In the past couple of years, burnout has commanded a lot of our collective attention, because so many have suffered from its symptoms: overwhelm, exhaustion, cynicism, and a kind of helplessness.
Burnout is real. But itâs not universal. While many arenât quite at the point of burnout, theyâre clearly not thriving. Theyâre feeling more of a sense of âmeh.â
This gray, bland middle place thatâs starting to feel familiar to many of us is what organizational psychologist Adam Grant calls âlanguishing.â Itâs not depression or burnout, and itâs definitely not thriving or flourishing⦠itâs the place in between. This USA Today piece describes it as âfeeling a lack of focus and a general purgatory between mental wellness and illness.â
Does this sound familiar? If so, the good news is that Grant offers a clear and simple antidote to this feeling in a recent TED talk. So letâs break down his three-part framework and talk about how you might apply this at work to get a boost.
Overcoming languishing is about finding flow. And we do this by pulling three levers: mastery, mindfulness, and mattering. Letâs touch on each and consider what it might look like in practice.
Mastery
Mastery is the idea of achieving something that feels meaningful to you. Itâs not crossing something off your to-do list or delivering something your boss or client needs. Those are importantâbut theyâre not mastery.
Mastery leaves you feeling good at something; accomplished. Even if that thing youâve mastered is tiny.
A couple of things Iâve been striving to master in recent months include:
⢠Reading non-fiction that challenges me to explore new ideas about the workplace
⢠Doing outreach to people I havenât met personally (yikes!)
⢠Experimenting with new ways to facilitate workshops and programs virtually
These are all things I want to feel more skilled in doing, not because I should but because Iâm hungry for the growth.
So, whereâs your personal opportunity for mastery at work?
Learn a skill or program
What have you always dreamed of doing and doing well? Public speaking? Building marketing campaigns? Head down a rabbit hole. Can you spend 30 minutes a day (or 10 if thatâs all you can spare) watching videos or taking LinkedIn Learning courses?
Impress someone you want to connect with
Is there someone you aspire to make a connection with? Start building a list of talking points youâd like to share or questions youâd like to ask. Do this until youâre impressed with the conversation you envision, and then invite them to coffee.
Build a portfolio
What do you want to be known for? Do you aspire to be the go-to writer or financial modeler or marketer? Start curating some work samples and craft a portfolio youâll be excited to share.
The goal is that by spending some time each day creating momentum for yourself, youâre having an experience of moving, achieving, and developing.
Mindfulness
Mastery is about doing the thing. Mindfulness is about doing it completely, wholeheartedly, and without distraction.
Friend, this is where the art of boundary-setting becomes the craft you need to perfect. Creating the time and space for yourself to begin mastering the thing is critical.
My calendar is blocked off every day until 10 a.m. If an emergency arises, clients know how to reach me. But as a matter of course, nothing is scheduled first thing in my morning. This is when I exercise, journal, and commit to mastery. Iâve carved out the time and space to make it happen.
Here are some strategies you might deploy to do the same.
Put time on your calendar
Mindfulness begins with commitment. Whether your mastery plan involves watching videos, taking online courses, journaling ideas, or reviewing past projects, youâll need time to do it! So put it on your calendar and protect it like a mama bear protects her cubs. Will emergencies arise from time to time? Sure. But let those be the exception. You make the rule here.
Create space
Let your boss/partner/client/kids know when youâll be unavailable. Put on an out-of-office responder for 30 minutes. Clear off your desk. Grab your headphones, a fancy set of pens, a killer snackâwhatever will enable you to fully engage in the task at hand. Youâve cleared the time. Donât squander it with clutter or distraction.
Phone a friend
Let someone close to you know what youâre striving for. And invite them to be your accountability buddy. Promise to text them to confirm you did what you said youâd do. Call them for help or advice when something or someone threatens your focus. There is no shame in asking for help here!
Donât apologize
Just donât. This is not selfish time. This is meaning-making time. You will never bring your best selfâyour best energy, creativity, motivationâto work when youâre languishing. So do not apologize for taking this time to improve you. Your company will benefit from your commitment to mindful mastery.
Mattering
Mattering, well, it matters. A lot. Because if you canât attach your mastery and mindfulness to a âwhyââa sense of purposeâthen youâll struggle to commit, to set boundaries, and to fall into that state of flow.
For me, Iâm not just reading non-fiction to expand my knowledge base, but rather to be able to provide leaders and their teams with a broader range of tools and strategies that allow them to achieve success without burning out. Iâm mastering something grounded in purpose. Iâm finding meaning in the mastery.
So, what really matters to you?
How will learning that new program allow you to better serve your clients? How will building your portfolio position you to someday step into a leadership role, teaching and mentoring other young talent?
Getting clear on why something matters to you will help you commit. It will motivate your mastery and help you protect your mindfulness.
Give these ideas a go. And check in with yourself. I suspectâand I hopeâyour feeling of languishing begins to slowly morph into a gentle experience of flow and flourishing.