Jory MacKay on November 08, 2022 The project manager’s guide to dealing with burnout
It’s no longer a question of if you’ll suffer from burnout - but when. Nearly 75% of workers say they’ve experienced burnout during their career (with 40% of those saying they’ve experienced burnout specifically during the pandemic).
But burnout in project management is, in many ways, a paradox.
On the one hand, the speed, demand, and complexity of project work is the perfect breeding ground for burnout. On the other hand, by their very nature, project managers are go-getters that thrive in high-intensity environments.
Yet, while it might seem that the skills that make a great project manager also make us immune to burnout, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
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Left unchecked, burnt-out project managers are 63% more likely to take a sick day and cost their organization 34% of their salary due to losses in productivity.
While there’s no easy answer to solving the epidemic of project manager burnout, there are steps you can take today to protect yourself and your team from the worst of it. In this article, we’ll cover all things project manager burnout, including how to spot it (ideally before it’s too late), deal with it, and bounce back if you need some time to step away.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that occurs from long-term stress at work. It’s most common when you have worked in a physically or emotionally demanding role for a sustained period.
While burnout isn’t new, the level of awareness, diagnosis, and support for burnout has increased exponentially in the past five years.
Since the start of the pandemic:
- Workplace burnout has peaked, with 43% of people from over 100 countries saying they experienced workplace burnout.
- Nearly 70% of all workers feel burnout has worsened during the pandemic.
- Over half of work from home (WFH) employees are working more hours now than they were in the office — with 31% saying they are working “much more” than before the pandemic.
Yet, while the statistics paint a brutal picture of global burnout, rates are still most likely under-reported. That’s because it’s not always easy for individuals to recognize or accept that they’re burnt out.
On the other end of the spectrum, people often downplay depression and other serious mental health issues as “just” burnout.
Unfortunately, there remains a stigma around mental illness that stops people from opening up about what they’re feeling out of fear of being judged or seen as incapable of doing their job.
But trying to “work through” depression doesn’t work. Ultimately, your health needs to come first.
As Dr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association, explains in The New York Times:
“Burnout gets better when you step away from work. When you take vacation time, or a mental health day, you feel at least slightly recharged. But, depression doesn’t go away if you change your circumstances.”
There are resources available if you feel you need extra help.
Burnout, depression, and other mental health issues should never be seen as “part of your job.” If you’re feeling overwhelmed, constantly stressed, and seeing warning signs of serious mental health issues, seek help:
- Ask about workplace programs for mental health. Many companies have under-utilized programs to help with mental health issues.
- Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling — this could be a friend, family member, mentor, someone in your community, or a trusted colleague.
- Seek help from a licensed therapist. Talk to your family doctor and see if you can get a referral. Otherwise, look through qualified online databases such as the APA in the U.S. or the European Association of Psychotherapy.
Burnout, depression, and other mental health issues should never be seen as “part of your job.”
What does burnout look like? 6 symptoms to watch out for
Stress is a part of everyone’s jobs — especially those managing projects or teams of developers. But there’s a boiling point where stress becomes burnout that we all need to be able to recognize.
Those suffering from burnout may experience any number of the following symptoms:
- They’re permanently tired. Burnt out workers are tired. They find it hard to sleep at night and may also start suffering from insomnia.
- They lack energy. Those who are tired lack energy and enthusiasm, making it hard to motivate the team and push forward their projects.
- They experience negative emotions. Burnout can cause people to feel helpless, detached, and sad about general work and life.
- They become cynical about their job, and their company. People experiencing burnout also become overly critical of their job, the company they work for, and the people around them.
- They no longer enjoy work or start feeling a lack of satisfaction. A project manager experiencing burnout will lose enjoyment in their work, not celebrating key milestones and deliveries.
- They lose patience quickly with their team and stakeholders. Those experiencing burnout change the way they interact with the team, oftentimes becoming short-tempered, blunt, and aggressive.
Yet, even when looking at these symptoms, it’s hard to separate burnout from day-to-day stress. It’s a given that project managers will experience stressful days, but there are some fundamental differences between stress and burnout:
| Stress | Burnout |
|---|---|
| Temporary. Stress is situational and can appear and disappear depending on your workload or situation. | Constant. Burnout stays with you at all times, impacting both your personal and work life. |
| Feeling tired. Acute stress is tiring, but you can bounce back by getting proper rest and taking breaks. | Complete exhaustion. People who are burned out are tired and exhausted at all times. |
| Good Sleep. Oftentimes, people who are stressed don’t struggle to sleep and, in fact, feel better after a good night's sleep. | No Sleep. When people approach burnout, it takes over their lives, with reduced sleep and insomnia the first telltale signs. |
| Support. Those who are stressed often look for support from others — whether an empathetic ear or spending time with people who make them happy. | Alienation. As someone approaches burnout, they’ll often alienate themselves from others as they lose energy, desire, and hope. |
| Confidence. While stressed people are pushed out of their comfort zone, they often still perform well and believe they’ll come through it. | Unconfident. One of the most upsetting differences with burnout is that people lose confidence in their ability with waves of self-doubt beginning to set in. |
Burnout causes problems for organizations too. Burnt-out employees, and even employees approaching burnout, are 63% more likely to take a sick day and are 2.6x more likely to seek a new job.
