A friend shared this nugget with me today, from a Gallup article:

There are two kinds of people in this world: splitters and blenders

• • Splitters prefer to have clear boundaries between their work and personal time.
  • Blenders prefer to mix work and personal time, moving fluidly between the two throughout the day.

Immediately I realised that this summed up one of the reasons I ended up exhausted and burnt out. Up until that point, I had been a blender.

Of course, that wasn't the only factor – I was also trying to please all of the people all of the time, and none of those people were me. But I also spent all day task-switching, proud of my ability to "multi-task". (I use the quote marks on purpose – it has been shown time and time again that there's no such thing.)

I thought I was being super-efficient, super-agile. The reality, though, that while I was trying to be the best at everything all at once, I was failing at everything, and wearing out my poor body and brain. My brain, in particular, was on constant high alert, always watching for the next curveball, the next person who needed me, the next fire I would have to put out.

I was essentially inducing a state of hypervigilance on purpose. It's no wonder I ended up completely worn out in every respect.

As I learnt true self-care and how to put boundaries in place on my road to recovery, part of the process saw me moving from blender to splitter. And it's been life-changing.

I now keep strict office hours – I see friends and run errands on the weekends or in the evenings, when I'm not at work. I do one thing at a time. I try (not always successfully) to watch TV, read, sew, do DIY projects or play the piano with my phone in another room. I don't work on the weekends or after hours.

The net result is that it's easier to manage my energy levels. My brain isn't scattered in a million different directions. I work faster because I'm focused. I work better because I'm focused. I get tired when my workload is high, sure, but I prioritise rest, and I bounce back faster.

It's worth thinking about – are you a blender or a splitter? More importantly, whichever you are, is it working for you? And I need you to be honest with yourself. Because sometimes we can rationalise ourselves into exhaustion with very faulty thinking that usually starts with some variation of "I have to..."

It's a busy time of year. If you feel like you're stretched in a million directions and need help quieting your busy brain, I can help. I've helped myself; I've helped many of my clients to regain focus, calm and clarity.

Now, doesn't that sound like something worth pursuing?