat still, doing nothing but watching the minutes slip by. And it made me wonder: do we ever create space for moments like this in our own lives—moments of quiet, where we pause instead of multitasking? Or do we keep postponing the “updates” we need—rest, learning, connection with others, health—until something like burnout forces us to stop?

If you’re a 90’s kid like myself, you might remember the importance of disc defragmentation for a computer machine. The goal of this exercise was to improve the performance and efficiency of traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) by reorganising fragmented data.

If you failed to regularly defragment your hard drive, it would lead to noticeably slower performance, longer load times, and inefficient use of disk space.

Isn’t that what burnout feels like today? When our focus is scattered, our energy fragmented, and our effectiveness suffers? Maybe what we need isn’t just more work (effort), but our own version of defragmentation—pausing, reorganizing, and reclaiming clarity before the system grinds to a halt.

I’ve written before about work‑life balance (see this previous blog post), but even with “balance”, burnout can still sneak up on us if we’re not paying attention. In this blog post, I’ll share what I’ve learned over the years—insights that have helped me protect myself and build resilience—so young professionals can recognize the signs and withstand the test of time.

Disclaimer: I’m not a psychologist, and I don’t claim to have all the answers. What I share here comes from my own experiences with pressure, stress, and heavy workloads, as well as observations of colleagues who have faced burnout themselves. I’ve tried to understand the events that often lead up to burnout—both through personal reflection and research of my own—so that I can shed light on this challenge in a way that feels real and relatable.

1. First, it’s crucial to know what you’re chasing and why—even a rough vision of where you’d like to be in 3–5 years gives you a picture of the future you’re working toward and makes it easier to recognize the sacrifices you’ll need to make along the way.

Without that vision, sacrifices can feel meaningless. For example, working long hours, taking on temporary roles, or pushing through challenges without knowing why can quickly become overwhelming—and that’s when everything starts to feel too much.

Natalie Dawson, co-founder and president of Cardone Ventures, once shared on Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett that human beings are not like candles; we don’t simply burn out. What people often describe as burnout happens when the work they’re doing doesn’t move them toward where they want to go. When the sacrifices being made don’t clearly connect to personal goals or the pursuit of full potential, that’s when exhaustion sets in.

2. In Give and Take, Adam Grant explains how givers can be especially vulnerable to burnout if they’re not careful. He shares a powerful study: a group of callers tasked with raising money for student scholarships spent just five minutes reading stories about how their work helped others. The result was dramatic—one caller jumped from an average of five calls and $100 per shift to nineteen calls and $2,615.

The lesson is clear: burnout isn’t only about how much you give, but whether you see and/or understand the impact of your giving. When effort feels meaningful, it fuels energy and leads to results. When the impact is invisible, the same effort quickly becomes exhausting and hard to sustain.

3. Furthermore, Adam Grant points out that spreading your efforts across different groups and contexts can help protect against burnout. He shares the story of a teacher who was already overwhelmed by her workload at school. Instead of cutting back, she launched a mentoring program that took place after hours.

At first glance, this seems counter-intuitive—most of us assume the solution to burnout is less work. But in this case, the mentoring of certain students provided rapid feedback that validated her effort: one of the mentees transformed into an outspoken young man and that visible impact energized her. The change of context, combined with a positive feedback loop, gave her more motivation rather than less.

The takeaway? Burnout isn’t just about how much you give—it’s about where and how you give of your time and talents. Instead of pouring endlessly into the same team or employer, consider finding another group or setting where your contributions are valued and visible. Sometimes, a fresh context can restore energy you didn’t know you had.

Looking back on 2025, work pushed me harder than ever. The days were long, and I didn’t always have the strength I wanted. Yet I still found time to write and publish content on topics I’m passionate about—and that gave me energy.

It’s a reminder that sometimes giving more of yourself, in a different context, can restore rather than drain you.

4. On that note, psychologists Netta Weinstein and Richard Ryan have demonstrated that giving is energising only when it’s an enjoyable, meaningful choice—not when it’s driven by duty or obligation. For me, writing is exactly that: my own choice, something I love, and a source of energy.

Work is different. My role gives me autonomy, but every now and then, my boss drops something on my plate that feels less like a choice and more like an obligation. That’s part of any job—but the key is to focus on the areas where you do have autonomy, so most of what you give comes from choice rather than compulsion.

5. This probably goes without saying, but you have to look out for yourself. Prioritise your well-being including mental and physical health. I once had a colleague who truly valued his health and it was his number 1 priority. He used to wake up early, train and then go to the office. When I asked how he manages to do that, he explained that it was easy because it’s aligned with his life priorities: health > work > everything else. Even when the afternoon dip hits him at work, he was fine with it because he knew he hadn’t neglected what mattered most. I loved how simple he made it sound and he inspired me to start utilising the lunch time slot for exercise every now and again. I realised that after work I often lacked the energy to train, which led me to skip workouts—even though I genuinely value my health.

6. Last but not least, remember you’re not alone—ask for help. I used to struggle with this, wanting to do everything myself. But I learned the hard way that it isn’t sustainable, especially if you’re aiming to climb the corporate ladder and take on more and more responsibility. Research shows that support from colleagues and those around you is one of the most effective antidotes to burnout.

I want to close with a powerful insight Dan Martell once shared in an interview. He explained that many people feel “overwhelmed” not because of the workload itself, but because they lack a clear reason behind their actions. Stress often arises when you don’t know why you’re doing something or when you have no sense of direction.

He illustrated this with a vivid example:

“If I asked you to walk 42 kilometers without telling you why, you’d probably say, forget it, Dan. But if I told you that walking those 42 kilometers meant delivering medicine to a child in need, you’d run there. The action is the same, but the feeling is completely different.”

Martell’s point is simple yet profound: when your actions are connected to a meaningful purpose, the stress shifts into motivation.

I’ve shared some of the insights that have helped me, but I know each person’s journey looks different. As you think about your own path, I’d love for you to pause and consider: What signs have you noticed in yourself when stress begins to build? And just as importantly, what practices or mindsets have helped you navigate those moments and come out stronger?