Lesson #3 - You might be the problem.
In the past I've been very guilty of blaming my workplaces and bosses for the burnout periods I've had. It wasn't until it happened while I was freelance that I realised I might be the problem.
Don't get me wrong, many of the workplaces I've been in have been guilty of being too demanding, having too high of expectations, offered an inch, taken a mile. But turns out, as an ADHD gal, burnout is in my DNA.
I remember back in school getting solid A's and Bs in my GCSEs until the late nights revising until 4am caught up with me and my grades quickly became more like Cs and Ds (maybe even a cheeky U because what even is Physics about anyway??).
Or getting a 1st in my first year of university after spending way too much time on my sketchbooks and not enough time out with my new friends. Which then dropped to a 2:1 when I couldn't keep up the momentum in my second year.
My brain is hard wired to give everything I've got and not really worry too much about future me.
and yet, I was still shocked when 6 months into freelancing, I ground to a halt.
I told myself I couldn't possibly have burned out. I'm a freelancer now. I'm in control. This was what it was ✨ all for ✨.
No more bosses overloading my plate with impossible to meet deadlines, constantly shifting my priorities so nothing ever got done, chastising me for not reading their minds.
But then I overloaded my plate. I set deadlines I couldn’t meet. I set myself projects that were too ambitious. Turns out burnout isn’t just always your boss or toxic workplace piling it all on you. Sometimes, the real culprit is you. When I went freelance, I told myself I could do it all, the world was my oyster, this business could be whatever I imagined it to be. And it could. If I had a team of say 20 people around me to make it happen but little old me juggling it on my own? A recipe for burnout shaped disaster.
I wish I could give some good advice here about avoiding burnout…but I’m yet to work it out properly myself. Here are a few things I’ve found helpful though:
Take breaks.
Even if the dopamine is doing it’s thing, detach yourself from the screens and go outside. Remind yourself there’s a world out there full of fun that doesn’t just revolve around your work.
Recognise what you have done
A major part of my burnout comes from feeling like I’m not working hard or quick enough to achieve what I want to. Doing a daily log of everything I’ve done that day, even if it’s not relelvant to work or my to-do list gives me a real view of how I’ve spent my time so that when it comes time to take a break, I can take it guilt free and actually feel the benefits of it.
Set yourself clear, firm deadlines
I was guilty of nudging the “I’ll finish at 6” to “I’ll do half an hour more, I’m on a roll” and there’s nothing wrong with seizing the motivation while it strikes but when you do it every evening…for weeks…time to stage a self-intervention or even rope a friend or family member in to keep you accountable.
I’m not going to pretend I’ve got it all sorted and will never burn out again. It’s in my DNA after all—I will always be the kind of person who gives everything to the task at hand, even if it means running on empty. Unfortunately I don’t have the perfect cure. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned through trial and error of figuring out how to manage myself.