Sometimes less is more. More energy demanding in this case, which means you’ll burnout in this case prematurely and instantly, because you’re doing less. Or at least despite doing less. Burnout is not the enemy. Lack of achievement, results, and outcome is.

People think that when they do less, they’ll have more energy.

They will keep their energy longer in storage, because they are spending less of it as time goes by.

But contrary to whatever they told you, slowing down and spending less is not the answer. It will not cure the constant perpetual sense or state of fatigue or exhaustion you have all the time, before the day has even started, before you ever do anything.

Burnout does not come from doing too much.

Burnout comes from doing too little.

Feeling like you’ve done nothing, or accomplished nothing all day long, or all year long, is what’s depleting your energy all the time, not working too much, not doing too much.

Remember, the problem is accomplishing nothing all day long, or all year long, or all your life. Not doing nothing all the time, or not working long or hard enough.

Doing more or working long or hard enough does not get you out of that perpetual sense of exhaustion or alleviate burnout. Results do. Achievement and accomplishment will do. If that is what you mean by doing more, then so be it. We’re in agreement here. But if you think working more, harder, or longer but still accomplishing nothing will be the answer to burnout or perpetual exhaustion, you’re wrong. That’s not quite what I had in mind when I said doing more is the answer.

And this is for a simple reason. You are spending too much energy all the time even when what you’re doing is simple and easy, because you are not fulfilled. You are low on reward, Dopamine, and Serotonin. And that’s why everything seems harder, and that’s why everything depletes your energy instantly. You are pushing yourself to do everything, even if it is supposed to be incredibly easy.

Doing less will not help you with that, because you have no energy to begin with.

But when you feel fulfilled, rewarded, and high on your sense of accomplishment and achievement, the floodgates will open, and everything you do will take infinitely less energy. Which means it will be insanely hard for you to hit burnout, if not impossible. Not because you’re doing less, but because you’re doing amazing.