Project Burnout

Denise Middlebrook, PhD

This is year three of the BH2I project and I must ask you, are any of you feeling burned out? Are any of you feeling like your project has stalled or has become weirdly quiet and routine? Maybe YOU feel like you are personally stalled in your role as project lead? Are you feeling less enthusiastic or energized right now? These are states of mind that any of us can have at any point in time but recently, I have heard from several of you that you are feeling these feelings and that it is unsettling for you at best and at worst, causing you anxiety and feelings of burnout. So, for this newsletter, I decided that we should “talk” about it. These kinds of feelings are not unusual, especially at the midpoint of a project like BH2I.

Let’s first acknowledge that being a project manager can be and is stressful. It is often a daily exercise in psyching oneself up to face the day’s challenges and we can get so dependent on that state of mind that when things kind of slow down, we don’t know what to do with ourselves, or we feel like we are not doing something we should be doing, or that balls are being dropped somewhere but we aren’t sure where. The daily shot of adrenaline that keeps us going when we need it is great, but when a natural slow down in a project occurs, we don’t know what to do and where to put our energies next. We can spend a lot of time worrying about what we are not doing or what we should be doing. Inevitably, all these stressful states of mind can lead to a general sense of exhaustion and actual productivity can go down and those “balls in the air” can hit the ground.

Managing a project like BH2I can be very tough. Most project leads are not the ultimate “deciders” for a project. Most of you are dependent on the buy-in of clinic leadership above your pay grade. That contributes to feelings of frustration from time-to-time. Additionally, you are required to deal with uncertainty. You are juggling and detangling competing priorities. You are responsible for providing clarity and direction to your team members and everyone else in the chain of “who needs to know.”

Being a project manager means being a leader of people, a motivator of teams, a voice of reason, and calm in times of chaos. Being a project manager is influencing people by balancing vulnerability and assertiveness. And always delivering results—results for IHS, results for Sister Sky, results for tribal leadership and/or clinic leadership. One milestone after another. And all this can lead to burnout. Whew!

Let’s acknowledge that every one of you are in the “Helping Professions” and people in helping professions tend to be at a higher risk of burnout, and yes, you are, directly or indirectly in helping professions, Your roles are challenging because to be successful, you need to show leadership, emotional intelligence, empathy, and other “soft skills” that are essential to good project management. They are hard to quantify, but they are critical. When your battery is low, it is hard to autopilot through your day-to-day work life.

Burnout and Project Managers

So, let’s look at the issue of burnout and your roles as project managers. It can be hard to separate burnout from day-to-day stress. It’s a given that project managers will experience stressful days. That is unavoidable, but project burnout is a threat to project managers, team members, and the project overall and we must take steps to address it.

So, why are project managers and teams so vulnerable to burnout?

Here are seven risk areas to consider when thinking about project management and staff burnout:

Periods of high-intensity.
Projects are cyclical, often with big peaks during the go-live, and handover phases. This intensity causes sustained stress, which can lead to burnout.
Unclear job expectations.
Organizations hire project managers because they’re problem solvers who can decode uncertainty. But after a while, that takes its toll on even the most resilient project professional.
A lack of control over your work.
Projects are highly changeable environments, leaving many project managers riding by the seat of their pants. That lack of control is unnerving and unsustainable in the long-term.
Constantly changing priorities and “scope creep.”
A lack of control also translates to constant changes. While project managers are good at dealing with change, it can become too much after a while.
Dealing with team members who are also burnt out.
A key factor that’s often overlooked is that as a manager, the people you work with can affect your own energy. If others are struggling with burnout, then it can spread across the team.
Leadership isolation.
While most project teams are collaborative places, leadership and management roles can sometimes be isolated. That isolation builds up over time, allowing burnout to creep in.
Lack of social connection and support.
Lack of social connection is damaging. When this damage builds up, it can lead to project managers feeling alienated.
Even though project managers are more vulnerable to burnout, it’s not a lost cause. Burnout is not inevitable. Read on for more information about burnout.

Dealing with Burnout

Several techniques are available that you can try to keep burnout at bay — both for you personally and for your team. Five things you can do for yourself to help deal with burnout.

