Soleil: [00:00:00] is success a good thing if you burn yourself out along the way? I think this is something a lot of us ask, but maybe it comes in different form, such as, how much time am I willing to put into work versus my life? And genuinely, I think it's different for everyone. But I decided at a young age, jumping around from apartment to apartment in California, that my life would be different.

Soleil: I would create a stable life for myself and be successful. And for me, success meant money.

Soleil Hi Adam,

Adam Manilla: Hey, Soleil.

Soleil: Hi, Jenny,

Jenny Bai: Hello.

Soleil: Hi, Linda.

Linda Melone: How are you, Soleil?

Soleil: Hi, Erika.

Erika Manilla: Hello.

Soleil: Hi, Eddie. How are you doing today?

Eddie: I'm doing good. And you

Soleil: Welcome to another episode of Sweat Strategy and Success. This is the go to resource for anyone who wants to become the best version of themselves both personally and professionally. I'm Soleil Raine, a marketer and passionate [00:01:00] storyteller, and my mission is to share the untapped stories of brilliant minds shaping health and wellness.

Soleil: Discover inspiring stories and actionable strategies for growing your business and cultivating a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

Soleil: So I'm here, working my ass off to become successful, and I'm ready. But some days it is a struggle to get myself to work on these projects because I feel so exhausted, but I don't want to stop working, and if I keep pushing myself the way I have, then the success will mean nothing, and if you're anything like me, you are a high achiever, and you probably jump back and forth between the trade offs of working hard and not having a life, or having a life and not feeling successful, whatever that may mean for you.

Soleil: So in my personal effort to get All these things I want done, but not burnout, I've done some research to help us both. Here are five non negotiable [00:02:00] habits that separate success from burnout.

But first, let me give you some background.

Soleil: I'm in a period of growth in both my personal life and my career. I'm currently in Argentina and I'll be here for about three months and the point of me being here is to immerse myself and to understand the culture and the country and feel what it's like to actually live here and not just be a tourist here.

Soleil: So naturally I'm still working, paying rent, cooking, et cetera. I'm here doing an internship through a local company called Road2Argentina. So I do that about four hours per day. And then I work on my personal projects, such as this podcast, the companies I freelance for and continuing to build out the freelance business itself, which is a lot of work at the end of the day.

Soleil: So, all that to say, trying to learn about this country and also growing my business and interning, I can feel myself on the cusp of burnout. For me, what that looks [00:03:00] like is headaches, fatigue, feeling detached, loss of motivation, etc. Some other things that people may experience are stomach aches or intestinal issues, changes in appetite or sleep, sense of failure or self doubt.

Soleil: decreased satisfaction, cynicism, reduced performance in everyday tasks, procrastination, outbursts, etc. But I know the one thing I am good at is consistency. So I have no interest in stopping these activities while I'm here. It's actually the opposite of that. I decided that these are the three to six months that I'm going to go hard or go home, to say it simply.

Soleil: However, research and expert insights reveal that excessive effort can lead to decreased productivity and diminished well being. Huh? I've been told my entire life by my society that I need to work really really hard to get what I [00:04:00] want, pull myself up by my bootstraps, besides the mere fact that meritocracy is straight up not correct, and I need to push myself to the extremes to get stuff done, and then I will have worth.

Soleil: However, science is showing that pushing yourself to the extremes to get stuff done isn't helping anyone, especially yourself. Humans were not created to sit at a desk for 8 9 hours a day, let alone 12 15.

Soleil: But something to not forget here is that motivation is different than goals, neurologically speaking. Motivation is a force that drives behavior by determining both a direction, aka a goal, and the intensity and vigor with which it is pursued. As compared to effort, effort is the subjective intensification of mental or physical activity in the service of meeting said goal.

Soleil: So it is extremely important in our mental well being to have motivation and goals. And even more important for our mental health to [00:05:00] understand how to subjectively intensify your effort without going to the extremes. But what do I mean when I say extremes? Here's what those researchers and experts that I was talking about earlier have insights on.

