Are You Burning Out Even Without Doing Long Hours?

Some high-achievers thrive working long hours, while others burn out even with a balanced schedule.

See, it’s not just about how much you work, but whether your work feels purposeful and within your control.

I worked long hours for years and barely blinked. I'd say I actually thrived on the pace, the travel, the challenge.

I was in Prague the first time I suspected that I was crashing. I was running a project there, while half living between Cape Town and Joburg. Looking back, that schedule was nuts.

It took me a few months to let go of the God complex and ask to leave the project (of course someone else could deliver the project, it didn't have to be me). I moved back to Cape Town and sold the house in Joburg. Just over a year later, I was in hospital with glandular fever because my immune system was a mess. 6 months later, my partner passed away and the world tipped off its axis slightly.

Priorities shifted.

That manifested as frustration, exhaustion, and (some more) illness. Textbook burnout, combined with the grieving process.

This wasn't about the hours - I was home, I wasn't traveling, my role wasn't stressful, I had fairly regular hours.

It took me a while to make the connection - that the work I was doing didn't feel purposeful anymore. The motivation wasn't there anymore. Promotions and higher salaries didn't feel worth the cost of my time and health. Making that connection changed the game though.

If you're feeling stuck, exhausted and demotivated, consider the possibility that it's not just the hours. It may be something more fundamental like finding more purpose every day.

It's ok to admit it and ask for help.

Sidebar gratitude shoutout:

I'm incredibly grateful for the support of some amazing Accenture women who were patient with me, and endlessly supportive while I figured it out and found myself again. Christine Tandy Bavini Naidoo Jigyasa Singh Caroli Kolver Dyanne Thomas.

I need to specifically call out Marlize Claasen for being the amazing leader (human being and friend) she is - for making my move back to Cape Town work, for giving me all the time I needed when I was in the heavy grieving process and for putting up with me being difficult for a few years. Marlize, Accenture South Africa was just never the same after you left.

📷 Exhaling - sunrise on a fjord in Lyngen