Why project managers and teams are so vulnerable to burnout
Project management is a dynamic profession that’s prone to burnt-out employees. But what makes project team members so vulnerable to burnout?
Here are seven risk areas to consider when thinking about project manager burnout:
- Periods of high-intensity. Projects are cyclical, often with big peaks during testing, go-live, and handover phases. This intensity causes sustained stress, which can lead to burnout.
- Unclear job expectations. Organizations hire project managers because they’re problem solvers who can decode uncertainty. But after a while, that takes its toll on even the most resilient project professional.
- A lack of control over your work. Projects are highly changeable environments, leaving many project managers riding by the seat of their pants. That lack of control is unnerving and unsustainable in the long-term.
- Constantly changing priorities. A lack of control also translates to constant changes. While project managers are good at dealing with change, it can become too much after a while.
- Dealing with team members who are also burnt out. A big factor that’s often overlooked is that as a manager, the people you work with can affect your own energy. If others are struggling with burnout, it can spread across the team.
- Leadership isolation. While most project teams are collaborative places, leadership and management roles can sometimes be isolating. That isolation builds up over time, allowing burnout to creep in.
- Lack of social connection and support. Especially post-pandemic, when work is done remotely, a lack of social connection is damaging. When this damage builds up, it can lead to project managers feeling alienated in their home offices.
How to deal with burnout in project management
Even though project managers are more vulnerable to burnout, it’s not a lost cause. There are several techniques you can try to keep burnout at bay — both for you personally and for your team.
5 ways to prevent individual burnout
For project managers, preventing and avoiding burnout involves taking a step back from your daily work and rooting out the main issues that are causing you sustained stress.
Here are five things you can do for yourself to help deal with burnout:
1. Reset your priorities and stick to them
Burnout is often driven by project managers taking on (or being given) too much work. To overcome this, you need to decide which work is the priority and stick to it. While it’s easier said than done, there are some ways to do this.
How to put this tip into action:
- First, start by doing some prioritization yourself. Assess the tasks, deliverables, and outcomes your project plans to achieve and rank them in order of priority based on their benefits, cost, or effort. Prioritize the high-value items and de-prioritize the low-value.
- If you’re having trouble prioritizing tasks yourself, ask your project sponsor. As the benefit owner, they’ll be able to decide which items take priority over others.
2. Set boundaries on communication
Especially in a remote environment, it’s easy to be ‘always on’ thanks to our phones, computers, and tablets. As a project manager, you have to set communication boundaries to allow you to switch off and relax.
How to put this tip into action:
- First, remove any work-related applications from your personal devices so that people can’t contact you on your own time.
- Next, find ways to work asynchronously, so that you’re in control of when and how you communicate with your team. Tools like Planio help team members track progress and give updates without needing you to be constantly available. Planio includes features like task management, action tracking, document repositories, and checklists to give you the confidence to step back, knowing that work is still being completed effectively.
3. Step back, get context, and adapt your approach
As burnout begins to set in, project managers can lose perspective and believe the world will end if they don’t deliver their project. This is a dangerous state to be in as negativity starts to compound, leading to further isolation, fear, and helplessness.
How to put this tip into action:
- The first thing you need to do is force yourself to step back. That might be for an hour, a half day, or a full day to get some perspective. Go for a walk, get some extra sleep, or spend time with a loved one to take the break you need. Remember this isn’t a one-off activity. You should always try to prioritize your health and wellbeing.
- Next, take time to speak to others in your organization about their projects. Understand what they’re doing, the challenges they’re facing, and the successes they’ve achieved. This will help you realize there’s more going on than just your project and give you some ideas on how to adapt your approach going forward.
4. Find your source of burnout and take back control
If you’re in the early stages of burnout, try to understand and fix the source before it’s too late. If you can address it early, you’ve got a better chance of getting it under control.
How to put this tip into action:
Ask yourself the following questions to identify your source of burnout:
- What’s taking up my time every day?
- What parts of my project are unclear?
- Where are the bottlenecks?
- What’s causing my team frustration?
- Where are the blockers to progression?
Look at your answers and identify the root causes of your stress. Then, decide on measures you can put in place to take back control.
5. Ask for help and support from others
When so many people have faced burnout in their careers, there’s a range of support and advice you can draw on. The more you can speak up and share your experience with burnout, the more support you’ll find.
