4 AI Prompts to Identify Burnout Warning Signs Before You Crash
AI Prompts to Stop Burnout in Its Tracks - I Wish I’d Found These Sooner
AI Prompts that turn your fuzzy “I’m tired” feelings into concrete data you can actually fix. Took 30 minutes, changed everything.
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4 AI Prompts to Catch Burnout Before It Catches You
You’re working harder than ever but getting less done. Simple decisions feel impossible. You snap at people who don’t deserve it.
Sound familiar?
You’re not lazy. You’re not losing your edge. You’re burning out and the warning signs are screaming at you.
Most people wait until they’re completely fried before doing anything about it. By then, you’ve damaged relationships, tanked your productivity, and need months to recover.
This article gives you 4 AI prompts that spot burnout warning signs early and help you course correct before you crash. You’ll get an assessment tool, an energy audit system, a boundary framework, and a recovery protocol. All copy-paste ready, all tested on real professionals dealing with this exact problem.
Why These Prompts Work Now
Burnout doesn’t announce itself. It creeps in through “just one more task” and “I’ll rest next week.”
These prompts catch it early by turning your fuzzy feelings into concrete data. Instead of wondering if you’re burned out, you’ll know exactly where you stand and what to fix first. Each prompt builds on the last one, creating a complete system that takes 30 minutes total to implement.
Prompt #1: Personal Burnout Assessment
What it does: Evaluates your current burnout risk across 8 key indicators and provides a scored breakdown
When to use it: When you’re feeling “off” but can’t pinpoint why, or as a monthly check-in
The Prompt:
Act as a burnout prevention specialist. I need you to assess my current burnout risk level.
Ask me these questions one at a time, waiting for my response before moving to the next:
1. On a scale of 1-10, how often do you feel physically exhausted even after rest?
2. How frequently do you feel cynical or detached from your work? (Daily/Weekly/Rarely)
3. In the past 2 weeks, how many times have you felt mentally foggy or unable to concentrate?
4. Rate your sleep quality lately: 1-10
5. How often are you irritable with people close to you? (Daily/Weekly/Rarely)
6. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment from your work? (Yes/Sometimes/No)
7. How many times this week did you skip meals or eat poorly due to work?
8. When was the last full day you took completely off work?
After I answer all questions, provide:
- A burnout risk score (Low/Moderate/High/Critical)
- The 3 most concerning indicators from my responses
- One immediate action I should take this weekHow to use it:
Copy the prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
Answer each question honestly (nobody sees this but you)
Save your risk score and top 3 indicators in a note
Example input:
“1. Physical exhaustion: 8/10 2. Cynical feelings: Daily 3. Mental fog episodes: 6 times 4. Sleep quality: 4/10 5. Irritability: Daily 6. Sense of accomplishment: Sometimes 7. Skipped meals: 4 times 8. Last full day off: 3 weeks ago”
What you’ll get: A clear risk assessment like “High burnout risk. Top concerns: chronic exhaustion, daily irritability, poor sleep quality. Immediate action: schedule one full rest day this weekend - no email, no slack, no work thoughts.”
Pro tip: Run this assessment on the same day each month and track your scores over time to spot patterns before they become problems.
Prompt #2: Energy Leak Audit
What it does: Identifies the specific activities, people, and commitments draining your energy fastest
When to use it: After your burnout assessment shows moderate or high risk, or when your schedule feels overwhelming
The Prompt:
You’re an energy management coach. Help me identify what’s draining my energy so I can make better decisions.
I’ll describe my typical week. For each activity or commitment I mention, rate it on:
- Energy drain (1-10, where 10 = completely depleting)
- Replaceability (Can someone else do this? Yes/No/Partially)
- Actual value (Does this move my priorities forward? High/Medium/Low)
Then create a “Cut, Delegate, or Keep” list:
- CUT: High drain, low value, replaceable
- DELEGATE: Medium-high drain, replaceable
- KEEP: High value, even if draining
- MODIFY: High drain but necessary - needs boundaries
Here’s my typical week:
[DESCRIBE YOUR WEEK - include meetings, tasks, commitments, social obligations]
Give me specific recommendations for the top 5 energy drains, including who I could delegate to or how I could modify boundaries.How to use it:
Take 10 minutes to brain dump everything you do in a typical week
Paste the prompt with your weekly description
Focus on implementing the top 3 recommendations immediately
Example input:
“Typical week: Monday morning team standup (30 min), client calls Tuesday/Thursday (2 hours each), weekly reports due Friday (4 hours to complete), evening emails (1 hour nightly), monthly volunteer committee (2 hours), weekend family obligations (6+ hours), daily social media management (90 minutes)...”
