How to Prevent Burnout Without Sacrificing Performance

I went to see Mike D from the Beastie Boys with my wife recently.

It got me thinking about the Beastie Boys’ old producer, Rick Rubin. He’s one of the most successful music producers of all time and has worked with the likes of Adele, Jay-Z, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and some of the biggest artists in music.

What he does better than anyone in the world is remove everything that isn’t essential to the artist. That way, the artist’s own voice and style come through.

I think that’s also the key to preventing burnout in sales. 

What burnout looks like

Burnout is one of the most common problems I see with clients. It’s also something I’ve struggled with myself, and it’s been very painful.

When you’re burnt out, you can’t think clearly. Your immune system breaks down and you get sick (that’s what happens to me when I go too hard). 

You find it difficult to do the things you need to do. Even the smallest tasks can feel heavy. 

You often finish the day with nothing left in the tank for your family and need to check out, often in an unhealthy way. 

This can look like a drink after work, smoking weed, craving sweets, or vegging out on your (instead of hanging out with your family). 

When you’re burnt out, you don’t have the capacity to be fully present because you are run down and your brain feels fried. 

Why it happens

I can only speak from my own experience as to why burnout takes place. 

I naturally have workaholic tendencies, especially when things feel out of control. 

As much as I preach balance and vacations, when I’m working, it can get very intense. Coaching requires my full presence and attention, and I often coach people who are going through a tough time which can be emotionally draining. 

I also speak regularly in front of hundreds of people, and manage a large team and rapidly growing company. 

But the real truth is that I burn out because of my “identity.”

I pride myself as being a “hard worker,” and if I’m not productive during work hours I can feel an underlying sense of shame. When that happens, or when things feel out of control, I go into overdrive and wear myself out.

It feels like I’m still operating in fight-or-flight mode, even though I don’t technically need to work this hard because I’m in a great financial position. 

The root cause of this is a limiting belief: “I’m not worthy if I’m not working hard.”

This belief comes partially from upbringing, and partially from the media. 

Alex Hormozi, Gary Vee, Ed Mylett,  and most successful entrepreneurs on social media say the same thing: hustle, keep working, keep going. 

I have nothing against them, and there’s great business advice out there. But that pace isn’t sustainable.

To truly avoid burning out regularly requires an identity shift, which only happens when the way you’ve been working no longer works. And you get sick and tired of feeling sick and tired! 

The solution: subtract

So what is the solution to continuous high performance without the burnout? 

The answer is simple: do less and take on less.

Most people try to fix burnout by adding new things to help. They tell themselves they need to meditate, breathe, walk, or do nervous system work.

Those things do help, and I practice them regularly. But if you keep the same pattern of work and don’t remove anything, they just become another checklist. You won’t get the peace you wanted from them and they become one more thing to add to your already busy day. 

The best place to start is not by adding more, but by subtracting. Here are three places to start.

1. Clear your mind

When your mind is clear, creativity follows. That’s why the best ideas for problems often come when you’re in the shower, on a walk, talking with a friend, or away from your desk. 

So the continuous best practice is to clear the clutter from your mind. 

Write down everything that’s in your head that’s making you feel overwhelmed. I use the 12 Week Year weekly scorecard for this. Then I put open items on the calendar so I’m not trying to remember everything. At the end of the day, I move things that I didn’t get to into the next day. 

But the biggest move is to take on less work. When something new comes in, I ask:

Do I need to do this?
If yes, do I need to do it now, or can it go on the calendar for later?
If not, can I delegate it or just ignore it altogether?

Be rigorous with protecting your time, and learn to say no more often than you say yes. .

The other way to clear your mind is physical. I do a type of breathwork called SRI. I put my palms together, breathe in slowly through my nose, and exhale through my mouth.  I notice where I’m holding the tension, then release it. I take a few breaths over my heart, then where my ribcage meets, then at my belly button (demo in the video). Box breathing, meditation, prayer, or a walk all work too.

When your mind is clear, that’s where the answers come. God, the universe, divine inspiration, whatever you believe in, can give you the answer for whatever challenge you may be facing. But you can’t receive it if your mind is cluttered or preoccupied. 

2. Fewer inputs

That means the news, sports, email, Slack, texts, notifications, and social media. Every app you open is another dopamine hit, and you’re not letting your nervous system settle when  you’re constantly looking for stimulation. 

When I feel my anxiety or stress building up, I turn my phone off and put it away rather than seeking relief through distraction. 

Every three months, I go on a four-day retreat with my men’s group, and they take our phones away. It’s the best feeling ever. Without all that noise, I feel like myself again.

3. Anything that isn’t core to your job

When you cut what isn’t important, you free up time and space for what is.

This matters right now. A lot of sellers are under quota and trying to catch up, and they’re going into hyperactivity mode. That leads straight to burnout.

As a seller, remove busy work, admin work, customer service, perfectionism, internal training, internal meetings, and ANYTHING that’s not a Revenue Generating Activity (RGA). Remove smaller deals and unqualified deals where you have validated it directly with power. 

It’s called addition by subtraction. Don’t add more. Subtract first, and let the wisdom, insight and ideas come to you. That’s how you perform at a high level without burning out.

I’m still a work in progress, but I’m committed to getting to a place where I can sustain success without all the pressure and suffering in the process. 

All of this is broken down in this week’s training video: https://youtu.be/MXzLLtMZhjA

P.S. If you want a system for focusing only on what matters most, watch my 12 Week Year masterclass here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmtHspsIO9Y