Overcoming Job Burnout: How to Renew Enthusiasm for Work

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Summary: Review by Claire Burch of Berkeley
Review: Dr. Beverly Potter has come up with a self help book that can really help in that it is clear, based on experience, and written for adults with not a tinge of the patronizing tone and cliches that make so many books that try to help far less successful than this one.
All her Stanford training in psychology stands the author in good stead, making this a book that speaks to both head and heart. Our frantic mechanized society today contributes to the deadly dynamic of burnout as described by Dr. Potter, and her methods for avoiding burnout are happily simple and achievable by following her suggestions. Her experience as a writer stands her in good stead and makes reading this book a pleasure.
The author has managed to avoid the pat simplistic directions that taint so many self-help books today. I read it at a moment of personal burnout and found myself embarked on a new voyage of self-discovery as I worked my way through her suggestions. Noteworthy is the refreshingly clean and literate style, so different from the often sentimental advice given in books that try to help our personal crises. This book is marked by a clear intelligence and background of knowledge of our human strengths and frailties. For the weary twentieth century person, bogged down by responsibility and unending chores, the book can be a lifesaver. I recommend it to anyone who, like myself, feels that there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish those goals that we seem to have set ourselves. Dr. Potter's book is refreshingly free of stale ideas. I think the author is an original, and the book should be a best seller - I for one needed it. My hunch is that there are many others like me out there who could benefit from her crisp and inspiring style, as well as engaging content.

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Summary: Practical Advice
Review: There are few books on burnout that deal with practical strategies. Many times, we know - at least in part - why we feel burnout. The problem is moving forward, and theoretical analyses of organization structure, etc. are often not that helpful. This book provides detailed strategies for recognizing the factors that lead to burnout and strategies for dealing with burnout. For example, the book indicates that frequent "negative wins" will lead to burnout. We get a "negative win" when we do something in order to avoid something negative. A kid cleaning her room to avoid being yelled at by a parent is an example of a situation with a negative win. An adult cleaning the living room because he wants to relax in a comfortable environment is an example of a situation with a positive win. Potter suggests that we develop ways of providing our own positive wins when we do not get them naturally from the situation. I find these insights valuable in developing my own recognition of situations that can lead me to burnout. I have implemented some of the strategies, and they have helped quite a bit. This is not the perfect book on this subject, but it is a good and useful book - most importantly, it actually does help. I'm very happy that I purchased it.

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Summary: A good start
Review: Upon reading this book I feel the author is doing her best through examples of others to demonstrate those that have hit burnout. Once its established if you have reached it, or if you are on your way, she moves on to how this can happen, and how much you are empowered to change this. Tips and ideas are given on how to reduce stress and how to help change or tailor your job in a direction that you have the most power. She does not advocate moving on before you have resolved some of the internal issues that have caused your displeasure at your current job. I feel ths examples of how real people in the book overcame their burnout and became happy and sucessful once again.

Rating:
Summary: A good start
Review: Upon reading this book I feel the author is doing her best through examples of others to demonstrate those that have hit burnout. Once its established if you have reached it, or if you are on your way, she moves on to how this can happen, and how much you are empowered to change this. Tips and ideas are given on how to reduce stress and how to help change or tailor your job in a direction that you have the most power. She does not advocate moving on before you have resolved some of the internal issues that have caused your displeasure at your current job. I feel ths examples of how real people in the book overcame their burnout and became happy and sucessful once again.

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Summary: At Last, Practical Solutions to a Debilitating Problem
Review: Way back when, people used to enjoy going to work. Nowadays, almost everyone I speak with can't stand their job! A lot of factors make up this attitude. Stress is one of the primary causes and Doctor Potter seems to have the cure. But she doesn't just spout off impractical theories. The value in this book is Potter's pragmatic blueprint to help the reader renew his or her passion for work. In my paticular case, her strategies helped me perceive the predicaments I always seemed to get into as opportunities for change. I am now more positive and self-assured whenever I encounter stressful situations. And, of course, she offers tips to help reduce daily stress. But her tips are more well-reasoned and rational as opposed to other books I've read. Potter's guidelines are easy to follow and ultimately work. Anyone who has a job they don't like will get a new lease on life after reading this book. And I'll wager that those readers who do love their job will never want to take it and shove it. Oh...and Phil Frank's illustrations are simply wonderful. I highly recommend this book!