Speaker 3: First, I wanted to touch base on something called toxic productivity. German psychologist Eva Elisa Schneider notes that toxic productivity describes an unhealthy pursuit of constant productivity that goes beyond healthy limits. Those affected have the urge to make the most out of every minute of every day.

Soleil: Boy, do I struggle with this. I just always thought it was because I was an Aries. But. It's neurological and a self worth issue. Surprise, surprise. I do not know how to rest, and when I do, then I feel guilty. Raise your hand, either physically or mentally, if you feel the same. The issue here isn't really one of being busy, the issue is that when you are doing nothing you begin to have [00:06:00] feelings of worthlessness and unrest.

Soleil: According to Ava Elisa Schneider, those who experience toxic productivity are constantly in survival mode, which makes them less productive, less creative, more prone to errors, and less focused. All the athletes that I have interviewed note that they must have rest days because you cannot push yourself 100 percent every day.

Soleil: And this is the exact mindset that Ava Elisa Schneider says we need to have within our day to day lives with work, personal commitments, and beyond.

Soleil: Next, I wanted to talk about the effort paradox, which I just find unbelievably interesting. And if you are someone who works in a non profit, I would highly, highly recommend you do more research into this topic. So what is it? There is lots of evidence behind the idea that humans and other animals find effort costly, such as running to catch a bus, mastering a skill, etc.

Soleil: Tests that require effort increase the sympathetic [00:07:00] nervous system, including blood pressure increase, ventilation, sweating, pupil dilation, and plasma norepinephrine release, which ultimately causes stress and anxiety. I'll just say it has an aversive response that we try to avoid. However, scientists have also noted that while we are ultimately trying to avoid effort, we also increase effort into an activity if there is some sort of value derived from that activity.

Soleil: For example, charities. You are more likely to donate to charity if that includes running a 5k for 10 than just donating 10 to that charity because of the value you receive from putting in that effort. From what we know about how we derive value from German psychologist Eva Lisa Schneider, if you are valuing sacrificing yourself and developing worth from constantly exerting effort, then you're going to continue to do so because you find value from [00:08:00] it.

Soleil: Before we continue, we are going to take a quick break, but don't go anywhere. Up next, we are going over the five non negotiable habits that will separate success from burnout.

Soleil: I spent a lot of time throughout the week creating content, and before I started using Descript, I would spend hours of time making the smallest adjustments to make sure it all looks smooth.

Soleil: Now, Descript does all of that hard work for me. Descript is an AI powered, fully featured, end to end video editor That allows you to edit your videos like you would a Word document. It creates short form clips, removes filler words, and makes your audio sound like you were inside a professional studio.

Soleil: Download Descript today by using the link in the description of this episode to get started.

Soleil:   So, how do we stay motivated without putting in too much energy, which eventually leads to burnout? First, if you're having feelings of worthlessness and feeling undervalued when you're not doing something, [00:09:00] journal, talk to a therapist. There's most likely something deeper that needs to be entangled in your relationship to work, effort, and motivation.

Soleil: Now, let's talk habits. The best part about these habits that I'm about to tell you is that they can be easily incorporated into your day without affecting the quality of your work. They are simply tools to be leveraged that will increase your energy, your creativity, and ability to problem solve.

Soleil: Habit number one, regular breaks.

Soleil: I have started to build in regular breaks into my workday, even if it's just for a few minutes. Getting water, or getting a snack, and then staring off into the distance for 15 seconds. Consider making it an activity where you can truly rest your brain, like meditation. But, usually, while I like to pretend I meditate every day, I simply do not.

Soleil So, I would Some days just rather stare outside my window for 50 seconds, and that is totally okay because you're resting [00:10:00] your brain You're taking a break However, this does not include looking at Instagram or tik tok take an actual break The great thing about this is it doesn't keep you from disrupting your existing routine But you're just giving yourself a small break to rest your brain A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that rest breaks are associated with a 5 percent increase in quantitative work performance and an 8 percent increase in qualitative performance, despite the time taken for the breaks.

