Managing burnout as a writer
Managing burnout as a writer
How I've learned to recognise burnout and what I do to manage it
At the beginning of 2023, I left my full-time job.
Ostensibly, it was to work on First Draft Pro full time (and I did do that), but really, it was because I was the human incarnation of a used matchstick — one that you only let go of after it’s burned right down to your fingertips.
I’m also acutely aware of how many writers — often juggling writing, a full-time job, and family/caregiver obligations — face this same predicament. So, despite the fact that admitting I had burnout makes my Type A skin crawl, I’m going to share what I learned, in case it’s helpful to anyone else.
What I learned from burnout
The first thing that burnout taught me was how to recognize burnout. Unsurprisingly, this is quite helpful information!
Here’s the list I found most helpful:
You’re not eating well — This may manifest as unhealthy or unbalanced meals, or not eating often enough.
You’re not exercising — This may manifest as fatigue, lack of motivation, disconnection from friends, and a lack of desire to get out of the house.
You’re not sleeping well — This may manifest as anxiety, and/or exhaustion. You may be getting up early and staying up late to try to stay on top of things.
You’ve lost your sense of humour — This might look like not being able to be your silly self, struggling to connect with people, or feeling like you have no personality.
You’ve created coping mechanisms — No judgment at all about what gets you through, but these are an indication that you may need more help than your coping mechanisms can give.
This list was helpful for managing burnout recovery too. I used it to fix three key things: my eating, exercising, and sleeping. I kept my coping mechanisms, though. Because I like fun. 🤷♀️
How I managed to continue writing through burnout
In many ways, I found that working on First Draft Pro and my writing projects helped me recover and find my spark again.
Every day was different, though. Some were harder than others.
Here are the tools I used when things got hard1:
Why — Focus on your ‘why’, and your ‘why’ might change over time. I kept returning to why I was writing, why I wanted to build FDP.
Intentionality — Manage feelings of frustration and demotivation with intention. Intentionally decide to ride the wave, but don’t pretend it’s not there.
Mental Contrasting — Acknowledge where you are, and think about future success (this is called mental contrasting). What small step today gets you to that goal?
Recovery can be long
It took more than a year to feel like I wasn’t just “managing” my burnout symptoms.
A year of diminished focus, energy, delight, and enthusiasm is a very, very high cost. In future, I will be very, very careful with what I decide to “buy” at that price.
Please be careful and gentle with yourself, friends.
I learned this from a Headspace video, I think. It’s been a really useful practice for me.