Is work-from-home burnout really a thing?
Ambitious women are fast approaching a cliff edge. But you can avoid this looming disaster IF you’re prepared for what’s coming.
I’ve lost count of the number of women who’ve told me they’re struggling to combine a high-flying career…
With being available for their kids 24/7…
And keeping on top of household chores…
All while staying healthy…
And being a loving and supportive partner.
The result? A burnout epidemic – which risks bringing almost a century’s worth of women’s empowerment to a screeching halt if we don’t do something about it.
Case in point…
I recently read about a growing trend among Gen Z women who are turning their backs on achieving their potential…
And, instead, becoming “stay-at-home girlfriends”.
Which means choosing to stay home all day, while their boyfriend goes out to work.
For the record, I have no problem with women holding down the fort at home…
Managing logistics…
Raising children…
Or grinding behind the scenes of a growing empire. (This is exactly how Grant and I have been able to build our empire together)
But becoming a “stay-at-home girlfriend” is the opposite of this.
Stay-at-home girlfriends are women who have checked out of their careers all to avoid work-from-home burnout.
These are women who have no real stake in their partner’s empire.
They have no purpose…
No mission…
And no goals for themselves or their partner (besides racking up a closet full of shoes and clothes).
Which is not a great way to be if you want to live a fulfilled and happy life.
And it’s not the way to become queen of a thriving empire.
So I asked myself: what’s behind this disturbing trend of young women saying “no” to building their empires?
I think it boils down to one root cause:
See, for the last 10… 20… or 30 years women have been fed a lie.
It’s a lie that tells women, “You must outperform men in your career, your personal life, your family, and your health. And if you don’t – you have failed as a woman.”
In short, it’s the Hollywood-endorsed “have it all” lifestyle.
And I believe THIS is what’s driving the current work-from-home burnout epidemic.
And it’s why more and more young women are running in the opposite direction of “having it all”.
They’ve seen what having it all looks like.
And they’re saying, “no way” – by embracing the role of stay-at-home girlfriend.
And yes, work-from-home burnout is a bigger problem for women than men.
But I’m sorry to say, the problem is getting worse and not better.
A recent Gallup survey highlights this fact:
If you look at the burnout stats from 2019, you’ll see that 30% of women reported being burned out “Very Often” or “Always”…
Versus 27% of men. That’s a three-percentage-point gender gap.
And it’s a sign that says women are being left behind.
But wait, it gets worse.
Because in 2020 this gender gap exploded four-fold to twelve percentage points thanks to COVID lockdowns…
School closures…
And working from home.
Now, you might assume the gender gap would reverse once life returned to normal after the pandemic.
It didn’t.
Because even after the pandemic eased…
And even after most kids went back to school…
In 2023, 46% of women still reported feeling burned out versus 37% of men.
(Which is a stubbornly high NINE-percentage-point difference even after the pandemic)
This goes to show that this problem is not going anywhere.
No wonder women are nearly 3 times more likely to quit their careers through exhaustion!
The question is:
How can YOU avoid this growing disaster and make yourself burnout-proof – so you and your partner can expand your empire?
First, you must take care of yourself
When I talk about taking care of yourself… I’m not simply talking about bubble baths, massages, or yoga.
I’m talking about making your own needs senior to the needs of others – which is something we women are notoriously bad at.
When Dr Alice Domar surveyed over 1,000 women about their self-care routines she was shocked by the results:
When asked about self-care, 89% of women know they should make time for their own needs.
And yet…
Less than 4% of mothers say they spend 60 minutes per day caring for themselves.
And 71% of mothers said they felt guilty about spending any time on their own needs.
This proves that we women are notoriously bad at caring for ourselves…
And makes the case for why you must make a deliberate effort to prioritize yourself.
Like I just said, when I talk about caring for yourself, I’m not simply talking about bubble baths, massages, or yoga.
These are a great starting point.
But real self-care means setting clear boundaries and getting comfortable with saying “no”.
Which, in practical terms, means:
Asking yourself, “Am I simply doing this task because I feel obligated… or like I’m letting others down?”
These ^^ are not reasons to drown in other people’s to-do lists.
Objectively identifying your “Must Do’s” for the day.
Often, we swamp ourselves with “busy work”.
These are tasks that make us feel productive… but which, ultimately, do NOT move the needle in our careers or personal lives.
So instead of keeping yourself busy, you should focus only on tasks that are time-sensitive AND impactful.
Analyzing which tasks drain you and which tasks energize you.
Every day, it’s likely you’ll carry out some tasks which deplete your energy reserves.
These tasks are not a great way for you to invest your precious time.
Instead, you should focus on doing more of what fills you with energy… and eliminate what drains you.
Which brings me to the second thing you must do to protect yourself from burnout:
You must delegate tasks to others to avoid work-from-home burnout.
According to Stanford University professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, delegating is one of the most critical skills you must hone, so that:
“The world doesn’t go to hell if you take a day off”.
The trouble is, a group of researchers at Columbia University discovered women are far less likely than men to delegate.
And when women do delegate…
They’re more likely to blame themselves if delegating didn’t work out the way they had hoped.
The result?
Women often wind up “hoarding” tasks they don’t enjoy… they’re not good at… and which sucks their time and energy.
Which holds a lot of women back in their careers.
And is a surefire recipe for burnout.
So, here’s my advice when it comes to delegating tasks in your job, business, or at home:
Watch out for perfectionism
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “It’s easier if I handle this myself”…
Or “No one can complete this task as well as I can”…
You might be letting perfectionism block you from delegating tasks that don’t require YOUR specific attention.
Check-in with yourself when these thoughts rear their ugly head.
And let go of your need to be the expert in all areas of your life and business.
Delegate your “grunt work”
Want an easy way to get comfortable with delegating tasks? Start by handing over your “grunt work”.
These are tasks that feel boring, hard, and unrewarding.
Once you liberate yourself from the worst of your grunt work, you’ll be desperate to hand over anything that does not light you up.
Calculate the opportunity cost of NOT delegating
If you look up the term Opportunity Cost it means: “the potential profit given up from a missed opportunity”.
In other words…
If you spend 2 hours doing laundry each week…
Your opportunity cost is the money you could have earned IF you had spent that time selling more products or services.
Or working overtime.
So, next time you question whether or not you should delegate a task, here’s what I want you to do:
Step 1 – Add up the time you spend on unrewarding tasks each week
Step 2 – Calculate your average hourly earnings
Finally, Step 3 – Multiply the time you spend on these undelegated tasks by your average hourly earnings
For example, let’s say I earn $100 in an average hour…
And I spend 3 hours per week doing laundry…
It means I could earn an additional $300 per week in the time it takes me to complete my laundry.
That’s $15,600 per year in lost revenue!
So…
If the cost of outsourcing my laundry is less than $15,600 per year…it’s a prime candidate for delegation.
And it’s a great way for me to free up my time for tasks that only I can take care of.
With all that said, here’s my simplest advice to avoid work-from-home burnout…
If you feel the dark cloud of burnout looming, do not battle alone.
And do not continue to pile more responsibility on yourself as your empire expands and grows.
Unfortunately, there are very few voices telling you that independence is NOT the answer.
But I strongly believe “going it alone” brings nothing but burnout and missed potential.
It’s why you’ll always hear me say, “Find the one you trust and build an empire together”.
In the meantime…
I’d love to hear about your #1 challenge when it comes to managing your energy levels and juggling your responsibilities.
So comment on this article…
And tell me if you’ve ever experienced burnout. Or if you can feel burnout moving in.
My team and I are here for you.
Build an empire,
Elena Cardone
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