A RETHINK TOOL
TIME FOR A CHANGE?
The BAT helped you understand whether you're burnt out.
The Boundary Tool helped you explore what you could change.
This final step explores the question almost everyone asks next:
The Boundary Tool helped you explore what you could change.
This final step explores the question almost everyone asks next:
Okay...but do I actually need to leave my job?
Maybe. But before making any big decisions, let's make sure we're asking the right questions first.
Maybe. But before making any big decisions, let's make sure we're asking the right questions first.
Burnout can cloud our thinking. Open the statements that resonate with you and use the coaching insights and reflection questions to help you think more clearly about your next step.
Burnout changes how we experience work. Before making a major decision, it helps to separate what's being caused by exhaustion from what may be a genuine mismatch between you and your work.
Reflect
When you imagine yourself fully recovered, what do you think would still need to change?
Reflect
When you imagine yourself fully recovered, what do you think would still need to change?
Healthy workplaces don't expect perfect boundaries, but they do respond when people communicate their needs. If you've made thoughtful attempts to have those conversations and nothing changes, the issue may be the environment rather than your effort.
Reflect
What boundaries have you already tried to put in place, and how were they received?
Reflect
What boundaries have you already tried to put in place, and how were they received?
Some workloads can be reshaped. Others are simply unsustainable. It's important to distinguish between a temporary busy period and a role that consistently asks more than one person can reasonably give.
Reflect
If nothing changed over the next year, could you realistically imagine continuing to work this way?
Reflect
If nothing changed over the next year, could you realistically imagine continuing to work this way?
Values matter more than many of us realise. When there's a persistent mismatch between what you believe is important and what your workplace rewards, burnout can become much harder to recover from.
Reflect
Has something changed in the organisation, or have your own priorities become clearer since burnout?
Reflect
Has something changed in the organisation, or have your own priorities become clearer since burnout?
Recovery is difficult in an environment where you don't feel safe to speak up, ask for help or make mistakes. Psychological safety isn't a luxury, it's a foundation for wellbeing and healthy performance.
Reflect
What makes you feel unsafe? Is there anything within your influence that could change this, or is the environment itself the problem?
Reflect
What makes you feel unsafe? Is there anything within your influence that could change this, or is the environment itself the problem?
Burnout doesn't always mean you're in the wrong career. Sometimes it means you've become disconnected from the parts of your work that energise you.
Reflect
Which parts of your work still give you energy or satisfaction? Could you realistically do more of those?
Reflect
Which parts of your work still give you energy or satisfaction? Could you realistically do more of those?
Sometimes burnout creates an urge to escape. Other times, it shines a light on concerns that have been growing for years. Looking back can help you understand which it is.
Reflect
Were you thinking about leaving before you became burnt out, or did those thoughts begin afterwards?
Reflect
Were you thinking about leaving before you became burnt out, or did those thoughts begin afterwards?
One of burnout's greatest losses is that it can make us feel disconnected from who we are. Before deciding where to go next, it can help to reconnect with the person beneath the exhaustion.
Reflect
When was the last time you felt like yourself? What was different about your work—or your life—at that time?
Reflect
When was the last time you felt like yourself? What was different about your work—or your life—at that time?
Having thought this through, what does this mean for you?
There isn't a score or a right answer. Instead, your reflections may point you towards one of these three directions.
Wait before deciding
Give yourself more time to recover before making any major decisions.
Change what you can first
Focus on changing how you work before deciding whether to leave.
Explore what comes next
Begin thoughtfully exploring opportunities that may be a better fit.
Whatever your reflections suggest, you don't have to make every decision today. The aim isn't to rush towards an answer—it's to take your next step with greater clarity. These are the kinds of conversations we explore in coaching - at your pace, without pressure to make any immediate decisions.
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
