2171: How to Enjoy Work (Even When You're Busy And Kind of Overwhelmed) by Sarah Von Bargen of Yes and Yes on Work-Life Balance
Optimal Work DailySeptember 10, 2026
2171
00:10:29

2171: How to Enjoy Work (Even When You're Busy And Kind of Overwhelmed) by Sarah Von Bargen of Yes and Yes on Work-Life Balance

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Episode 2171:

Sarah Von Bargen explains that saying no and taking on less is not always an option at work, so the goal becomes enjoying the busy season rather than escaping it. She offers eight practical moves, from scheduling genuinely restorative breaks and keeping a file of kind notes to eating away from your desk and guarding the boundary between work and play. The through line is that burning yourself out borrows from work you have not done yet.

Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.yesandyes.org/2015/11/how-to-enjoy-your-professional-life-even-when-youre-insaaaanely-busy-kind-of-overwhelmed.html

Quotes to ponder:

"When you wear yourself down and burn yourself out, you're compromising the quality of your work and you're borrowing from future productivity and creativity."

"Ferociously guard the boundaries between work and play."

"Taking a break - and spending that break really relaxing and rejuvenating - is an investment in yourself and your work."

Optimal Work Daily is a daily career advice podcast where we narrate the best articles on productivity, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance, read to you by a professional narrator so you can grow your career a little more every day.

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