I don’t know about you, but I tend to get carried away with work every now and then. It never ends, you always have a deadline approaching, clients getting impatient, and new opportunities that you don’t want to miss out on. It’s a loop and if you don’t make a conscious effort to stop the wheel, it will burn you out.

But.

Taking a yearly vacation to let the steam off won’t do you any good!

I have been taking two weeks off in December for the last few years. I called it taking a break from work and getting ready for the year ahead. But trust me when I say this, the first working day after the vacay was a nightmare. And all I did was count the days until the next break.

I have realized that that’s not how it works. If all I am doing is waiting for leaves, then I am definitely doing it wrong.

Now that I run a startup, burnout is more real than ever. Oh, and the guilt of taking breaks is real too. In the beginning, I didn’t want to take any risks. A day off made me feel that I wasn’t working hard enough.

Over time, I have, kind of, found some ways to stay sane throughout, and not depend on occasional vacations or leaves to charge up. My wife once told me “enjoy the process, Aamir” and I agree that during the first few months, I didn’t enjoy anything, rather stressed myself out.

Some things work out for me now. Sharing them with you.

Make friends at work

No matter how many times they tell you to just do your work and go home, don’t listen to it.

Human beings thrive on relationships, and I have no shame in admitting that I need to be around people. Having friends at work allows you to enjoy yourself, even when work is boring, monotonous, or tiring.

It makes one hell of a difference, trust me. You can vent it out with them, make lunch breaks count, and just have a fun and positive vibe.

And in case you are not getting along well with your co-workers, try switching to a different department or organization. It’s not worth the stress.

Make the weekends count

Not only does traveling truly widen your horizon but it’s much needed to help you rewind. And we all know that affording frequent international trips is not possible in these tough economic times, or ever, to be honest.

But you can save up for a weekend trip. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Maybe just a lazy weekend on the beach with your family or a meetup with friends you haven’t seen in a while, or binge-watching Netflix.

Do anything that you don’t do on the weekdays. It doesn’t have to be big. Just anything that separates weekends from weekdays. This will help set short-term goals to enjoy, instead of that six-months-away-trip.

Disrupt the routine sometimes

I hate waking up in the morning and following the same routine. It’s annoying and makes me feel like a robot.

Having almost the same breakfast, and then following the same stuff until I get to work and back home. The routine kills my motivation to do anything new because I already know how my day will turn out.

For me, disrupting the routine helps. Some days, I just skip the gym or stop on my way to work to grab French toast. I even like dressing up differently just to break monotony to some extent.

You have to try it to know how it literally changes the vibe of the day.

And don’t forget to prioritize your family

I learned it the hard way. I would often important family events for work. I felt obliged to be at work no matter what.

A decade and a few companies later, I realized that it was not worth it. Those days I missed won’t come back nor will ever finish. Achieving a balance is important. Keep reminding yourself that.

Know what’s important when and don’t compromise on that.