Not something that was on my immediate mind at the time of writing, but I was listening to a podcast which had a segment discussing burnout. During the chat, they give the word a clear definition, but also discuss what causes it in a way that really resonated when I heard it.

Hence I wanted to pen the below statment which I think encapsulates those learnings in a concise fashion

Burnout is giving up, and it's caused by high expectations coupled with low control, where control is one's ability to affect the outcome.

I was definately in the camp of people that defined the word as meaning 'working to much', and hence assumed the cause was typically too much on one's plate. But reflecting now on past situations it's actually bringing a new perspective as to how I understood and attempted to support.

With this new understanding, I've modelled a basic framework below.

From this, it identifies that when faced with burnout there are 2 potential remedies, either you can work to increase control or you work to lower expectations, although ultimately you want to focus on restablishing control to keep restore the sense of challenge and empowerement.

It's simple, sure. And by no means it it a a silver bullet. But this is going to be an interesting tool for me moving forwards.