Burnout is not unusual. It's a physical exhaustion brought on by protracted, unrelieved stress. If the human body is under stress for long periods of time, every day, then eventually the body will break down, and take the mind with it. The precise mechanism is not known; it's assumed to be a breakdown in the endocrine system that manages stress.
What distinguishes burnout from just plain stress is the inability to care; not because you are bored or apathetic, but because caring requires an insurmountable effort. People who are burnt out are disengaged. Going through the motions. Blunted. And unable to relax or breathe; any stress or unexpected activity will set them twitching. Because it's brought on by prolonged stress over a period of weeks or months, it's not an exhaustion that is cured by a couple of nights of good sleep. Because it's physical, it's not something that focus or willpower will fix. Trying to work through burnout will only make it worse. And denying burnout exists because you don't have room in it for your life... well. I'll tell you about a man I know who refused to admit to physical limitations. He worked until he collapsed on the floor of the server room and had to be taken to a hospital bed.
Of course, if you're burnt out already, you are not in a position to fully appreciate it. In fact, one of the ironies in burnout is that the more burnt you are, the less able you are to effectively manage yourself and your stress levels.
The interesting thing about burnout is that it's not brought on by prolonged periods of work. Work in itself is fine -- it's stress which is the problem. And what causes stress is not work.
I remember a study that measured the amount of stress that an executive and a secretary went through in a day by measuring their cortisol levels. What they found was that even though the executive was making decisions and working moment to moment more than the secretary was, the secretary was under more stress. Why? Because although the executive was doing more, he had more control over his decisions and his environment. The secretary was interrupted on a regular basis, was multitasking far more than the executive, and had less control over what was happening at work. The same results have been found in lab rats: what gives rats the most stress is not receiving electric shocks, but the uncertainty of possibly being given an electric shock. What causes stress is lack of control, and more basically a lack of respect.
That's why Christina Maslach defines burnout as:
"The index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in values, dignity, spirit, and willan erosion of the human soul. It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time, putting people into a downward spiral from which its hard to recover."
In some ways, burnout is the end result of a reaction to stress. When people used to doing a good job feel out of control or lacking in respect, then they'll work harder or try to take on their environment. They might feel in control or respected while they are working long hours or dealing with a stressful situation, but that will only last until they use up their reserves.
So what do you do about burnout?
1) Just about every article I've read says that you should consider quitting your job. I understand if this isn't an option.
2) Learn how to say no at work. Let go of things that aren't your responsibility.
3) Go home. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You will only be able to do so much work in a day, no matter how much work you put in.
4) Relax. Accept that there will be time when you get home and don't feel like doing anything. Lie there and practice blinking.
5) Meditate. Meditation's a little strange at first, but studies prove it has a positive impact on stress and mood. Here's how it works: you sit down, crosslegged, on a cushion. You set a timer for ten minutes. You count your breath on every exhale, from one to four. When you pass four, you count from one again. And you don't try to think about anything else. You may notice thoughts passing through your brain, but you focus on counting breaths. For ten minutes.
There's more to it than that, of course. But that's really it -- the idea is to be able to focus on one thing without getting distracted. (Or thinking of a pink elephant. Oops.)
5) Delegate. Whil Hentzen recommends getting an administrative assistant. He goes into it in some detail, but the basic idea is that there are any number of small, non-technical tasks in the course of the day that could be passed off to someone specifically for doing those jobs. I've often thought this would be a great idea; my parents work in film and video work, and it's common practice to have someone who can fill in when needed.
6) Vacation. I've heard various people refer to this as "unplugging." I'm not sure I buy this route; it seems to be a short term solution that doesn't really address the problem.
The best thing you can do is be aware that it is real, it does exist, and that, left untreated, it can cause problems that are not easily solved. The New York Post has an excellent article on burnout, although it tends to meander towards the end.There are a couple of articles that really nail the experience of burnout:It's Not Just You: Exploring the causes of worker burnout (which has a link to What Makes the Job Tough? The Influence of Organizational Respect on Burnout in Human Services, a PDF that is the basis of the article) and Job Burnout. I highly recommend you read them.