High trait conscientiousness can lead to burnout

High trait conscientiousness can lead to burnout.

The only way to achieve inner peace for those of us with high trait conscientiousness is to address our responsibilities as they come up in a systematic way, either dealing with them immediately, or assigning resources and time to deal with them, or delegating them to a trusted person.

We can never “finish” all our responsibilities. There will be no zero inbox, empty to-do list, etc. for us. Instead, we have a perpetual stream of new things, new ambitions, and new responsibilities to grow into.

Lose ends will weigh on our minds until we address them. The mental overhead caused by unattended responsibilities will stress us, wasting our limited mental and emotional energy. We can’t let it go. We can only get it done.

If this description feels like you, I have a solution.

Try this right now. Write down a list of all the things (framed as responsibilities) currently taking up real estate in your mind. Now assign time tomorrow, at least one hour, to begin prioritizing them; mark it in your calendar.

Tomorrow you will sort your list by importance. No two responsibilities can have the same importance. Everything is either greater or lesser than everything else. A hierarchy.

Next, you will take the top 10 responsibilities and apply this filter. Ask, “Do I have the power to solve this on my own?” If so, allocate a specific time on your schedule and do it. If not, break down the task into smaller parts. For each part, ask the previous question.

Keep breaking the responsibility down until you have fully identified what parts you have power over and what you do not have power over. Plan specific time and set aside resources to get it done. Then do it.

Can you gain power over the parts you currently do not have power over? Can you “twist somebodies arm” to get control over it? If yes, plan a specific time and do it. Make it so.

Note the parts you truly have no control over. You should try to build a life with as few of these situations as possible; however, none of us are omnipotent, and yet all of us are responsible for the path of our lives and therefore must deal with what is beyond our power.

It is our responsibility and duty as high-trait consciousness people to learn how to let go of the parts we have no control over so that we may focus our energy on the parts we do have control over. This is wisdom.

Some will trust these things to God, or the universe, or some other higher power. Find what works for you, and in this way you may have peace.