Recently, I found myself facing a huge setback. Due to some complicated medical mumbo jumbo, I needed surgery with a long recovery time. Coming back to work with fresh eyes made it clear (clearer) what was leading me to fatigue and burnout, by inadvertently using elimination and reintroduction techniques.
Elimination and Reintroduction
Elimination diets are commonly used to identify food allergies, intolerances, and disorders such as Eosinophilic Esophagitis (a swallowing disorder). There are so many ingredients in the food we eat, and so much variance in the cuisine that we eat every day. It can then be hard to identify a sensitivity to something like eggs or milk, when it can be present in every meal of the day. Doctors or dietitians may recommend a two-stage diet known as an Elimination Diet to help identify these sensitivities.
Stage One is elimination. For two to six weeks, patients will need to eliminate common food allergens (eggs, milk, wheat, seafood, soy, peanuts, tree nuts). This allows the patient’s body to reset from the constant bombardment of these triggers. They will often need to keep a food log during this time as well, to keep track of how they feel as time goes on, and how they feel after eating different foods.
Stage Two is reintroduction. This involves the slow addition of suspect foods into the patient’s diet, often waiting a few days between each addition. The patient will try eggs again, log how they are feeling, try them again the next day, and log again. If a reaction is triggered by the eggs, we can more confidently identify eggs as the suspected trigger. If there is no change, the patient can add the next suspect food back into their diet and continue logging.
This slow method allows patients to be aware of how they feel after eating each item, with the intention of avoiding multiple variables.
Burnout Risk Factors
Just like with common food allergens, triggers for burnout occur frequently and can often overlap. There are many possible causes of burnout. While we can’t eliminate all of them, we can start by identifying the ones we can change. These might include sensory distractions like background conversations in the office, lack of focus time, lack of support systems, or work-life imbalance.
Borrowed Techniques
The key components to the elimination diet are logging and identifying potential triggers. So our first step will be to start a log. Write out all of your suspected triggers, and take some time to reflect. For each item you write down, write down a potential solution to try.
Examples:
- Noise in office -> Noise-cancelling headphones, mute Slack during focus blocks
- Lack of focus time -> Work for a few hours on an available evening or weekend
- Lack of support system -> Feedback sessions with mentors and team leads
- Work-life imbalance -> Quality time alone or with friends and family
The other component that we will borrow from the elimination diet is time. Let’s steer clear of eliminating all of these triggers at the same time, which could cause fatigue from attempting so many new techniques at once and could muddy our testing waters. Instead, we want to identify one to try every few weeks. Eliminate the trigger to the best of your ability for as long as you can.
If you were struggling with distractions at work, you could try making a habit of using headphones for a week to try and ‘eliminate’ the background noise that you’re suspecting. Try a focus app like Focus Friend, or a scheduled “Do Not Disturb” mode, to lock down your phone. If you have the PTO to spare, take off a day for a long weekend and try to focus on rest during this time. Tune in when you return to work and bring awareness to what things are affecting your concentration. Log your results as you go, and keep tabs on what solutions work best for you and your lifestyle.
A Note on Team Practices
There are things that you might wish to test that will affect your team practices, like working from home or eliminating distractions by muting Slack during focus time. Be mindful of what your team needs from you, and keep clear and effective communication. If you are doing an elimination test by muting Slack during focus time, be sure to tell to your team. Change your notifications to @’s only, and let them know that you will see @’s for the next week. You can also mark the focus time on your calendar, so your team can see it. Be sure to check in with yourself during this time and keep logs so you can make the most of this opportunity without needing a repeat.
What are some potential triggers that you can see in your day to day? Do you have creative solutions to try and reduce the effect of these triggers?