Why do you burn out? The culprit was you, the one who is 'trying so hard'.
There are companies in the world that grow at an astonishing speed and then suddenly disappear from the market. These are the so-called 'black companies'.
They ignore the limits of their employees and force them to work. 'Increase productivity more,' 'Don't take breaks.' As a result, sales might temporarily increase. However, employees break down physically and mentally one after another, and in the end, the company itself collapses.
The exact same tragedy might be happening right now inside your own 'internal factory'.
Burnout
You decide to 'update your NOTE every day,' cut back on sleep, and make desperate efforts. Then, one day, as if a thread has suddenly snapped, you become unable to do anything. Intense fatigue and apathy. This is 'burnout'.
Why do we drive ourselves to the point of collapse?
The culprit this time is not them
In this series, we have analyzed the causes of our worries as being the outdated standard operating procedures of the 'veteran workers (instincts)' that have been working since ancient times. Perfectionism and running out of ideas were also the results of their work, which was too excellent, performed to protect us.
However, regarding this 'burnout,' I must clearly deny that.
The culprit is not the veteran workers. The culprit is none other than the 'factory manager,' that is, 'ourselves (modern reason)'.
Shocking fact: Ancient workers were 'lazy'
Rather, the veteran workers are the victims. They were originally designed to work at an extremely 'natural rhythm' that is completely different from us in the modern day.
We tend to imagine that 'our ancestors worked desperately from morning till night to survive.' However, that is a misunderstanding.
Cultural anthropologist Marshall Sahlins investigated the lives of hunter-gatherers and revealed a shocking fact. The time they spent working to obtain food was, on average, only about '3 to 5 hours' a day. All the remaining time was spent on rest and leisure.
In the ancient savanna, the concept of 'working long hours at a constant pace every day' did not exist.
What exists is an 'explosive focus (on)' when chasing prey, and a 'complete rest (off)' after the hunt is over.
Our bodies (factories) are optimized for this rhythmic ebb and flow. They were not designed to 'keep trying hard, evenly, every single day'.
Unnatural forced labor in the name of 'diligence'
So, when did we become forced to 'keep trying hard all the time'?
The turning point lies in the 'Agricultural Revolution' that occurred about 10,000 years ago.
Farming is an activity for the 'future'. You sow seeds, water them, weed them, and wait for the harvest. There, 'continuous effort' and 'diligence' became essential. If you rested, the crops would wither, leading to starvation.
At this time, humanity's standard operating procedure was forcibly rewritten from 'natural rhythm' to 'continuous effort'. And modern society has instilled in us the value that 'diligence' is the absolute virtue.
There is a serious mismatch here.
The factory manager (modern work ethic) ordering you to 'try harder' and the worker (ancient instinct) screaming 'let me rest already'. This collision is the true nature of burnout.
The black-hearted factory manager and the final 'safety device'
The 'black-hearted factory manager (us)' who swallows this value system whole ignores the SOS signals sent by the veteran worker. Alerts like 'I'm tired (rest)' or 'I can't focus (turn off)' are dismissed with 'You lack spirit!', and reckless production plans are forced upon the system.
What happens when you go against your instincts and keep the factory running by force of reason?
Ultimately, the veteran worker resorts to the final measure to protect the entire factory. That is 'burnout'.
This is a state where the factory's 'safety device' has been triggered, intentionally 'forcing a stop' on the production line. It is the same as a machine on the verge of breaking down stopping before a fatal failure occurs. It is trying to force you to rest and protect you from ruin.
The culprit is ourselves. And burnout is not a 'failure', but a normal reaction to protect us.
The Role of the Factory Manager: Reforming toward 'White Management'
So, what should 'you', the factory manager, do to break through this situation? Drinking energy drinks and forcing the factory to restart is the worst possible move. It is an act of destroying the safety devices.
What you must do is reform the toxic management policy into a sustainable 'White Management' model. Specifically, this means redefining 'rest' not as a 'cost (laziness)', but as an 'investment (maintenance)' to maximize productivity.
First, let's look at the current standard operations that have turned into a toxic company.
[Old Standard Operations (Toxic Factory): Operating beyond limits and collapsing]
Trigger: The obsession that 'I must do this every day'.
Action: Ignoring the SOS of fatigue and continuing to work with grit and determination.
Reward: A temporary increase in production and the self-satisfaction (illusion) of 'trying hard'.
Result: Forced shutdown of the factory due to the activation of safety devices (burnout).
Next, we will introduce new standard operations to maintain a sustainable production system.
[New Standard Operations (White Factory): Growing sustainably through 'strategic maintenance']
Trigger: When reaching the pre-set 'shutdown criteria' (e.g., concentration is lost, worked for X hours).
New Action: Without guilt, and with courage, systematically stop work and take 'complete rest (maintenance)'.
New Reward: 'High concentration' recovered through rest and the 'conviction' that you can continue to grow in the long term.
Result: Sustainable growth through stable operation.
An 'experiment' to find the optimal 'operating rate'
An excellent factory manager accurately understands the optimal operating rate of the factory. And, before the machines break down, they always ensure time for maintenance. They never aim for a 100% operating rate.
However, the optimal utilization rate and timing for rest vary from person to person. Some people find that 'working for 25 minutes and resting for 5 minutes (the Pomodoro Technique)' works for them, while others find that 'focusing for 90 minutes and resting for 30 minutes' suits them better. Some people may need to 'completely step away from NOTE for one day a week'.
That is precisely why the factory manager needs to run an 'improvement cycle (hypothesis -> experiment -> analysis -> improvement)' to find their own optimal solution.
Experiment (Hypothesis): First, try setting a rule: 'After working for one hour, force yourself to take a 15-minute walk (a complete rest without looking at your smartphone)'.
Analysis: At the end of the day, how did your fatigue change? Were you able to maintain your focus? Did you feel any guilt?
Improvement: If your focus does not recover after a 15-minute rest, extend the rest time or change the content of the rest (such as taking a nap). If you feel strong guilt, add a step to tell yourself, 'This is an investment (maintenance) for the future'.
The important thing is not to view resting as a 'failure' or 'laziness', but to treat it as a 'strategic decision (data)' for the sustainable growth of the factory.
The future brought by new standard operations
Repeating these new standard operations will dramatically change your internal factory.
You will be freed from the obsession that you 'must try hard'. By understanding your limits and taking appropriate rest, you will be able to consistently perform at a high level.
Your factory, reborn from a 'black factory manager' to a 'white factory manager' who cherishes the workers (your own body and mind), will never burn out and will continue to grow steadily in the long term.
[Summary]
The cause of 'burnout' is not instinct, but 'us ourselves' The culprit is not the veteran worker. It is the 'black factory manager (modern reason)' who forces reckless plans that is the cause. Burnout is the activation of a normal 'safety device' to protect the factory.
Our bodies are not designed to work 'diligently' Ancient hunter-gatherers worked only a few hours a day (Sahlins' research). The culture of 'continuing to try hard' since the Agricultural Revolution has destroyed this natural rhythm (focus and rest).
Introduce 'strategic maintenance' and find the optimal utilization rate through 'experimentation' Redefine rest as an 'investment', repeat experiments (improvement cycles), and find your own sustainable pace.