
Dealing with Burnout - When Less is More
Burnout can be debilitating to your continued success as a blogger or other content creator. Avoid creation overwhelm and fatigue with these tips.
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Creator burnout is real. Whether itās just because you get tired of pushing yourself to odd hours every day ā without even taking weekends off ā or if you reach this breaking point while under a bout of depression, burn out is real.
Itās so easy to think āThat wonāt be me. I can sustain this.ā But we see it time and time again in various industries. I thought I could handle the workload I was putting on myself, but I couldnāt.
Once all that is over, itās even worse trying to come back to everything you left behind. I feel like Iāve personally disappointed people. That has spiraled out into crippling anxiety that Iām just now starting to pull through.
This post is going to be a little different than what youād normally see around here because I want to addressĀ why Iāve had an eight-month hiatus and what Iām doing to make sure it doesnāt happen again.
What Caused My Burnout
Iāve noticed three big things happen when Iām headed towards burnout; I have a lot of unfinished projects, I have a hard time focusing, and I see little or no results even though Iām putting in a massive amount of effort.
Too many unfinished ideas
Iām the type of person who has tons and tons of ideas and tries to do them all. Which would be okay, except that I try to do them all at once. Instead of focusing on one or two things, Iām all over the place. Itās ridiculous, really.
- I needed to set up email sequences.
- I had 329483029432 ideas for courses.
- I wanted to create a membership site.
And so on, and so on, and so on.
I have so many outlines of ideas I had. Every time I had one outlined, Iād come up with another. I would even come up with new ideas while in the middle of outlining one.
That brings me to my next hiccup:
Lack of focus
Okay, this one is really hard for me. I had so many āgreat ideas!ā that I never really focused on one single thing, finished it, and then moved to the next. Even when I first started this blog post, I stopped and it took me a week to come back to it.
Rather than try to do EVERYTHING, I really need to focus on doing one thing. Otherwise, Iām stuck with 1 million half-way done projects and nothing to show for it.
Working too hard with no results
Last year and the year before, I was constantly working. I didnāt put aside much time for fun. I workedĀ so muchĀ but didnāt really get much done. I focused so much on creating āthe ultimate free product!ā that I only made about 5 sales of my paid product, and that product I released in December, right before I totally crashed.
This is the thing that always gets me in my work. I push myself too hard and eventually, itās no longer fun. I canāt stand to even think about creating another hairstyle or writing another blog post. Itās always a feeling that I recognize in advance, but I never do anything about it. Thatās where it goes all wrong for me.
Burnout and Depression
The most damaging thing about my burnouts is that for me, itās a trigger for depression. Once Iāve managed to wipe out, I donāt have the will to doĀ anything. Everything is exaggeratingly difficult, even things I would normally enjoy.
In the end, I completely shut down. My friends and family may not hear or see me for days. I donāt eat well and I lose pride in keeping up my appearance.
Iām overcome with feelings of not being good enough. I feel like the whole universe is stacked against me.
This goes on for weeks, sometimes months. I donāt have access to a therapist so I just have to ride it out and deal with whatever fallout comes my way once I feel like I can return to society.
In a way, being an entrepreneur is a blessing because I have the ability to take an extended mental health break when I need to. I know others are not so fortunate.
I wish I had some solid advice for managing a depression fueled burnout, but honestly, all I can do here is share my story. If youāve ever experienced this before, know that youāre not alone. I also have several friends who have had similar depressive episodes.
What I Learned by Taking a Step Back
After all of this, I ended up with two similar-but-different websites. One eventually got pushed backstage and I never really updated it again. Iām not really mad that it happened, though.
In moving on from Blogging Butterfly, I was subconsciously shifting focus to something I enjoyed more. I love graphic design. I was so excited to find that it was something bloggers did. I was excited to find and share tutorials and also create my own.
In the same breath (basically) I also found a love for exploring Product Hunt and BetaList, finding various tools and services that I could use in my business. Originally, I meant to post about them here at Blog + Create. After my hiatus, though, Iāve had time to sit back and realize that I really need to niche down even further.
In doing so, Iāll have something focused that I can work on, and I know itās something that Iāll enjoy. Itāll be much easier to communicate with my target audience, too.
Iām now really excited to get back into the swing of things, but in a way that more sustainable for an extended period of time.
Top Tips to Avoid Creator Burnout
Having experienced burnout several times in my career, Iāve compiled a list of things I do or donāt do so well to combat burnout.
The trick is to be able to identify the warning signs and know how to avoid them. So these are things Iām going to be actively changing from here on out.
[click_to_tweet tweet=ā9 ways to avoid falling victim to burnout as a content creator or small business owner #BloggingTips #ContentCreation #SmallBizā quote=āShare on Twitter: ā9 ways to avoid falling victim to burnout as a content creator or small business owner #BloggingTips #ContentCreation #SmallBiz'ā]
1. Stop doing SO MUCH
Slow down, take a load off, relax.Ā Focus on finishing one thing at a time. I know all your ideas are important but remember you really only need to do one thing really well. Focus on that one thing, then see how you feel about the other things.
2. Schedule your time
Having a schedule isnāt just for releasing content or products. Itās also good in your everyday life. If you were working a 9-5, youād have a schedule, so why not as a freelancer or entrepreneur?
