Avoiding Burnout as a Restaurant Manager - The Three Batteries - Body

Today we are going to talk about avoiding burnout as a manager.

We’ve all experienced it; we’ve all been there – burnout is a real thing. In this industry, it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t burning the candle at both ends. It seems like an impossible task to try to be the manager your company needs as well as enjoy the ability to relax when you need to take a break. It may seem impossible, but this whole blog is about doing the impossible. So today, let’s talk about how to avoid burnout and keep performing your best, even when your body and mind and heart are at their limits.

You have three batteries – physical, mental, and emotional. In other words, you do this job with your body, your mind, and your heart. As we get tired from being overstressed and under-rested, our batteries get depleted and we start getting that feeling of running on empty, because you are, quite literally, running on empty. Working yourself through a depleted battery is how you get to anger and frustration in the job, and usually, it’s when your job performance starts getting poor and you feel like wanting to quit.

So how do we keep these batteries from pooting out and keep our performance in good shape? It all comes down to the conditioning of these three batteries and how well you know yourself. You need to separate the different kinds of “tired” and learn how to re-charge the appropriate battery in a way that works for you.

First is the body battery. This one is pretty easy to identify and know how to fix. As we physically work all day, our body wears down. The aches and pains start, and we feel physically tired. The solution is to rest your body. You need to get adequate sleep as many nights as you can. Please note that I did not say every night. I know this job doesn’t allow that for you.

However, it’s important to note that sleep will only help you prepare yourself for the next day. The aspect of conditioning is what will help your performance in the long run. So how do we condition our bodies when we are already so tired from working 50-60 hours each week? You don’t have to become and elite athlete or even a gym-goer to help your conditioning enough to help you with your job. All you need to do is get a few more steps in each day and learn how to do active recovery. I have a watch that tracks my steps, and I know that on a typical work day, I will get about 15k steps. What I do is aim for about 20k steps per day to maintain my physical conditioning. That’s all the boost I need to be able to not feel destroyed by work each day. That’s just an average, on days when I feel like doing more, I do more so that on days when I really am too tired to do an extra walk or run, I don’t diminish my overall stamina.

Active recovery is important, and if you do exercise already, you probably know what I’m talking about. This is like fun exercise – the things you can actively do to help speed along your recovery so you can be ready for another shift the next day. My favorite way to recover actively is to stretch in front of the TV for about an hour after work, even if my shift ends at 2 AM. I like to think of this as the cornerstone of my exercise routine. Even if I don’t get my weight training or cardio in, I always do my stretches. We hold stress in the tightness of our bodies, so as we release the tension of our muscles through stretching, we actually de-stress minds as well. I will go further into the mental battery in my next post. Stretching, hot baths or showers, and healthy eating are the way to help recover faster and therefore build up the stamina needed for your body battery.

Because sleep is the foundation of your bodily rest, it’s important to prioritize your sleep not only in quantity of hours, but in quality as well. Try to avoid too much caffeine – you’d be surprised how much better you feel when you give it up completely. Avoid scrolling before bed, and definitely don’t use your phone in bed – the association of phone-stress and sleep is a terrible cocktail for sleep quality. If you need screens to unwind before bed, try watching a movie on the living room TV. Disney+ has a ton of great options for winding down and chilling out before bed.

My recommendation to put all of this together is to take a walk each day, either in the morning if you close or in the evening if you open. It will either start your day with exercise leaving you feel energized for the day or give you some time to clear out your mind before getting ready for bed. When you do start your evening routine, get off your phone. I know you have to keep it handy in case there is an emergency, but you need to learn to get off it for everything else at the time for winding down. Then, take a hot shower and put on your pajamas. Start stretching in front of the TV while watching something that you enjoy. As you get out of your mind and into the show, and your body relaxes from stretching, you will be primed for bed. When you sleep you will be able to recharge your battery so much better so as to take on the new day with all the energy needed to do so.

It's important to note that to condition your body battery, you will actually feel much more tired in the beginning. Don’t worry – this is an investment into the future that will pay dividends within just a few weeks. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. We have to take on a bit of pain to let go of a bit of suffering. But I promise that if you are able to keep up your bodily conditioning, you will have significantly strengthened your first line of defense against the irritability and frustration that comes from being burnt out by this job.