How to avoid burnout in L&D
Burnout can make you feel isolated. it’s not. Your friend, colleague, or colleague is feeling it at any time. And as long as there is work, it exists. So the problem is not new. There is a fix for that. But how can you find modifications to a specific educational design (ID) and learning and development (L&D) scenario? A good place to get started is to see the classics.
Remember the sense of inspiration you gained when you first discovered a new way to design an e-learning experience? A rush of excitement and anticipation when unfolding new aspects of the LMS program? It can re-utilise that energy and help shut down burnout before it starts. So go ahead and give a happy reminder. A good place to see is the best educational design books, including classics, hidden gems, and the latest bestsellers.
These helpful books and texts can provide useful reminders to approaches/methods you may not have used in a while, or provide a new angle to the challenges you are currently facing. Or even offer ideas for new approaches that you’ve never tried before. Regardless of the details, it is very likely that one of the books featured in that article can provide some kind of assistance or support. Or at least, rather than highlighting a sense of isolation or just being just you for everything at once for everything, remind yourself of some design concepts and ideas that can be applied to your situation.
We work with the old and the new
Innovation has always been a key element of successful L&D programs, and educational designers have been inventing new and creative ways to implement courses and programs for decades. After all, it’s very satisfying to generate new ideas and see them grow, evolve and succeed.
Certainly there are classic approaches to building programs and new trends that continue each year. Both approaches provide a good opportunity for ID and L&D experts to update their perspective, drive changes and combat the onset of burnout. Doing something new has feelings of excitement and positive energy.
Considering trends since 2025, one item clearly rises to the top: Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s everywhere and we’ve rarely heard this question: “How can you save time/money using AI?”
You can find the answer by planning your actions strategically and carefully. For example, let’s say you apply an action mapping to design a new course targeted at cost avoidance. These efforts can be complemented with AI tools that allow you to quickly create underlying content and personalize courses. result? New courses that solve the specific challenges the organization was facing, created in ways that save time and encourage participation. Furthermore, burnout sentiment has become the backseat, as we actively create and implement e-learning using old and new tools.
AI isn’t just new things worth trying. Take a look at the e-learning trends of L&D experts and educators to see what other options are worth. You will never know what new ideas will inspire your next project’s efforts.
Let’s move forward together
Working as a part of a small team or even as a solo coaching designer can certainly contribute to a sense of isolation and burnout. Sometimes fighting a good fight can be exhausting, with little rewards and in between, it can be far from there. The thing is, none of us is alone. Online communities are everywhere. In reality, it can be difficult to find something worth participating.
A surefire way to get started is to search for online platforms for industry professionals who actively post or contribute ideas to the community they belong to. Follow LinkedIn This list of top eLearning experts will help you find a personality worth following. Or it could help inspire ideas about how you can identify ways to combat burnout.
And don’t be surprised if you follow along with current topics or engage in discourse with your peer community reveal more ideas to alleviate burnout. For example, a recent Reddit thread included some commentary on how different types of learning can be seen from different organizational perspectives. The more basic type is simply risk/compliance/mitigation training that needs to be done. They are likely not considered strategic, and can be approached accordingly by instructor designers when creating or managing them.
However, on the other hand, topics that are more strategic for an organization, and e-learning courses that focus on them, can be seen in different ways. Perhaps it will provide your ID with more creativity opportunities about how they make it.
So, while everyone may feel like one or a few, these online communities can not only crush that feeling, but also help you identify new ideas and best practices that can be applied.
The conclusion is
Burnout is everywhere. It affects everyone. But there are ways to avoid it, work through it, and overcome it. The ID and L&D fields are less sensitive to burnout than the other fields, and nothing more. But what makes them unique is not just their own, but their position to deal with it for the people they support.
Certainly, you can find inspiration by browsing classic ID/L&D books and materials. Or, couple a proven design concept using new technologies and ideas like AI to develop an e-learning course. You can also join a peer network and be proactive about how to avoid burnout.
And you can take it all a step further. We can use approaches that help us fight day-to-day burnout and apply them to other learners we support. Perhaps it involves creating a course on how burnout affects everyone and how it can be managed.
For more ideas and conversations, we recommend joining the ISPring Learning Exchange community and interacting with fellow L&D specialists from around the world.
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