Advancing in a career can come with a variety of benefits — the more expert one becomes, the more one is sought out for guidance and perspective. Invitations to give talks, serve in leadership roles, and weigh in on big decisions begin to accumulate. And before long, others come to you with requests for mentorship as they embark on their own journeys.

Over time, however, the barrage of requests for mentorship from junior members of the team can become distracting, tedious, and a source of burnout, particularly when such interactions go unrecognized by your organization. This is a phenomenon particularly familiar to those in demographics underrepresented in the higher tiers of a profession.

Managing mentorship and preventing burnout requires specific tactics for success. In this article, we present five solutions based on years of experience mentoring undergraduates, graduate students, post-graduate trainees, and young faculty that have culminated in the creation of team-based mentorship programs in our fields. These five strategies will help you actively manage mentorships more efficiently and sustainably throughout your career.