How to boost productivity and stay organised without burnout

Hey! It’s your friend Jen, and my mission is to inspire you to do the things that give you energy and passion so that you can grow, wake up excited and fulfilled, contributing your unique talents to make the world a better place. If you’re feeling stuck in your career or life and want to start something of your own—or if you’re running your own business and want to do more, be more, and take it to the next level—MindBean will help you perform at your best.

Let me ask you something: Are you on the edge of burnout or feel as though you’re already burnt out and just surviving? Or maybe you’re not sure? Here are five signs that you’re hitting burnout.

#1 You work all the time, but barely have anything to show for it. You have no idea where your time is actually going.

#2 You find yourself struggling to sit still, concentrate, or make decisions. You may feel disconnected, disengaged, and emotionally distant from those around you. When you have a quiet moment, you feel anxious and end up adding another task just to fill the time.

#3 The minute you wake up, you feel anxious, grab your phone, and start responding to messages, emails, or checking numbers. You start thinking about work and managing the small things—before you know it, you’ve wasted your day on trivial matters. You’ve worked long hours but are too drained to focus on what’s truly important to you.

#4 You keep saying, “I’m so overwhelmed, but things will calm down when…” or “Nobody else can do it, so I just need to get it done!” But things never calm down, and you beat yourself up because you know you’re not working on what you’re supposed to.

#5 The obvious: you feel drained—either physically or emotionally. You have nothing left to give at the end of the day, go to bed exhausted, and know you’ll have to repeat the same routine tomorrow. You may struggle to keep up with daily tasks and feel mentally overwhelmed.

Don’t worry—you’re not alone. In fact, I recently hit burnout, and it wasn’t great. Burnout is something I’ve studied, juggled, and managed over the years. After researching this topic alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, and coaches, I’ve realized that the answer isn’t another planner, app, or life hack. Before we dive into any methods or strategies, we need to truly understand what burnout is.

In this post, I’ll help you understand burnout, how to overcome it, and how to be more productive with the time you have.

By the end, you’ll see there’s still hope, and you can overcome burnout, achieve more, and feel amazing again.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

First things first: If we’re going to tackle burnout, we need to understand what it is. So, what is burnout?

To understand burnout, we need to recognize what’s on the other end of the spectrum: ENERGY.

Those who have followed my work know I emphasize energy as a driving force behind action and success. Energy is closely tied to dopamine—a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, motivation, and reward. Often called the "feel-good" chemical, dopamine is released when we experience pleasure or accomplish tasks. But beyond pleasure, dopamine is crucial for generating energy, motivation, and drive.

So, how do we boost dopamine levels? Among other things, REST. Sleep, meditation, yoga, or Yoga Nidra (non-sleep deep rest or NSDR) all increase dopamine, which in turn, enhances action. Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation that brings you into a deep state of relaxation while remaining conscious. Though we won’t dive into it today, feel free to reach out if you want to learn more.

Rest recharges your energy, allowing you to maintain motivation and drive. Without rest, your productivity and energy levels deplete.

Another essential factor is excitement. When you're doing something that excites you, your energy levels seem endless. You could lose track of time. Excitement also increases dopamine, so it’s important to pursue things that light you up.

Now that we know the opposite of burnout is energy, rest, and excitement, we can understand that increasing dopamine through activities like completing tasks, doing something new, exercising, or mindfulness can prevent burnout.

How many of you feel good after ticking off your "to-do" list or completing an important task? That’s a dopamine hit, and it feels great!

But be cautious—striving for constant productivity without rest can lead to burnout.

Burnout occurs when we try to stay in a high-energy state for too long without rest, depleting our dopamine reserves. When you’re running on empty, your motivation and energy drop, and you’re simply surviving.

Have you ever said, “I have nothing left to give,” or, “I’m running on empty”? That’s because you’ve pushed your dopamine levels too far. Each dopamine hit raises the baseline, leading you to crave more—whether it’s through coffee, stress, tasks, or social media. When you come down from that hit, your baseline drops, leaving you feeling low.

Personally, I’ve struggled with this. Slowing down from my fast-paced schedule—waking up at 4:15 AM, working all day, juggling gym, kids, and everything else—felt terrible. My dopamine baseline was so low after constantly running at full speed that stopping felt unbearable.

Ever notice that you get sick when you finally take a vacation? That’s your body crashing when you stop. It’s the same with dopamine—your baseline drops, making it hard to break the burnout cycle.

The solution? Learn to modulate. When you hit a peak state, back off a little. Transition between rest and high-intensity work so you can sustain your energy long-term. If burnout is severe, take your foot off the gas completely and reset your dopamine levels. It may feel uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.

Let’s simplify this with five steps to overcome burnout:

#1 Gear Down and Get Rest

• Establish a bedtime routine: take a bath, read, listen to green noise.
• Go for a daily walk.
• Wind down with music.
• Meditate or practice yoga.

Learn to listen to your body. If you give 100% in the morning, take a break in the afternoon. Work on less demanding tasks during low-energy periods.

#2 Do the Math and Be Selective with Your Attention

• Track every task for 24 hours.
• Identify time-wasting activities.
• Differentiate high-impact tasks from low-impact ones.
• Be realistic about how long things take and adjust your schedule.

#3 Prioritize High-Impact Tasks

• Focus on tasks that move you toward your goals.
• Start your day with high-functioning tasks, free of distractions.
• Allocate less demanding tasks for later in the day when energy dips.

#4 Change Your Relationship with Time

• Understand that you do have time. It’s about how you choose to use it.
• Shift from thinking you never have enough time to realizing time is elastic and flexible.
• Be mindful of your language and thoughts around time. Change your limiting beliefs.

Burnout can make you feel helpless, but you have the power to change your mindset and relationship with time. You’ve got this!

and start your journey to a more balanced, productive life!