Schedule theĀ hours you will work and donāt forget to include breaks. I like to take at least 5 minutes per 30 minutes worked.
Also,Ā give yourself deadlines! And stick to them! Itās amazing what you can do when youĀ have a deadline to meet rather than an open-ended release date.
3. Give yourself more time than you think youāll need
I constantly think I know how much time it will take to finish something. And you know, maybe I do. But life happens. Things donāt get done the same as I expect them to.
So instead of planning the exact amount of time you think you can complete something,Ā give yourself some buffer space. Add in a few extra hours, days, or weeks depending on the project just in case.
You can then use any extra time you have left as a much-deserved break or to get a head start on another project.
4. Take breaks
Taking a break is aĀ simple form of self-careĀ you can easily practice. Even if itās just 5 minutes, a break can reallyĀ revitalize your mindĀ and prepare you for another productive stretch of work.
Donāt forget that typical 9-5 jobs have weekends off as well. You donāt have to take off two consecutive days, but try toĀ schedule in days where you donāt do any workĀ or you take a half day. RELAX!
5. Reevaluate your goals
This is a big one for me. I either forget to set goals, or I set a ridiculous goal. But Iāve put this on the list because sometimes even the most reasonable-sounding goal can slip through your fingers.
Donāt be afraid toĀ reevaluate a goal if youāre consistently having trouble meeting it! Are you trying to post 3 times per week but are struggling with it? Itās okay to bump it down to 1 post! Canāt manage to post every day on Instagram? Then DONāT. Spend some time commenting on others instead.
Itās better to have something you can actually complete than to keep overwhelming yourselfĀ so much that you decide itās not worth the effort and youāre gonna quit. Of course, you should continue to strive to do better, but donāt feel bad if you need to take a step back first in order to leap forward later.
6. Stop doing everything by yourself
If you can manage toĀ hire others to do things you donāt have time to do yourself, do it! One of the most productive times in my business was when I had other people performing customer service and administrative duties. All I had to worry about was creation, which was exactly what I wanted to do most.
If you canāt afford to hire someone, tryĀ swapping skills with someone else in your industry. I think the best place to find people to swap with is in Facebook groups or on other social platforms where you communicate with peers.
Yeah, I know, more work, but working on someone elseās project might give you a new perspective for your own business. Itās also just refreshing to just be able to work on something else for a change.
It also keeps youĀ working on something you already knowĀ how to do. Then youāre not stuck spending time trying to figure out how to do something else, which can sometimes take way more time than a skill swap. Yet another thing I know from experience.
7. Create less, promote more
Whaaaaaaaaaat? Less content? Yes!
Constantly creating is exhausting. Itās especially exhausting when youāre new and you donāt have tons of people waiting to consume your creations.
While itās good practice to keep creating, itās also important toĀ promote that content. Just because it exists, donāt mean people will see it or even care. You need to get out there, find people who would enjoy what you create, and introduce yourself.
Remember,Ā most expert marketers will agree on spending 20% of your time creating, and 80% promoting. You can adjust that as you need, but make sure your promotion time is more than creation time.
8. Switch it up a bit
Okay, this is a bit tricky to explain since Iāve been saying FOCUS ON SOMETHING this whole time, but I donāt mean to go around flipflopping every hour or something.
What I mean here is toĀ look at what youāre doing and make sure it aligns with your overall goalsĀ and your own personal interests. If you find yourself moving in an inauthentic direction, donāt be afraid toĀ realign yourself with your goals.
Over the last two years, I took a huge detour because I was both insecure about my own skills and I *thought* I knew what people wanted. On the other hand, I also discovered new things that I enjoyed along the way. Now that Iām pivoting my goals and shifting back in a direction I wanted to go when I first started blogging, everything feels more like itās falling into a good place for me.
9. Remember to HAVE FUN!
Yes, this may be a job, but itĀ doesnāt have to feel like one. Thatās why we do this, right?
The minute you feel like youāre no longer having fun, identify WHY youāre not having fun. Then ask yourself a few questions:
- Is what youāre doing really necessary for your success?
- How can change your routine so what youāre doing is less draining?
- Is this something you can hire out to someone else?
Of course, there will always be less fun parts of business and you may not be in a position to hire out (yet!). Sometimes you will just have to power through the boring or exhausting bits.
If you can, try listening to music, putting on a rerun of your favorite show, or making a game out of the task. Just be sure youāre not so distracted that you make tons of mistakes while youāre working.
So what am I doing now?
Iāve done a lot of re-evaluating. Iām going to restructure my websites so I can focus on what Iāve discovered I love most. Iām also going to work to get at least 2 blog posts out each month instead of the 2 per week I was trying to push before.
Blog + Create will now become exclusively focused on graphic design for bloggers and small business owners.
Blogging Butterfly will be officially retired, but Iāll keep the site up for the information is still available.
I still want to review and create tutorials for blogging/business apps and services, but Iām going to create a separate website for that. I also really want to turn it into a podcast. More news on that site will be available later.
For now, I want to focus on the courses Iāll be making for Blog + Create. Having a hyper-focused thing to work on will help me better help you; my readers, subscribers, and hopefully future students.
What is Your Experience with Burnout?
- Have you ever experienced burnout?
- How did you manage to work through it?
- How did you manage to get over it?
Iād love to hear your stories in the comments below. Feel free to link to a blog post youāve written about this topic as well.