What you’ll get: A prioritized action list like “CUT: Monthly volunteer committee (drain: 8/10, value: low, replaceable: yes). DELEGATE: Weekly reports - train junior team member Sarah. MODIFY: Evening emails - set hard 7pm cutoff, batch respond only twice daily.”
Pro tip: Run this audit quarterly and watch for “scope creep” where cut items sneak back into your schedule.
You Just Got 2 Prompts That Identify Your Burnout Risk and Energy Drains
But knowing what’s wrong doesn’t fix it.
The next 2 prompts handle the hard part - actually changing your behavior before burnout becomes a full crisis:
Boundary frameworks customized to your specific weak spots
Recovery protocols that work with your actual schedule
Plus: A complete 30-day burnout prevention workshop
Prompt #3: Boundary Blueprint
What it does: Creates specific, implementable boundaries based on your energy leak audit results
When to use it: After identifying your top energy drains and before communicating changes to your team or family
The Prompt:
Act as a boundary-setting coach. Based on my energy drains and burnout risk, help me create clear boundaries I can actually enforce.
My top 3 energy drains:
[PASTE YOUR TOP 3 FROM PROMPT #2]
My main boundary-setting challenges:
[LIST WHAT MAKES BOUNDARIES HARD - guilt, people-pleasing, fear of conflict, unclear priorities, etc.]
For each energy drain, create:
1. A specific boundary statement (what you’ll do and won’t do)
2. The exact words to communicate it (scripts for different scenarios)
3. One “if-then” rule for when people push back
4. A 7-day implementation plan with daily micro-steps
Make the boundaries realistic for someone who struggles with [YOUR MAIN CHALLENGE]. Include backup plans for when I’m tempted to break my own rules.How to use it:
Pull your top 3 energy drains from Prompt #2
Be honest about why boundaries are hard for you
Pick ONE boundary to implement first, master it, then add the next
Example input:
“Top 3 energy drains: Evening emails (drain away family time), saying yes to every meeting request, taking on urgent tasks from colleagues who poor-plan.
Main challenges: Fear people will think I’m not a team player, guilt about saying no, worry I’ll miss something important.”
What you’ll get: Specific scripts like “When someone asks for evening input: ‘I handle email twice daily at 9am and 2pm. I’ll respond to this tomorrow morning.’ If they push: ‘If it’s truly urgent, call me. Otherwise it can wait 12 hours - that’s how I protect quality work time.’” Plus daily steps: “Day 1: Turn off email notifications after 6pm. Day 2: Add auto-responder with your new email windows. Day 3: Practice saying the script out loud 5 times...”
Pro tip: Share your new boundaries with one supportive person first, who can help you stay accountable when you’re tempted to cave.
Prompt #4: Recovery Protocol
What it does: Generates a personalized 2-week intensive recovery plan followed by sustainable maintenance habits
When to use it: When your burnout assessment shows high or critical risk, or when you’ve already noticed multiple warning signs
The Prompt:
You’re a burnout recovery specialist. Create a realistic 2-week recovery protocol for me, followed by long-term sustainability habits.
My current situation:
- Burnout risk level: [LOW/MODERATE/HIGH/CRITICAL from Prompt #1]
- Top 3 warning signs: [FROM PROMPT #1]
- Energy drains I’m addressing: [FROM PROMPT #2]
- New boundaries I’m setting: [FROM PROMPT #3]
My constraints:
- Can’t take extended time off work: [YES/NO]
- Available recovery time per day: [X MINUTES/HOURS]
- Weekend availability: [FULL/PARTIAL/NONE]
- Support system: [WHO CAN HELP]
Create a 14-day recovery plan with:
- Daily non-negotiable recovery actions (15-30 min max)
- Weekend deep recovery activities (if possible)
- Warning signs to watch that mean I need to adjust the plan
- How to handle inevitable setbacks without giving up
Then create a maintenance protocol: what to do weekly/monthly after the 2 weeks to prevent relapse.How to use it:
Be brutally honest about your constraints (fantasy plans don’t work)
Start the 2-week protocol within 48 hours of creating it
Set daily reminders for your non-negotiable recovery actions
Example input:
“Burnout risk: High. Top 3 signs: chronic exhaustion (8/10), daily irritability, poor sleep. Energy drains: evening work, over-committing. New boundaries: no email after 7pm, saying no to non-urgent meetings.
Constraints: Can’t take time off work. Have 30 minutes daily for recovery. Weekends are 50% available. Partner can help with dinner prep.”