How to put this tip into action:
- Start by reaching out to someone you trust to discuss how you’re feeling. That could be a family member, friend, or colleague. They may be able to offer some friendly advice and guidance or even offer another perspective on your workload and how to get it under control.
- Then, look for support within your organization. This could be an employee assistance program, employee helpline, or mental health first-aid team. Engage with them to get some formal advice relevant to your organization.
5 ways to help your team deal with burnout
Project managers are people managers. And if you’re dealing with burnout, there’s a good chance that someone on your team is as well.
Here are five ways that you can help support your team and give them a healthier work-life balance:
1. Learn about burnout
As a project leader, take the time to continually learn about the signs, symptoms, and effects of burnout. This will help you spot when team members are approaching burnout and support them in making positive changes.
How to put this tip into action:
- Look for stories of other people in your industry who have dealt with burnout — either online or in your company. Then, dig in further into the science of burnout. There are lots of great resources from the likes of WebMD and VeryWellMind.
- Also, make sure you’re scheduling regular touchpoints with team members to check in on how they’re doing. Even just a conversation about stress can help.
2. Clearly define roles & responsibilities
Project professionals tend to want to get the job done. While they mean well, it can quickly lead to others taking advantage, and dumping work on those willing to help. This is a fast-track road to burnout, and as a manager, you need to keep it under control.
How to put this tip into action:
- Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member, taking extra time to define what they shouldn’t be doing as well. Make sure each team member understands what’s expected of them, so there are no blurred lines.
- Regularly review the amount and type of work each individual is completing. Ask them if they’ve been requested to complete tasks out of their scope so you can reallocate the work accordingly. You can also use resources like Gantt charts in Planio to visually see who’s taking on too much work.
3. Practice workload management
While the primary objective of workload management is to utilize project resources effectively, it’s also there to protect team members from burnout.
How to put this tip into action:
- Take stock of your team’s total capacity — and then add a buffer. Every project manager knows that plans rarely go according to how you think they will. Without a buffer, you’re setting yourself and your team up for stress and burnout.
- Read our in-depth guide on team workload management for busy teams. It offers an actionable 7-step process for how to start better managing your team’s capacity today.
4. More work time, less meetings
It often feels like working from home and too many meetings go hand-in-hand. And for many companies, the lack of visibility that comes from WFH compels leaders to book more face time. But more meetings equals less time to do actual work, leaving project team members working extra hours to catch up.
How to put this tip into action:
- As a project leader, work with your team to define a working style that everyone agrees on (for the most part). Decide how you want to communicate and what sort of discussions and decisions require meetings and which ones don’t. In some cases, you may even want to create a team communication plan.
- Monitor your average weekly meeting time. Check yourself when booking meetings to lead by example, and regularly check in with team members to ensure they’re managing their time effectively.
5. Become a servant leader
Servant leadership is a great way to reduce the burden of everyday working life. Not only does it help share the load evenly between the team, but it creates a strong sense of togetherness and boosts social interactions.
How to put this tip into action:
- Start by truly understanding what it means to be a servant leader and how you can put your team’s needs first.
- Then, start creating forums and touchpoints with your team to understand what they need and how you can help. Prioritize regular communication to ensure your team works harmoniously and the stress levels are controlled.
Both as individuals and leaders, it’s essential to spot the signs and symptoms of burnout so you can tackle it before it’s too late.
How to talk to your team about burnout
Despite the increased awareness around burnout, unfortunately, it’s still a taboo subject in many organizations. Especially in the go-getter project management environment, admitting you need to step back and slow down is hard.
Here are three things you and your teams can regularly do to create a more open, trusting culture to discuss burnout.
- Educate each other. As a project manager reading this article, ensure you share it with others so that everyone knows what burnout is, what causes it, and the effects it can have.
- Be open about stress. Don’t be afraid to discuss when you’re having a hard time or feeling under pressure. While it might seem strange at first, others will feel more comfortable talking about struggles once one person does it.
- Share and support. While it’s important to keep solid roles and responsibilities, encourage team members to support each other on tasks when appropriate. Not only does this help with workload management, but it also creates trust and cohesion across the team.
Prevent and avoid burnout before it takes over
Burnout affects an increasing number of people in the workplace — and project managers in high-intensity environments are at high risk.
Both as individuals and leaders, it’s essential to spot the signs and symptoms of burnout so you can tackle it before it’s too late.
Tools like Planio can help minimize many of the risk factors surrounding burnout. With features for managing tasks, boosting communication, and reporting on performance, project managers are empowered to manage workloads, prioritize the tasks that matter, and build a collaborative team culture that achieves the perfect work-life balance.
Lower stress, higher productivity, and better teamwork. Try Planio free for 30 days!
