Burnout and work-life balance are two of the most relevant and discussed topics in the IT world. We asked Team Trisk what helps them stay motivated and love what they do.
When we are worried about something related to our health, most often, the first place we go for help is Google. Professional surveys report that more than 50% of survey respondents experience burnout. You can also find many other related smart facts, such as common burnout symptoms, as reported by the World Health Organization.
Most likely, if you’ve stopped to read this article, you’ve already googled it. 🙂
At Trisk, we believe there is nothing better than real experience. One of Trisk’s highest goals and values is to help as many people as possible achieve work-life balance. One of our founders drives that vision because of his life experience earlier in his career:
In 1990, I was a young partner at one of the world’s largest CPA firms, working as much as I’d ever worked. My wife was pregnant with twins. We also had a two-year-old son. I’d worked ridiculous hours my entire career. The job was challenging and rewarding in many ways, but the job demands didn’t allow enough “me” time. I wanted more quality time for my family and me. So I quit.
We decided to do our own investigation.
We asked Trisk team members what helps them stay motivated and happy with their work, find a balance between work tasks, personal development, and time with loved ones.
Seven completely different people. Different ages, work experience, temperament, marital status, and hobbies. And four identical questions, in which everyone revealed a little of their secrets.
It’s not only about leisure and hobbies but also about work processes that can help you easily cope with tasks and stay productive.
1. What helps you stay motivated?
Focus. I am motivated by my goal of improving the work-life balance for the next generation without compromising productivity.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
I enjoy personal and family activities, whether taking long walks alone, playing golf with my son, playing in the pool with my grandson, or traveling with my wife and daughters.
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Shutting off distractions other than music. Turn off emails and messengers. Limiting my daily to-do list to achievable tasks.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Implementation of Trisk in my tax profession. It both enabled and forced my adoption of highly effective time management principles.
Tom on LinkedIn
1. What helps you stay motivated?
I am motivated by the feeling I help other people achieve work-life balance like I have.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
Wine. I enjoy having a glass of wine and calling friends to reconnect/stay connected.
3.What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Realizing that I do not have to do everything, and being able to delegate tasks, and trust those folks I am delegating to.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Um……not sure I have a life-changing habit! Hahaha!
Todd on LinkedIn
1. What helps you stay motivated?
Big picture view — zoom out a bit to see where you are now. When it seems that the world is slipping away from under your feet, you can write down on paper the achievements of the last week or two – it perfectly shows the reality. Global vision helps in planning tasks, risk assessments, and projections. When you are confident in the future, how cool is that?
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
Exercising is a great refresher. Also, we spend most of our life at work, and sleep takes a third. Share the remaining time with friends and beloved ones, and do not forget about the personal time 🙂
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Checklists are the best that humankind has come up with. I have already referenced pilots who always have a checklist in case of malfunctions. Sometimes the head is so overloaded that the solution or answer that is on the surface cannot be seen. A basic set of checks can quickly rule out irrelevant areas.
Calendar blocking is the second important activity for resilient productivity. If it is not on your calendar, it may never happen. You must block time for any activity, even for self-development or reading. After a month, you will be amazed by the progress. The trick is to follow your schedule, no matter what 🙂
Half-split method – works great in cases where it is difficult to find a cause. Divide the subject in half and get rid of the unrelated part. Continue until the source is located. This method saves an insane amount of time.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Be awake before 6-7 am. We have not gone far from our ancestors. They got up at sunrise, and apparently, this genetic code has been preserved. I feel much more energy, capacity, and endurance.
1.What helps you stay motivated?
I am motivated by the fact that we simplify people’s lives and bring more opportunities to do something interesting rather than wasting time on the monotonous work that we automate.
And, with our new Trisk 2.5 solution, we open the doors to Web3 for everyone with no need to delve into the wilds of the blockchain.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
My family and fishing. I walk with my children in the park and travel to the forest, the coast, and the mountains. Going to a farmers’ market for groceries. Watch cartoons with children in the evenings. Fishing is a way to clear my mind and a kind of meditation that brings new ideas when I get back to work.
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Planning for the week. Describe all the ideas that may be in my head but lost due to workload on paper (or digital notepad). Keep the workplace (laptop/desk) in order. Start the day with something easy like reading emails while drinking coffee to kick-start your brain.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Remove my phone. Remove messengers from the desktop, and enable calls only from important contacts.
1. What helps you stay motivated?
It is understanding that you can always do things differently: better, more conveniently, faster. A new day is a unique opportunity to do what you couldn’t do yesterday.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
Travels. After a working day, ride a skateboard through the city at night.
Meeting with old friends and getting new ones. Read the “right” book that you can dive into.
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Planning and structuring tasks. Noise-canceling headphones and music
Reward yourself for a job well done. Take mini breaks every hour to rest your eyes and head.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Walk to the beach or the gym before the start of the working day.
1. What helps you stay motivated?
Motivates me when the team has done a difficult task. (When I first joined the team, it happened that I was shocked how we did something so difficult in such a short time). It motivates me. I can tell myself, “Well done! If you coped with this, you will definitely figure out the rest.”
I am also very inspired by the reaction of the American part of our team. Americans express emotions quite differently than Ukrainians. They show positive emotions much more clearly/expressively. I get charged with this mood when I see how much they like what we do.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
Vacations help me. Just forget about work for 5-7 days and completely switch your brain to something else, give it a rest.
Sports also help me blow off steam, and relieve tension and stress on weekdays.
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Complete rejection of social networks during working hours.
I block notifications during working hours from chats where friends send memes or want to discuss news. It seems to me not so difficult to do something, how to focus on something, and all these notifications are constantly distracting.
It is also convenient to keep the amount of work that needs to be done recorded. Go through your tasks like through a shopping list in a supermarket 🙂
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
I don’t remember doing anything on purpose. I just try different techniques (like those described above) that made me more productive and watch the result. Those that work stay with me.
1. What helps you stay motivated?
Fulfillment of assigned tasks. When a task was successfully completed by the whole team or me, and the job was completed on time, this is an incredible motivation for the following work. Understanding that you have done something that will help people is very pleasing and helps you continue doing your job.
2. What helps you switch from work tasks and feel that life is not only about work?
Walking and meeting with friends. Spending time with them is relaxation and pleasure. I can forget about all the difficulties. And at the end of the working day, I look at my aquarium with fish. When looking at my small fish, I calm down and forget about the difficulties during the day. 🙂
3. What techniques/methods/workflows help you be productive?
Planning. Without a clear plan, no job can be done well.
Simplify. Simplicity in words, deeds, and thoughts. Keep it short and to the point. Keep it simple and right. Sounds trite, but it’s an excellent rule.
Don’t get distracted. During working hours, it is better to abstract yourself from everything that prevents you from concentrating on work.
4. Your life-changing habit, after the implementation of which productivity increased.
Exercise 30 minutes in the morning on an elliptical machine.
Why this was the best solution for me:
– Increases activity throughout the day
– Improves post-workout mood
– Improves sleep quality
– Maintains blood pressure
– Music and sports for 30 minutes, nothing distracts from training
– Helps develop self-discipline
We hope that some of the Trisk Team’s methods can also help you. Try to answer these questions for yourself; it seems simple, but most likely, they will make you think and maybe improve something in your daily routine in the future.
We would really like to know what helps you to keep a balance between work and leisure, and maybe even make a new post with your recommendations.
Please fill free to share your life hacks with us on social media by tagging, commenting, or direct messages. Can’t wait to see and try your recommendations!