What you’ll get: A day-by-day plan like “Week 1 - Days 1-3: Non-negotiable 8-hour sleep window (even if you can’t sleep, lie down), 15-min morning walk before work, delegate one task daily. Days 4-7: Add 20-min midday break away from screens, batch check email twice only, prep weekend recovery (book massage or plan nature outing). Week 2: Continue all Week 1 actions, add evening wind-down routine (no screens 30 min before bed), identify one energy-giving activity to schedule weekly. Maintenance: Monthly burnout check-ins using Prompt #1, weekly energy audits, quarterly boundary reviews.”
Pro tip: Tell your recovery plan to your most trusted colleague or friend and ask them to check in on you weekly - external accountability triples follow-through rates.
How to Use These Prompts in Sequence
Here’s your implementation roadmap for the next 30 days:
Week 1 - Assessment Phase: Run Prompt #1 on Monday morning when you’re fresh. Don’t rush it. If your score is moderate or higher, schedule 30 minutes later that week for Prompt #2. If you’re low-risk, bookmark these prompts and check back monthly.
Week 2 - Analysis Phase: Complete your energy leak audit (Prompt #2). Block 45 minutes for this, you’ll need to think through your whole week. Take the results seriously - your energy drains are costing you more than you realize. Most people discover they’re spending 10+ hours weekly on low-value, high-drain activities that could be cut or delegated.
Week 3 - Action Phase: Use Prompt #3 to create boundaries around your top energy drain only. Don’t try to fix everything at once, you’ll fail. Master one boundary first. Communicate it to relevant people by Wednesday. By Friday you should feel the difference.
Week 4 - Recovery Phase: If your initial assessment was high or critical, start Prompt #4 now. If moderate, continue with your boundary work and reassess with Prompt #1. Track what’s working, what isn’t. Adjust without judgment - recovery isn’t linear.
Pro move: Run all 4 prompts again at day 30 and compare your results. That “before and after” snapshot is powerful motivation to keep going.
Bonus Resource: 30-Day Burnout Prevention Workshop
Use this workshop structure to turn the prompts into lasting behavior change:
Week 1: Awareness
Day 1: Complete Prompt #1, share results with accountability partner
Day 3: Journal on this question: “What would my life look like if I wasn’t burned out?”
Day 5: Complete Prompt #2
Day 7: Review - which energy drain surprises you most?
Week 2: Design
Day 8: Complete Prompt #3 for your #1 energy drain
Day 10: Practice your boundary scripts with a friend (yes, actually say them out loud)
Day 12: Implement your first boundary
Day 14: Checkpoint - what resistance are you facing?
Week 3: Recovery
Day 15: Start Prompt #4 recovery protocol
Day 17: Mid-recovery check - what’s working?
Day 21: Add one energy-giving activity to your week
Day 21: Review your sleep quality, has it improved?
Week 4: Sustainability
Day 22: What boundary are you ready to add next?
Day 25: Create your maintenance calendar (monthly Prompt #1, quarterly Prompt #2)
Day 28: Write down 3 early warning signs you’ll watch for
Day 30: Complete Prompt #1 again, compare to day 1 results
Workshop prompts for deeper work:
What stories do you tell yourself about why boundaries are impossible?
Who benefits from your current burnout state? (harsh question but necessary)
What permission do you need to give yourself to prioritize recovery?
If you don’t change anything, where will you be in 6 months?
Advanced Tips
Platform variations: ChatGPT excels at the conversational back-and-forth in Prompt #1. Claude gives more nuanced boundary scripts in Prompt #3 because it reads context better. Gemini can pull in calendar data if you give it access, making Prompt #2 more accurate.
Power user moves: Create a master doc where you track all 4 prompts monthly. The longitudinal data reveals patterns you can’t see week-to-week. Share your boundary scripts with your team proactively rather than waiting for violations - this prevents 90% of boundary conflicts.
Chain the prompts with your calendar. Run Prompt #1 on the 1st of each month. If moderate or high, schedule time for Prompts 2-4 immediately. Block recovery time like you’d block meetings - it’s just as critical.
Use voice-to-text for the prompts when you’re too tired to type. Burnout affects your ability to write clearly, don’t let that stop you from getting help.
Create template responses for common boundary violations and keep them in a note on your phone. When someone emails at 9pm, you just paste and send instead of agonizing over the “right” words.
Final pro tip: The prompts work but only if you actually use them. Set a recurring reminder right now before you close this tab. Because burnout doesn’t take breaks, and neither should your prevention system.
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