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Creativity, generosity and how to avoid burnout

Have you noticed people that are talented, are sought after a lot and those close to them like to tap into their energy and creativity?
People that are giving always, would face burnout after a while and feel the need to scale back.

Here are interesting articles touching upon that situation:

Beat Generosity Burnout
Selflessness at work leads to exhaustion — and often hurts the very people you want to help. Here’s how to share your time and expertise more effectively.


Here are few pointers from the above article, which I really love:

"Experts share knowledge.
Coaches teach skills.
Mentors give advice and guidance.
Connectors make introductions.
Extra-milers show up early, stay late, and volunteer for extra work.
Helpers provide hands-on task support and emotional support.

Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Cast your eyes over this list and think about what makes sense for you. Identify two or three ways of offering unique value to others — things you do well and enjoy."

And it's great reminder for those who are always asked to help, it's best to take a step back and evaluate each request. Here is a list to read often and take note of:


"7 Habits of Highly Productive Giving

Prioritize the help requests that come your way — say yes when it matters most and no when you need to.
Give in ways that play to your interests and strengths to preserve your energy and provide greater value.
Distribute the giving load more evenly — refer requests to others when you don’t have the time or skills, and be careful not to reinforce gender biases about who helps and how.
Secure your oxygen mask first — you’ll help others more effectively if you don’t neglect your own needs.
Amplify your impact by looking for ways to help multiple people with a single act of generosity.
Chunk your giving into dedicated days or blocks of time rather than sprinkling it throughout the week. You’ll be more effective — and more focused.
Learn to spot takers, and steer clear of them. They’re a drain on your energy, not to mention a performance hazard.

One effective tactic is batching common requests"


And this is so true, I personally learned it the hard way. When you are too nice and got various talents, others have unrealistic expectations. You see it within your own family, as well as in total strangers. What's your take on this?

Here is the quote I like:

"The bad news is that givers are vulnerable to takers. They tend to trust too readily and see the best in everyone. But that can actually make them better lie detectors, research shows. Because they trust others, they are lied to more often. Givers get to see the full spectrum of human behavior. If they pay close attention, they can learn to recognize the clues that reveal selfishness: Acting entitled to people’s help. Claiming credit for success while blaming others for failure. Kissing up and kicking down. Being nice to your face and then stabbing you in the back — or being nice only when seeking a favor. Overpromising and underdelivering. As David Aikman at the World Economic Forum puts it, “There are talker-takers and giver-doers.” "

I like these related articles as well:

“Collaborative Overload”

by Rob Cross, Reb Rebele, and Adam Grant. Collaboration is indeed the answer to many pressing business challenges. But our research shows that more isn’t always better.


“In the Company of Givers and Takers"
by Adam Grant. In this article, Adam shares some of his early thinking about giving and taking. He explains why your organization’s success depends on the generosity of employees and what you can do to support it.


“The Limits of Empathy”
by Adam Waytz. Empathy and generosity aren’t the same thing — but they have some things in common. In excess, both are exhausting, impair judgment, and hurt performance.

“Beating Burnout”
by Monique Valcour. Though we’ve looked specifically at generosity burnout, all kinds of burnout are debilitating. Symptoms include distancing yourself from work, feelings of inefficacy, and profound physical, emotional, and cognitive fatigue. Valcour, a management coach, offers steps you can take toward recovery and prevention.

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