Is your job as a project manager making you feel angry, frustrated or that you just don’t care anymore? If so, you might be experiencing burnout. Some of the signs and symptoms of burnout include:
- inability to concentrate
- feeling everything is wrong and nothing is working out
- emotional exhaustion
- feeling trapped and/or powerless
- irritability and frustration
It is important to note that burnout is not the same as stress. Stress usually involves “too much”. There are too many pressures or physical and psychological demands. Though burnout can be caused by stress it is about “not enough”. It means feeling empty with no motivation and being beyond the point of caring.
Burnout most often affects the top performers in an organization, such as a project manager. People who strive to be better and achieve success often drive themselves into burnout because they are unable to recognize the signs of stress, adapt their behavior or change their attitudes.
A project manager who is experiencing burnout might shut down or become apathetic. Some might even become self-destructive or strike out at co-workers without thinking. Silly mistakes occur because of the inability to think clearly. Ultimately, the burnout can cause the shirking of responsibility or the tendency to take the path of least resistance.
If you’re a project manager who has noticed burnout symptoms, create a list of of things that are improving and identify areas in need of improvement or attention. Also, identify areas of stagnation because that is most likely the cause of the burnout. Sometimes just identifying the problem can help lead to fixing it.
If you’re still feeling on the verge of burnout you might also try requesting a transfer, asking for new duties or maybe even taking some time off.
Related Posts
- How to deal with PM Insubordination
problems, project management, team
- Reducing Project Team Stress
When the project management team is trying to meet deadlines to successfully complete a project, there is sure to be a certain amount of stress. Managing stress is crucial since it could affect performance and, ultimately, the success of the project. Believe it or not, not all stress is bad. While negative stress can reduce [...]
- Murphy’s Law and Project Management
Almost everyone knows Murphy’s Law, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” In project management it is no different, but as manager you must decide who is in control, you or Murphy. The tips below could help you stop blaming Murphy and actually, with a little patience and planning, make Murphy your friend. A good [...]
- Difference between Project Management and Program Management
There is confusion between the term project management and program management. Although, the words seem similar there are some differences. Project management is the act of creating plans and managing resources in order to accomplish a project. A project is a scheduled undertaking for the purpose of creating a product or service. Program management, on [...]
- Project Management Software
Project Management Software refers specifically to any type of software meant for use on the personal computer that is implemented and or utilized by the project management team and or the project management team leader in the process of maintaining, developing, or fostering the life of a given project. The concept of the project management [...]
Related Posts
- How to deal with PM Insubordination
problems, project management, team
- Reducing Project Team Stress
When the project management team is trying to meet deadlines to successfully complete a project, there is sure to be a certain amount of stress. Managing stress is crucial since it could affect performance and, ultimately, the success of the project. Believe it or not, not all stress is bad. While negative stress can reduce [...]
- Murphy’s Law and Project Management
Almost everyone knows Murphy’s Law, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” In project management it is no different, but as manager you must decide who is in control, you or Murphy. The tips below could help you stop blaming Murphy and actually, with a little patience and planning, make Murphy your friend. A good [...]
- Difference between Project Management and Program Management
There is confusion between the term project management and program management. Although, the words seem similar there are some differences. Project management is the act of creating plans and managing resources in order to accomplish a project. A project is a scheduled undertaking for the purpose of creating a product or service. Program management, on [...]
- Project Management Software
Project Management Software refers specifically to any type of software meant for use on the personal computer that is implemented and or utilized by the project management team and or the project management team leader in the process of maintaining, developing, or fostering the life of a given project. The concept of the project management [...]
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
For project managers I’d point one sign of burnout: if you don’t like to take another big project after the previous one was finally finished. Usually project managers are people who like when thing doesn’t go as they were planned since that’s a bread and butter of project management (especially in software projects). If you start thinking about easy office day with no unplanned issue to resolve it probably time to move on.
{ 1 trackback }