Explore six areas of work that may be draining you, then make a small plan for change, recovery and support.
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Based on Leiter & Maslach's Areas of Worklife framework.
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WHO describes burnout (opens in a new tab) as an occupational phenomenon associated with chronic workplace stress: exhaustion, increased distance or cynicism towards work, and reduced professional efficacy. These describe the experience. The six factors below explore working conditions that may be contributing.
This worksheet is for working adults, including people on leave or working for themselves. It can help you organise what to discuss or change. It cannot establish a diagnosis, measure severity or set a recovery timetable.
Take the short route: choose one factor, name a needed change and identify support. Every question is optional.
A fictional example, not a client story.
Think about a recent period that feels representative. A few words are enough. You do not need to prove that things are bad enough to deserve support.
Changes in sleep, energy, mood or concentration can have several causes. They do not establish burnout on their own.
What takes more effort than before? When, if at all, do you feel some relief?
Workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values are six areas where a mismatch with your work can contribute to burnout. You can explore any of them, including the ones that are supporting you.
The framework comes from Leiter and Maslach's Areas of Worklife research (opens in a new tab). These are original reflection prompts, not items from the Areas of Worklife Survey or Maslach Burnout Inventory. There is no score.
Choose what needs attentionChoose up to two factors. You can leave this open if you are unsure. A manageable plan can start with one conversation or request for support.
0 of up to 2 factors selected
Consider what recovery needsWhat might help you have some time that feels less demanding? Choose one option if it fits, or describe something else in your next steps.
These options draw on research on recovery experiences (opens in a new tab). They are possibilities to explore, not treatments or a list you need to complete. Recovery may also require changes to working conditions.
Make a small planAll fields are optional. Name what needs to change even if you cannot change it alone. You can print a partial plan and return to the questions on paper.
For example: new work needs an agreed priority and an adjusted deadline elsewhere.
Keep it specific enough to act on, and small enough for the energy you have.
A check-in on what changed, not a deadline to be recovered.
“At the moment, ____. It is affecting ____. Could we agree ____? If that is not possible, what other adjustment could we make?”
Use this only if a conversation feels appropriate. You decide what to share.
Your plan will contain what you chose to include. Blank areas stay open for later; there is no score and no judgement about how much you completed.
Nothing is saved here. Print or save your plan as a PDF before you leave.
Burnout, depression and anxiety can overlap. This worksheet cannot distinguish them. If fatigue is persistent or unexplained, or daily life is becoming difficult, speak with a GP or another appropriate health professional. Research on overlap (opens in a new tab); when to seek medical advice (opens in a new tab).
If you would like to explore your experience in psychotherapy, you are welcome to get in touch. Your worksheet answers are not included in any enquiry.
The frameworks are researched. This particular worksheet has not been clinically validated or tested as a treatment. Its purpose is to help you reflect and plan.
Leiter and Maslach's six areas (opens in a new tab) organise possible mismatches between a person and their work. The Job Demands–Resources model (opens in a new tab) also directs attention to demands and the resources available. Neither framework means that a checkbox establishes the cause of your experience.
Sonnentag and Fritz's research (opens in a new tab) distinguishes detachment, relaxation, mastery and control during time away from work. These concepts inform the recovery options here. The study does not establish that this exercise treats burnout.
WHO's workplace guidelines (opens in a new tab) include organisational and individual approaches. A 2023 meta-analysis (opens in a new tab) found a small reduction in exhaustion following organisational interventions, with very low quality of evidence. We cannot promise that a particular adjustment will resolve burnout.
The six areas are a useful framework, not every possible explanation. Burnout research (opens in a new tab) considers both the person and their work context. The prompts here are original; this is not the Areas of Worklife Survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory or a substitute for assessment.
Workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values are the six areas in Leiter and Maslach's Areas of Worklife framework. Mismatches in these areas can contribute to burnout. They describe working conditions to explore, not six symptoms or an exhaustive list of causes.
No. This is an original reflection and planning exercise, not a validated assessment or diagnostic test. There is no total score or severity label. It can help you describe your experience and decide what support or changes to explore.
The stress map helps you organise current stressors, notice their effects and choose small practices. This burnout recovery worksheet looks more closely at six areas of working life, what needs to change and who can help make those changes.
You can mark that a change needs agreement or organisational action, or that it does not feel safe to raise. Consider confidential advice before a difficult conversation. The worksheet does not assume you can leave your job, take leave or negotiate freely.
Yes, you can reflect on your usual work even while on leave, and on clients, schedules and support if you are self-employed. Caring responsibilities can affect your available energy. WHO's burnout definition is specific to work; this is not a specialised assessment of parental, student or autistic burnout.
There is no timetable this worksheet can establish. A review date is a chance to check what changed in your demands, support and daily functioning. It is not a deadline to be recovered. A clinician can help assess persistent or substantial symptoms.
Yes. You can download a blank PDF without signing up, or use the interactive worksheet and print your plan. Your answers are held only in this page's temporary browser memory. They are not sent to Rui Psychotherapy or included in analytics. Answers are not saved for later; print or save your plan before refreshing, leaving or closing the page.
Participation and sharing should be voluntary. Let people keep their own worksheets; do not use individual answers as performance assessments. Workload, staffing and fairness may need organisational decisions. Singapore's tripartite advisory (opens in a new tab) offers guidance on workplace mental health and after-hours communication.
Explore training and workshopsEducational information, not a substitute for individual medical or psychological care. You are welcome to use this original worksheet personally or in a voluntary discussion with acknowledgement of Rui Psychotherapy.