I’ve experienced burnout several times throughout my life. Each time I know that I am at a transition period where one stage of my life is ending and another is beginning I have a noticeable drop in motivation. Senioritis as some call it. It happened when I graduated high school, then college (for the first time), then when I left the Army, then when I decided to come back to school, and finally it is happening now. I’m in my last semester of the OSU post-bach program and have started to look for reasons to procrastinate and find something else to do.

Burnout is not a new phenomenon and is one that most people will experience at some point. Whether they are starting a transition period or simply have been doing the same job for too long, it affects most people during their lives. Unfortunately, there is not much to do about it except to push and dig your heels in. Get through the final stages and make it to whatever you have planned next. I have found that writing out tasks each morning and setting daily goals for myself does help me push through each day, though some are certainly still a struggle to get through.

I’m fortunate enough that I have around a month’s break before starting my job which will be a great opportunity to relax and look forward to my next career. Until I get there though, I will be writing out daily activities in the morning and forcing myself to do them! Almost to the end.