How to Remedy Your Project Management Burnout Problem

Burning the candle at both ends? Burning rubber? Burning the midnight oil?

Take your pick of a good “burning” metaphor. They all apply.

According to McKinsey & Company, half of all employees report feeling at least some level of burnout, with over 20% reporting a high degree of burnout — and that’s probably a low representation of the actual number. Also, as Gallup reported, more than two-thirds of workers believe burnout has worsened because of COVID.

Now, while burnout may be on the rise, it’s not a new concept for the workplace.

The term “burnout” dates back to the 1970s when psychologist Herbert J. Freudenberger wrote, “Burn-out is defined as failure or exhaustion because of excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources.” 

Sound familiar? 

Fifty years later, it’s no surprise that burnout persists and is, in many ways, worse than ever. After all, project managers now have to juggle a growing number of tech platforms, rise in remote work, and the ongoing effects of a global pandemic. So, yeah, I’d say we’re doing pretty great! (Sarcasm over.)

The question now is: How can project managers prevent and mitigate burnout? 

The solution lies in their project management platform.

The key to preventing burnout? Streamline your workflow

Yes, managers are largely being held responsible for addressing and improving the issue of burnout. According to the World Health Organization, “burn-out” is now officially recognized as a syndrome and occupational phenomenon “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” And, as the Society for Human Resource Management found, top reasons for burnout include unreasonable workloads and poor management.

Still, for many organizations, the burnout problem isn’t actually the fault of lazy or unorganized employees. It’s the fault of clunky and disjointed management platforms. As Gallup reported: “How people experience their workload has a stronger influence on burnout than how many hours they work.”

Gallup also found that managers are more stressed and burnt out than the people they oversee — and the situation is only getting more dire. 

Why? They don’t have the proper resources to support their workflows across teams and projects. In fact, what many project managers may not realize is that the very platforms that are supposed to be helping their burnout problem are actually just making it worse.

That’s why it’s so important to use a project management platform that actually streamlines and automates processes instead of complicating them. Just look at Proggio. As an adaptive PPM, Proggio gives project managers a bird’s-eye-view of their entire portfolio at a glance. So you can check each task’s progress, make changes in real time, and collaborate across teams — all from the same place.

Meaning, an intuitive PPM won’t just help managers save time and energy. It’ll help them use the time and energy they do have wisely. So they can start each day feeling hopeful and in control of their workflow — instead of bogged down and burnt out.

Ready to make life easier with a PPM that works for you?
Book a demo with Proggio.