How To Avoid And Fix Burnout
Key Points:
Burnout is caused by;
Too many hours of studying
Too many days of studying
Not having a Why
You may be a study star. Flying high and shining bright. But stars burn out eventually. And burnout is one of the biggest reasons why people never pass the CPA Exams.
Burnout is caused by 3 things.
Studying too long
Studying too much
Lack of purpose
1) Most people study for the CPA exam for 2-4 months. If you find yourself at month 6 with no exam date scheduled, you are a likely candidate for burnout. Studying for the CPA Exam is a lot of work. If you just do it for months on end with no end in sight you’re just banging your head against a wall for no reason.
Schedule your exam. Get it on the calendar. Even if you don’t feel ready. It’s better to give yourself an end date and work towards that. The alternative is you study until the end of time or until you can’t take 1 more MCQ. Whichever comes first.
2) Studying too much is the quickest route to burnout. It could be as little as a week. You might have all the motivation and drive in the world. You buy all your materials, schedule your exam, and create a beautifully crafted study plan. But if that plan entails you studying 6 hours a day on top of your full time job… I don’t think you’ll stick to that for too long
You need to set reasonable and sustainable study goals. If your study plan absolutely destroys your life then you need to reconsider.
Yes, the CPA Exam is going to take sacrifice on your end, but it should not ruin your life. If your study plan is ruining your life, you will either not stick to it and get burnt out, or ruin your life. Neither is great.
So make a study plan you can actually stick to. Obviously it will take work, but make sure it’s sustainable work. And if you want help creating your perfect study plan, just email me and I can help you out.
3) If you’re doing something hard you better have a darn good reason for doing it. If you don’t even know why you are trying to become a CPA you’re not going to dig deep when the going gets tough. Why would you? You don’t even really want this. Or maybe you’re not sure why you do want it?
Either way, you need a purpose. Something that drives you forward. Something you can remember when things get tough. Remind yourself why you are making all this sacrifice. It is an essential part of you study plan. Learn about how to find or create your purpose here.
