To be honest, web3 is very much like the early days of the internet. There are so many possibilities that it can be overwhelming and scary. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s also an exciting time for us all!

Burnout can happen at any time and for many reasons, but there are steps we can take to prevent it. Here are some tips on how to prevent burnout as well as some tools while enjoying other areas of your life.

What are the causes of burnout in web3?

Burnout is a real problem in the web3 industry, and it’s not because you’re working hard.

The causes of burnout are the same as in any other industry: too many notifications, too many choices, and poor work/life balance.

If you’ve ever felt like you’r overextended then this article will help!

Disconnecting in a connected world

Attention is a limited resource and it’s important to understand how much you have at any given moment. When you’re working on a project, it’s important to know when the right time is to let go of your attachment and move forward with detachment. To do this, we need to be more aware of our thoughts and feelings. We should be able to distinguish between what we think or feel at present versus what has happened in the past or might happen in the future.

On the day to day, too much attention can also come in the form of notification fatigue. We are “always on”. It seems like every time you turn around there’s another notification. Popping up on your phone or computer screen. Telling you something new has happened: Discord messages, text messages, social media notifications, Telegram calls…you name it!

In order for us to be productive as individuals and as an organization, we need time for reflection. That way, we can process everything that has happened before moving onto tomorrow’s tasks. This allows us to separate ourselves from our emotions and become more objective. Allowing us to make better decisions about where we want to focus our energy towards next.

Three tools for creating balance in your life:

1. Unplugging for one day each week (24/6) — I personally give up screens for one day each week bringing me more time, creativity, and connection. While this may not be easy or for you, it is important to set boundaries.

2. Reflecting on the day (journaling) — reflecting on the day brings us a time to be with our thoughts and feelings. We can look at what we did, how we felt, what worked and what didn’t. This is an important practice for being able to reflect on our experiences and make changes where needed. In this way, we can become more self-aware.

3. Meditation — Meditation is one way to bring balance and attention to the present moment. One such tool is headspace app which provides guided meditation sessions as well as mindfulness exercises and resources.

Work/life balance is really a wheel

Our awareness of the areas of wellness is essential to finding fulfillment in our lives. Think of the wellness as a wheel on a bicycle. Neglecting one wellness area, creates a burden. Weighing you down and throwing you off balance. If left unchecked, it could bring all kinds of problems, whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.

The wellness wheel theory is simple; balance the different areas of your life. Then you’ll start to find that your life will improve. Wellness is a process of expansion, not progress.

One way to place awareness on wellness is by taking a look at the Wellness Wheel. This allows us to examine different areas of our lives. After examination, we can make adjustments and changes. Ultimately, we can improve our lives. We become happier and healthier, which can help us to lead more fulfilling and enjoyable lives.

How to use the wellness wheel

1. Create your own wheel. Taking a look a the image above, what other aspects of life are important to you?

2. Score each area. Rank your level of satisfaction with each area out of 10. 1 means you are struggling and feel unfulfilled in that area. 10 means you’re satisfied with that area and don’t think it needs much improvement. Go with your gut on this one.

3. Assess. What wellness areas that you want to work on. Understand your motivation and potential facilitators or blockers to help drive action.

4. Motivation: Why do you want to work on this aspect? Is your desire rooted in your values, or something else?

5. Facilitators and blockers: What has helped OR stopped you from changing in the past?

6. Set SMART goals. What is it that you want to accomplish? What is a small action that you can take today?

Too many options

Web3 has many options for people who want to drive innovation forward. There are multiple projects, multiple actions and multiple ways of doing things. One of the biggest challenges, in web3 is finding a way to manage all the options available to you. It can be overwhelming, but it can also be rewarding.

By prioritizing, we can focus on what matters most and remove the noise from our lives. Prioritizing is a skill that needs to be developed. This happens over time and is tailored to each individual.

Here are some tips for making the most out of your time in Web3:

1. Know Your Values — It’s important to know what’s important to you, and make decisions based on that. If you want to work on something that aligns with your values, then don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

2. Make a Plan — Prioritization can be hard, especially when you’re working on multiple projects at once. Make sure you know what’s important to you, and prioritize your work accordingly. Planning allows you to work smarter, not harder. It helps you focus your efforts on what matters most and avoid distractions.

3. Prioritize — First, identify the most important tasks on your agenda by importance and urgency, then schedule them into your calendar based on when they need to be completed by and how long each one will take. This will give you an idea of where there may be room for improvement in your workflow or schedule — and what steps can be taken to improve it.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these tips will help you to recognize signs of burnout and prevent them from happening. If you start noticing that something is wrong with your work, take a step back and use these tools. While this is not exhaustive, it is more tools for the toolbelt.