Burnout at Work: Why You Don’t Need to Work Harder to Matter More

Burnout at work is affecting more professionals than ever, especially Gen Z and millennials who care deeply about their jobs but feel constantly overwhelmed and exhausted. In this episode of I Hate My Job! Now What?, Sarah explains why burnout isn’t a motivation problem and why working harderwon’t make you more valuable.Instead, she challenges the culture of urgency, overwork, and constant responsiveness, and invites you to shift from measuring success by volume to measuring it by impact. Through real client patterns, research, and career stories, Sarah explores how burnout often shows up when capable people areoperating below their strategic level.If you’re burned out, frustrated, or stuck in a cycle of doing more but feeling less effective, this episode offers a calmer, more sustainable way to think about work—and practical reflection questions to help you work differently.Reflection Questions:Is this a moment for full effort—or is good enough actually appropriate here? Before I say yes, what problem am I really being asked to solve?Who else should be involved to increase the impact of this work?If I’m irritated by this task, is it a signal that I need to reframe how I’m approaching it?Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at: ⁠sarahdecker.com⁠Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@sarah.decker.coaching ·       Share this episode with your work bestie!Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Burnout in Today's Workforce03:01 Redefining Value and Impact at Work06:50 The Toxicity of Performative Busyness09:22 The Importance of Relationships in Career Success15:00 Shifting from Effort to Impact