HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

BURNOUT
AND
CREATIVITY
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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. How would you define burnout?

2. What do you think causes burnout?
3. What can happen to slow down or stop your productivity?
4. Do you ever feel guilty if you haven’t been productive enough during the day? If yes, what do you
do about this?
5. How important is it for you to find a work-life balance, and what do you do to relax?

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ADVANCED (C1-C2)

BURNOUT AND CREATIVITY

2 Understanding vocabulary

Look at the words in bold in the sentences. In pairs, explain to each other what they mean. Then,
match the words to the definitions.

Part A - Vocabulary in context

1. I’m so tired all the time lately. I’ve been really suffering from insomnia.
2. Cities in the north of England, such as Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, saw great expansion during
the industrial revolution.
3. It’s difficult to explain the story. It’s quite abstract. It’s not like a typical thriller where there are
good guys and bad guys. It’s more about making you think.
4. My course on time management was amazing. I’ve adopted a lot of the ideas they gave me.
5. I can’t wait for my vacation next week. I just want to forget about work for a while and let my mind
wander.
6. I was making so much money and working really hard. But the flip side was that I never had time
for friends or my boyfriend.
7. If I want to get this essay in tomorrow, I’m going to have to pull an all-nighter.

a. a period of rapid development starting in Britain in the late 18th century. Goods started to be made
using factories.
b. existing as a thought or an idea, but not a physical reality
c. inability to sleep
d. letting your thoughts be free without focusing on one thing
e. the reverse of something, often a negative or an unwanted result
f. to stay up all night to complete a task
g. to take up or to use

Now answer the questions.

• Have you suffered from insomnia? What advice would you give to someone who did?
• Do you prefer concrete tasks or abstract tasks? Why? Can you give examples?
• What ways of working have you adopted?
• In what situations does your mind wander?
• Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? If so, what was the reason?

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ADVANCED (C1-C2)

BURNOUT AND CREATIVITY

Part B - Multi-word verbs

Now, look at the following sentences from the video. Underline the right words to complete the multi-
word verbs.

1. I was so overworked that my brain literally couldn’t come up against/with another idea.
2. You clocked in/out to your shift and were responsible for creating X number of widgets on the
assembly line.
3. You try to churn up/out as many blog posts or we cram our day full of meetings.
4. Productivity has wrapped itself around/up in our self-worth so that it’s almost impossible for us
to allow ourselves to stop working.
5. Who do you hold up/out as an example of success? Where did your ideas of work ethic come
from?
6. As a proud night owl, I free away/up my afternoons and evenings for creative work.

Now match the multi-word verbs to their definitions.

a. to mark your arrival at work with a machine that records the time
b. to create availability
c. produce, often under pressure
d. present something
e. fully involved or inseparable from something
f. produce in large quantities

Part C - Discussion

In pairs, use the work you have done in Part B to complete the following questions with prepositions.
Then, answer them.

1. Can you give an example of a time when a) you came up a really good idea and
b) you had to quickly come up some money?
2. Have you ever had a job that you had to clock to? What was it? What happened
if you were late?
3. Have you ever had to churn work very quickly? What was the situation?
4. Do you know anyone who is often wrapped up in themselves? How do they act? Are you often
wrapped in your thoughts? What kind of things are you thinking about when you
are like that?
5. Who do you hold as an example of success?
6. If you were able to free some time, what would you do with it?

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 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

BURNOUT AND CREATIVITY

3 Watching for comprehension

Now watch the video "How burnout makes us less creative" by Rahaf Harfoush and answer the
following questions.

1. Which one of the following does the speaker NOT say was a result of her burnout?

a. losing hair
b. gaining weight
c. bad skin
d. sleeplessness

2. What does the speaker say about the various time management apps she used?

a. They helped her to stay focused.

b. She became obsessed with them.
c. They made her miss important things.
d. They make things worse.

3. Which of the following does the speaker say is a problem with the way performance is measured
in the knowledge economy?

a. Companies are using the same methods as during the industrial revolution.
b. There are new ways to measure tasks like writing, problem-solving, and strategizing.
c. Measuring performance is too time-consuming.
d. Tasks now are much easier than they were during the industrial revolution.

4. Which of the following is NOT a benefit of giving our brains downtime, according to the speaker?

a. It helps us to sleep better.

b. It allows us to process social interactions.
c. It aids our morals.
d. It enables us to develop our own identity.

5. The speaker says that the problem with cultural narratives like the American Dream is ...

a. it’s possible to end up spending more money than you make.

b. we can not enjoy the success we have once we become successful.
c. we can feel as though we’re not successful because we’re not working hard enough.
d. it’s not always clear what to do in order to become successful.

6. The fact that the average US employee only takes about _____ of their paid vacation time shows
that even when taking a break is possible, many don’t.

a. 30%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 60%

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ADVANCED (C1-C2)

BURNOUT AND CREATIVITY

7. Which of the following questions does the speaker ask herself to help understand her own beliefs
about work?
a. What is your idea of success, and how do you achieve it?
b. Do you feel more successful when you work hard?
c. How much is your identity linked to what you do?
d. How much money would you like to earn?

8. Which of the following bits of advice does the speaker give?

a. Try to do all of your work at the beginning of the week.

b. Identify when you have the most energy and plan your work for then.
c. Accept that you will not get much work done during the summer.
d. See yourself as a machine and make sure you are routinely checked.

4 Talking Point

In groups or pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What is the work culture like in your company?

2. What is generally considered the best way to be successful?
3. How do you personally measure your productivity? Is this the same way your line manager measures
it? If not, how is it different?
4. What time of day, week, and year are you naturally most productive? What can you do to try and
organize your work around when you are most productive?

Now, imagine you have been asked to make some recommendations for your company to
adopt so that employees avoid burnout. What five recommendations would you make?

1. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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