Soleil: Habit number two. When you can, be bored. Engage in activities that do not involve achieving or working through things. I specifically have a hard time with this one. If I'm cooking, going for a walk I usually want to listen to something where I can learn, like a podcast. But the constant overload of the brain actually doesn't help in the grand scheme of what I'm trying to accomplish.

Soleil: It just makes me overloaded by the end of the day. [00:11:00] A lot of people, especially high achievers, believe this is lazy, but it can actually increase creativity and problem solving. For example, The last time I had a really good idea, I wasn't doing anything. I was just hanging out. It's like when you have your best ideas in the shower and you're not listening to anything.

Soleil: And the reason for this is because boredom activates the brain's default mode network, which is responsible for creativity, self reflection, and problem solving by allowing subconscious thoughts to emerge.

Soleil: Studies have found that when people embrace boredom, their minds wander in ways that promote innovative thinking, reduce stress, and prevent burnout by giving the brain a break from constant stimulation.

Soleil: Habit number three. Do something that brings you joy that doesn't come from completing a task. For me, this includes calling a friend or a family member. Because joy doesn't only need to be created when finishing a project or finishing a goal.

Soleil It can come in small moments throughout your [00:12:00] day. Find the things that bring you joy. Whether that's listening to a certain type of music,

Soleil: Calling a family member or friend, taking your dog for a walk. Find some time throughout the day to do this. This is because experiencing joy releases dopamine and serotonin. These are neurotransmitters that enhance motivation, improve focus, and regulate mood.

Soleil: Habit number four. Prioritize deep work over constant multitasking.

Soleil: Because of how many projects that I work on, I want to constantly be focusing on all of them at once, but I've definitely learned that this is not helpful and I no longer do this. Now, I schedule deep work into my day because of how many things I have going on. Diving into one specific subject for two hours is much better than trying to do three projects over five hours.

Soleil: As high achievers, we think that [00:13:00] Multitasking increases productivity, but our brains are just not wired in that way to be switching between multiple tasks at once. Some specific methods you can try include the Pomodoro method or 90 minute sprints. Studies in cognitive psychology show that context switching, which is the shifting between multiple tasks, can reduce productivity by up to 40 percent because ultimately it takes time for your brain to refocus on the previous task or previous subject that you were working on.

Soleil: And lastly, habit number five, leverage active recovery. I have fallen back in love with PE. I'm just kidding. It's sports for 20 year olds. That makes me feel like I'm in PE, but I'm engaging in Schedule Fun. And, you know, Schedule Fun can actually be really great, especially for high achievers, because it makes you feel good about something and it can improve your energy.

Soleil: Like we were talking about earlier, the [00:14:00] effort paradox. You find value by putting in energy, especially when it comes to scheduled sports for adults. At least, for me, it really helps. Because breaks don't need to be complete inactivity like binging out on severance and just making your brain go blank.

Soleil: Schedule fun or other low effort, enjoyable activities can help in many ways. Research in neuroscience and sports physiology shows that active recovery increases blood flow, reduces stress hormones like cortisol, and accelerates mental and physical recovery.

Engaging in light activity instead of complete rest prevents burnout by keeping energy levels steady while allowing the brain to process information subconsciously.

Soleil: Those are the five habits that will separate success from burnout. And if you're listening and are on the edge of burning out, or maybe you're also listening to this on your walk, or while cooking dinner, or driving, etc., I encourage you to try building at least [00:15:00] one of these habits into your routine, whatever that may be.

Soleil: But don't stop listening to my podcast. An easy way to make sure you do that is to follow me on your favorite podcast listening platform. So you can always just come back to it when you're ready to learn more about how you can improve both your business and yourself. If this helped you make sure to share with a friend or family member who could benefit from hearing it.

Soleil: And I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday.