How to avoid burnout in your first month on the job

Starting a new job can be exciting and intense. But most new hires fall into traps that can lead straight to burnout: going all-out to impress their bosses, or just trying to survive the transition. The problem isn’t that new jobs are demanding—it’s that these default approaches often work against you. 

Shooting for work-life balance from the start isn’t the answer, as it sets unrealistic expectations around work’s role at this early stage and can leave the wrong impression. To be sure, you want to establish positive norms. Instead, think about work-life sustainability. 

Your first month will require more time and energy than the long-term,but you can navigate it strategically without burning out. Start by motivating, focusing, and managing your effort.

Own Your Motivation to Fuel Your Effort 

Creating motivation behind our work directly impacts our success. According to research by BetterUp, motivation accounts for 80% of what drives our performance. While many of us look to our employers to create meaning in our work, we can take control in shaping motivation for ourselves.

Dr. Ayelet Fishbach, an expert on motivation, writes in her book Get It Done about how we can “pull” ourselves by shaping our circumstances. We have more agency to motivate ourselves than we realize, driving our actions and feeding our energy. 

You can build your motivation through three strategies: 

1. Link the role to your personal values. Connect to what is meaningful and matters to you, along with how it aligns to who you are. Doing so taps into what’s called “identified motivation,” and academic studies have shown it leads to more satisfaction, higher persistence, and greater goal attainment.
2. Ask your leader for stories about your work’s real-world impact. According to research by Adam Grant, making such associations can increase motivation up to 400%.
3. Be strategic about cultivating relationships with positive, self-motivated colleagues—while avoiding energy-draining cynics. The people you surround yourself with not only provide an essential support system to help you achieve your goals, but their attitude is also contagious. Avoid going negative about the job at the start, which can drain your energy and undermine your motivation.

Strategically Focus Your Effort to Build Confidence

New hires are often overeager and take on too much. This can be exhausting and counterproductive, not allowing you to focus your effort where it will matter to gain confidence and demonstrate competence. Instead, prioritize what actually matters in your first 30 days.

Start by managing your own expectations for performance. In your first month, you’re in learning mode more than proving mode. Invest time in understanding cultural norms in your organization and on your team.

Next, work with your leader to get crystal clear on priorities and what good and great outputs look like in your first 30, 60, and 90 days. With this clarity, you can channel your effort to gradually build confidence without overextending yourself.

When it comes to your development, even in your first month, don’t wait for your manager to direct your learning. Demonstrate your commitment to improvement by owning your growth. Proactively seek feedback to clarify expectations, course-correct, and continuously improve. In this way, you can prove your growing competence to your leader and build professional self-efficacy.

Proactively Manage Your Energy to Sustain Your Effort and Yourself 

Going all-out when you start a new job won’t be sustainable, and managing your time isn’t sufficient. It helps to be discerning about your energy management, considering two human states: using your energy and replenishing it.

Manage your effort to avoid exhaustion with these strategies: 

1. Be selective about what is worthy of your hard work. Not every task deserves equal investment. Know where it matters to put in the effort, keeping in mind your leader’s expectations. Before diving too deep into deliverables, challenge perfectionist tendencies by asking, “Is this good enough?” Seek feedback to ensure you’re moving in the right direction before investing excessive time.
2. Be smart in setting boundaries around life and work to protect what sustains you. Disconnecting from work and turning off devices is critical for sustaining ourselves. But checking out can backfire without demonstrating commitment. When establishing boundaries around your work hours and responsiveness, be transparent, build mutual trust, and avoid surprises. Work collaboratively with your leader, consider team norms, and remain adaptable as you learn your team’s rhythm.
3. Know what you require and have a plan in place to support sustaining your energy. During the intense period when you first start a role, you’re unlikely to be able to do all that you’d ideally want. Small actions can help, like taking regular breaks throughout your day (half of knowledge workers skip this, despite the proven benefits of short pauses like brief walks, daydreaming, and mindfulness).
4. Participate in activities that allow you to psychologically detach from work for mental and emotional recovery. Active pursuits like sports or creative activities restore our energy better than passive ones like scrolling social media or watching TV.

Your first month at a job starts to set in place long-term patterns. The professionals who thrive aren’t those who sprint hardest at the start—they’re the ones who build sustainability from day one. These practices can help you avoid getting on a path to burnout and can position you as a resilient professional.