Reset your priorities and stick to them.
Burnout is often driven by project managers taking on (or being given) too much work. To overcome this, you need to decide which work is the priority and stick to it. While it’s easier said than done, some ways to do this do exist.
How to put this tip into action.
- First, start by doing some prioritization yourself. Assess the tasks, deliverables, and outcomes your project plans to achieve and rank them in order of priority based on their benefits, cost, or effort. Prioritize the high-value items and de-prioritize the low-value.
- If you’re having trouble prioritizing tasks yourself, ask your supervisors and always reach out to us at SSI. We may be able to help you decide which items take priority over others.
Set boundaries on communication.
Today, it is easy to be ‘always on’ thanks to our phones, computers, and tablets. As a project manager, you must set communication boundaries to allow you to switch off and relax.
Step back, get context, and adapt your approach.
As burnout begins to set in, project managers can lose perspective and believe the world will end if they don’t deliver their project. This is a dangerous state to be in as negativity starts to compound, leading to further isolation, fear, and helplessness.
How to put this tip into action.
- The first thing you need to do is force yourself to step back. That might be for an hour, a half day, or a full day to get some perspective. Go for a walk, get some extra sleep, or spend time with a loved one to take the break you need. Remember this isn’t a one-off activity. You should always try to prioritize your health and wellbeing.
- Next, take time to speak to others in your organization about their projects. Understand what they’re doing, the challenges they’re facing, and the successes they’ve achieved. This will help you realize there’s more going on than just your project and give you some ideas on how to adapt your approach going forward.
Find your source of burnout and take back control.
If you’re in the initial stages of burnout, try to understand and fix the source before it’s too late. If you can address it early, you’ve got a better chance of getting it under control.
How to put this tip into action:
- Ask yourself the following questions to identify your source of burnout.
  - What’s taking up my time every day?
  - What parts of my project are unclear?
  - Where are the bottlenecks?
  - What’s causing my team frustration?
  - Where are the blockers to progression?
- Look at your answers and identify the root causes of your stress. Then, decide on measures you can put in place to take back control.
When so many people have faced burnout in their careers, you can draw upon a range of support and advice you can. The more you can speak up and share your experience with burnout, the more support you’ll find.
How to put this tip into action.
- Start by reaching out to someone you trust to discuss how you’re feeling. That could be a family member, friend, or colleague. They may be able to offer some friendly advice and guidance or even offer another perspective on your workload and how to get it under control.
- Then, look for support within your organization. This could be an employee assistance program, employee helpline, or mental health first-aid team. Engage with them to get some formal advice relevant to your organization.

Project managers are people managers. And if you’re dealing with burnout, there’s a good chance that someone on your team is as well.
Here are five ways that you can help support your team and give them a healthier work-life balance:

Learn about burnout.
As a project leader, take the time to continually learn about the signs, symptoms, and effects of burnout. This will help you spot when team members are approaching burnout and support them in making positive changes.
How to put this tip into action:
- Look for stories of other people in your industry who have dealt with burnout — either online or in your company. Then, dig in further into the science of burnout. Lots of great resources are available from the likes of WebMD and VeryWellMind.
- Also, make sure you’re scheduling regular touchpoints with team members to check in on how they’re doing. Even just a conversation about stress can help.
Clearly define roles & responsibilities
Project professionals tend to want to get the job done. While they mean well, it can quickly lead to others taking advantage and dumping work on those willing to help. This is a fast-track road to burnout, and as a manager, you need to keep it under control.
How to put this tip into action.
- Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member, taking extra time to define what they shouldn’t be doing as well. Make sure each team member understands what’s expected of them, so there are no blurred lines.
- Regularly review the amount and type of work everyone is completing. Ask them if they’ve been requested to complete tasks out of their scope so you can reallocate the work accordingly.
- Keep a timeline or schedule of when certain tasks or deliverables need to be completed. Review the timeline each week with your team and identify areas of concern. Build in flex time to give the team some leeway on completing the task or deliverable.
Practice workload management.
While the primary objective of workload management is to utilize project resources effectively, it’s also there to protect team members from burnout.
How to put this tip into action.
- Take stock of your team’s total capacity — and then add a buffer. Every project manager knows that plans rarely go according to how you think they will. Without a buffer, you’re setting yourself and your team up for stress and burnout.
More work time, less meetings
In BH2I, team meetings are an essential part of your success, but more meetings mean less time to do actual work, leaving project team members working extra hours to catch up.
How to put this tip into action.
- As a project leader, work with your team to define a working style that everyone agrees on (for the most part). Decide how you want to communicate and what sort of discussions and decisions require meetings and which ones don’t. You should have created a team communications plan for your BH2I project. Consider a quarterly check-in to ensure that the team communication plan is up to date.
- Monitor your average weekly meeting time. Check yourself when booking meetings to lead by example, and regularly check in with team members to ensure they’re managing their time effectively.
Become a servant leader.
Servant leadership is a wonderful way to reduce the burden of everyday working life. Not only does it help share the load evenly between the team, but it creates a keen sense of togetherness and boosts social interactions. Excel at project management and be loved by your teammates.
How to put this tip into action.
- Start by understanding what it means to be a servant leader and how you can put your team’s needs first.
- Then, start creating forums and touchpoints with your team to understand what they need and how you can help. Prioritize regular communication to ensure your team works harmoniously and control stress levels.

Talk to your team about burnout.

Despite the increased awareness around burnout, unfortunately, it’s still a taboo subject in many organizations. Especially in the “go-getter” project management environment, admitting you need to step back, and slowdown is hard.
Here are three things you and your teams can regularly do to create a more open, trusting culture to discuss burnout.

Educate each other. As a project manager reading this article, ensure you share it with others so that everyone knows what burnout is, what causes it, and the effects it can have.
Be open about stress. Don’t be afraid to discuss when you’re having a tough time or feeling under pressure. While it might seem strange at first, others will feel more comfortable talking about struggles once one person does it.
Share and support. While it’s important to keep solid roles and responsibilities, encourage team members to support each other on tasks when appropriate. Not only does this help with workload management, but it also creates trust and cohesion across the team.

Prevent and avoid burnout before it takes over. Burnout affects an increasing number of people in the workplace — and project managers in high-intensity environments are at considerable risk. Both as individuals and leaders, it’s essential to spot the signs and symptoms of burnout so you can tackle it before it’s too late.

Resources:

https://resourceguruapp.com/blog/project-management/team-burnout
https://survey.healthywork.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw7v8u7nAiAMV787CBB0f0QL2EAAYAiAAEgIdhfD_BwE
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/project-managers-stress-crisis-discover-grbaf/