Heather Booth is the author of this great piece and a person who inspires me with her passion and dedication. This is reprinted from the New Organizing Institute Education Fund blog.
"One of the questions I hear most often from organizers is, "How do I avoid burning out?"
Burnout is a serious concern in organizing, but this work can be sustainable. There are three things that have helped me stay in the field for more than 40 years:
- Take the long view. If you know that you want to be in this for the long run, think about it, plan for it. Don’t get so focused on this cycle that you burn yourself out. This is a marathon, not just a sprint (though sprints are surely involved).
- Prioritize yourself. Stay involved in (and schedule) those things that feed your heart, mind, and body. Friends, partners, movies, dancing, book clubs, plays, sports…whatever you enjoy, create time for it. Schedule it. And invest in sustaining the relationships so they are there for the long term. Don’t take them or yourself for granted.
- Invest yourself wisely. The biggest reason that I think people burn out is they don’t think the struggle/strain is worth the results they see. They don’t think the sacrifice is worth it, either because they don’t feel successful or they don’t personally feel valued. Both can be addressed through long term planning. Know how the tactics fit into a long term plan for winning and for our vision. And value each other, with recognition and support. Even the most humble among us need to be appreciated.
This work is too important to keep losing great people unnecessarily. After all, we are changing the world for the better.
We need each other.
We need you — now and the future.
Have you found a trick to avoiding burnout? Share your experience!"
Heather Booth is a Senior Fellow at NOI and President of the Midwest Academy.
