Mentis- Write out everything you're carrying, in one place. Then mark what was asked of you and what you picked up yourself.
- Sort the stress into "in my hands" and "not in my hands".
- Close each workday on paper: done, next, where I'll start.
Why journal about work?
Burnout researchers Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter describe six areas where a job can fit or pinch: workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). When stress is vague, you can't tell which one is hurting. Writing pins it down. In India it matters more than most places: in a McKinsey Health Institute survey, 59% of Indian employees reported burnout symptoms.
The honest look
- Think of a recent bad day at work. When did it start going wrong, and what was the first thing?
- What happened in the middle, the thing that made it a bad day? And how did it end: did work stop, or just pause?
- What did I carry home afterwards? Finish the sentence: "The worst part was ___."
- Which is worse right now: the amount of work, or how little say I have over it?
- Six parts of work, 1 to 5 for how well each fits this week: the amount, my say, support, what comes back, fairness, what matters to me. Which costs most?
- What's the one thing that would make the biggest difference at work right now?
- What have I already tried, and what happened?
From "Walk Through One Bad Day" and "Work-Fit Check: Six Areas" in the first chapter.
Where work stops
- For the last three days, when did work actually stop? Not the official time, the real one.
- What pulls me back in after I've stopped for the day?
- What do I think happens if I don't reply after my finish time? Write the worst version.
- The expectation that I'm available after hours: is it actually my manager's, or has it become mine?
- The evening the office group was muted: what did I actually miss?
- My close, the way I'll actually do it: what I write down, what I shut, where the phone goes.
One thing at a time
- Yesterday, each time I lost the thread, what pulled me off: people, mail, chat, or my own hand reaching for the phone?
- When in the day can I think clearly? Is any of it protected?
- This week, what did I actually finish, start to end? What did those have in common?
- What would I do with two genuinely uninterrupted hours?
What I'm carrying
- Everything I'm carrying at work right now, one line each. All of it.
- From that list: which were asked of me, and which did I pick up myself?
- What am I carrying that nobody actually asked me to?
- The hours my list really needs this week, versus the hours I really have. What's the gap?
- If I could drop exactly one thing, what would it be? Who would I need to tell?
Steady when it spikes
- What sets off the spike, specifically? Name the pattern, not just "work".
- When a day starts tipping, what's the first thing I notice, in my body or in what I do?
- Who gets the fallout at home when work spikes? What would they say they notice?
- The spike I can see coming this week, and the one thing I'll do when it comes.
A quick reset for that moment: two physiological sighs.
Having a say, and getting something back
- Where in my day do I actually have room, even a little: the order, the how, the when?
- What have I stopped asking for, because I assume the answer is no?
- What's genuinely fixed about my job, and what have I simply accepted?
- What am I getting back for what I put in: money, respect, a future? Which one is missing?
- Three things that went right this week, and why each went right.
- Who is helped by what I did today, even indirectly?
Not carrying it alone
- Who, at work or outside it, actually knows what my day is like?
- What stops me asking for help at work? What would I need to believe to ask?
- Does work still feel like something I do, rather than something I am?
Going further
These prompts follow the nine chapters of the Mentis Work stress plan, built for Indian work weeks: long commutes, WhatsApp groups that never sleep, and managers who message at 10pm. Read our guide to work stress and burnout. If stress is spreading into your sleep, appetite or health, the first move is a person: a doctor, your company's employee assistance programme, or a counsellor.
Frequently asked questions
Can journaling help with burnout?
Journaling won't change your workload, but it helps you see it clearly: what's actually being asked, what you've taken on yourself, and where you have room. That clarity is what lets you ask for something specific. If burnout is affecting your sleep, appetite or health, talk to a doctor.
How do I stop thinking about work after hours?
Give the day a deliberate close: write what's done, what's next, and where you'll start tomorrow. Then shut the laptop properly. The 'close rule' prompts below come from the 'Where work stops' chapter.
What should I write about a bad day at work?
Walk through it in order: when it started going wrong, the moment that made it bad, and how it ended. Then finish with one sentence. Getting the sequence out stops the day replaying all evening.
Is work stress common in India?
Very. In a McKinsey Health Institute survey, 59% of Indian employees reported symptoms of burnout, among the highest of the countries surveyed.
- McKinsey Health Institute. (2023). Working nine to thrive: survey of employee mental health across 30 countries.
- Maslach C, Leiter MP. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry 15(2):103–111.
- Lieberman MD et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science 18(5):421–428.