Rethinking Burnout: Lessons from Adam Grant's Think Again
Instead of finding new ways to cope with impossible standards, let's ask why we bought into them in the first place.
I've been thinking about Adam Grant's Think Again a lot lately, mostly because I can't stop pondering and wondering about burnout. Since I first experienced it, it’s been on my mind and part of my waking moments, and as much as it’s nice to have a companion, I’ve been trying to get rid of it and feel as positive and enthusiastic as I used to.
As an adamant follower of Grant’s work, I’ve mentioned his work in several of my posts, and all of his books lie on my bookshelf. ‘Think Again’ book is no different. Yet, I did not open it until recent weeks — for a period now, I’ve been questioning everything I thought I knew about productivity and work culture – not in the dramatic "Quit Your Job & Move To Key West" way that the authors Christopher Shultz and David L. Sloan described fueling our desires for escapist lifestyle.
But in a quiet, persistent way that actually leads to real change. I'm walking the middle path, sort of current ideal yet a balancing act—where I get to keep my job while building something that's mine, where I still get to invest in myself through courses and learning, but without feeling like I'm drowning, wondering if I'm wasting my time, or the nagging feeling that none of it matters.
It is a lot. Basically, I want a lot.
A lot has changed since I’ve been researching burnout. Books, articles, podcasts—whatever was published, the chances are I got my hands on it.
Yet, while staring at my bookshelf during one of my writer’s blocks, my eyes fell on the ‘Think Again’ book. I took it as a sign and challenge and got to work.
I must note that ‘Think Again’ is NOT your typical book on burnout. It’s not about burnout at all.
There are many excellent books on burnout that provide actionable tips. Here are a few suggestions (I’ll add the articles on burnout in the footnote). I’ve read them, liked them, and found them helpful.
However, I like to connect books and experiences only to see what can be learned and draw conclusions, primarily if they are not written on the topic I struggle with—they offer a new perspective. Sometimes, there’s no connection, and effort is pretty pointless.
Before we begin, let me remind you of the three components that define burnout:
emotional exhaustion — “caring too much for too long.”
depersonalisation — “the depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion.”
decreased sense of accomplishment — “No matter what you do, it’s not enough.”
Resentment is a huge part of burnout. As we read the rest of the article, let's keep that in mind.
Grant's framework resonated — as always — largely because it's not about finding better ways to handle the madness. It's about stepping back and asking, 'Who said this madness is the norm?'
His main point: It's time to unlearn [all those wonky ideas about work and success that we somehow accepted as truth.]
The first big mindset shift Grant proposes is thinking like a scientist.
Burnout isn’t your personal failure—it's actually your body giving you useful information. Thinking like a scientist, in this case, means keeping tabs on your energy and thoughts and consequently beliefs instead of forcing yourself to power through. This might help you figure out why you’re hitting that wall in the first place.
[I could write the whole book about rethinking burnout, perhaps some other time.]
Here's where it gets interesting.
Grant talks about "interpersonal rethinking," which is basically a scholarly way of "questioning why you think Alex from dispatch actually cares if you respond to his email at 11 PM." The real truth? Most of the expectations we're killing ourselves to meet exist primarily in our own heads. They're just stories we've told ourselves enough times, shaped by years of workplace pressure and that one manager who told us, "Just keep grinding, and success will follow".
The following statement is not going to make me very popular.
When you actually stop and look at what's stressing you out, half the time, it's just you playing mind games with yourself.
Let's get to the bottom of this—most of the pressure we feel is self-imposed. We're out here stressing about rules that we have zero control over.
Quick detour - but stick with me here.
Have you ever heard of cognitive behavioural coaching? Yeah, I was clueless, too, until it popped up in one of my training sessions. It's basically an approach that helps you unpack why you think what you think and how those thoughts snowball into beliefs and actions.
Now, you might be wondering, 'What's this got to do with anything?' When it comes to burnout, it's a big deal.
It's basically a way to catch yourself in the act of turning minor work stuff into major life crises - and then hitting pause before they spiral out of control and leave you feeling defeated and depleted.
I will write about it in a future post, but it’s worth mentioning, as it closely ties up with the “process of questioning our assumptions” Grant wrote about.
The moment you start questioning these invisible workplace 'rules' - you know, the ones about always being on call and never saying no - you realise most of your stress isn't coming from your actual job. It's coming from all these unspoken expectations we've somehow all agreed to pretend are real.
The most compelling aspect of Grant's framework is the section about "collective rethinking" – it's about questioning the entire system that made burnout such a common experience that we needed books about it in the first place. When he discusses "collective rethinking," he's really talking about something bigger: the permission to look at our work culture and say, "This is actually insane, right?"
Soon after the pandemic, many companies responded by allowing employees to work from home; they all thought working from home would somehow magically cure burnout (though, let's be realistic, saving money on office space probably didn't hurt their decision).
Switching to remote work won't magically cure that burnt-out feeling of caring way too hard for way too long. That voice saying 'nothing's ever enough' can follow you right to your home office.
The problem wasn't just where we worked – it was how we thought about work itself. Grant's concept of intellectual humility hits differently when you realise that maybe, just maybe, there’s more to the burnout than working long hours.
I keep coming back to this one idea from the book that feels particularly relevant: the ability to unlearn is just as important as the ability to learn. For those of us, who were raised on a steady message "work harder" and "sleep when you're dead," this isn't just about changing habits –It's about breaking free from this messed-up idea that who you are is measured by how many tasks you can check off in a day.
It won’t be done in one essay, book, or class.
That it's okay – necessary, even – to pause and question the old success story and ask ourselves, ‘Is this actually what doing well looks like? And most importantly, how we think about it.
Reading ‘Think Again’ didn't magically cure my burnout (the ‘Think Again’ book has nothing to do with burnout and was not even written to help heal burnout).
What it did do was give me permission to question the narrative I'd built over the past year.
While Grant's approach to questioning everything might not transform your entire workplace culture, it might help you build your own better way of working—which is what matters here.
And yes, I wrote the draft of this article during regular working hours and finalised it just 5 minutes before I hit publish. There’s a lot more I could fit in, BUT the workload and publishing pressure is real.
My hope is that I included enough for you to start thinking about burnout, not as a result of exhausting expectations but the bad and unpopular group of beliefs and assumptions that have been running your days.
PS: This is post #15 as I work toward writing 24 essays for the Sparkle on Substack Essay Club!
If you're like me and find it hard to stick to a writing routine because, well, life happens, check out Claire Venus's Sparkle on Substack Essay Club. It's been just what I needed to keep writing regularly.
It's like you have to take the first step and what you need you find. I have just been experiencing burnout without actually thinking it's burnout and your words dear Jana just add up rightly for me. Emotional exhaustion and decreased sense of accomplishment 🙋
Time to unlearn so many things..thank you Jana 😊☀️
This... "When you actually stop and look at what's stressing you out, half the time, it's just you playing mind games with yourself."
And so much of this comes from the insuppressible need to "people please" we (especially women) are raised with. It reminds me of the phrase, "no one cares about you," which while harsh is incredibly freeing.