Handling Project Burnout

For the first blog post of 2020, I figured we could tackle project burnout, a concept that is common among many people, not just creative types. Of course, this is tailored towards writers. If you haven’t experienced project burnout, you are godlike, or you haven’t quite pushed yourself far enough over the edge. That’s okay. You’ll get there. For the rest of us, project burnout is a very familiar and dreadful experience.

What Is Project Burnout?

If you are unfamiliar with the term or haven’t experienced
project burnout, let me tell you what it is. Project burnout is when you have
taken on too much work for too long and the burden weighs you down. You face a
massive mental wall. Your productivity ceases to exist. What you think you can
do in half an hour is either impossible or takes you twice as long. You feel a
sickening sensation within you, physically and mentally. The thought of doing
work becomes so for that you despise even looking at it. It’s unhealthy.

What To Do When You Have Project Burnout

Everyone has their way of getting out of project burnout or avoiding. In this blog post, we are going to look at a few examples that you can try if you’re finding yourself stuck in a rut. Or if you are not, these are some methods to help avoid burnout. Bookmark this blog post for future use. I guarantee that you will end up at project burnout at some point in your life again.

Method 1: Stop Working

Duh. It sounds easier than it is. Sometimes you can stop
working. Sometimes you cannot. We will tackle that in method two. Projects can
accumulate all at once that it creates a snowball effect rolling downhill. The
snowball gets bigger and bigger, picking up more snow – projects – as it
accelerates. If you have the option to stop working, do it. Even for 10
minutes, or an evening. Pause your projects and soak in reality; it goes a long
way. Do this because we get so hung up on the work that it creates tunnel
vision and we forget what is right in front of us. So stop.

Method 2: Drop What Is Unneeded

If you are unable to stop working, due to the urgency of
projects, drop what is unneeded. Perhaps you don’t clean that week or are you order
takeout, so you don’t have to cook. Remove some of the additional tasks that
aren’t a make it or break it scenario. Dropping tasks will vary depending on
your life and your other responsibilities. Think about what can be pushed aside
during this crunch time so you can put more careful time into the work the
needs to get done.

Method 3: Remember What Is Fun

Why did you start writing to begin with? Remember that. As authors, we wear so many hats, which creates many additional tasks. Some we may not like. It is easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of deadlines, word counts, reviews, and so on. You can go insane. If you’re stuck in project burnout, remember why you started writing. Questioning yourself can lead to an existential crisis, believe me. Discussing that state of mind is a blog post on its own. It’s healthy to question yourself. Why are you writing? Why are you marketing? Why are you writing blog posts? Remember what got you started. With writing, chances are you enjoy it because of the characters you create, because of the unknown at the end of that last word you typed. Get back to basics.

Method 4: Learn Something New

Project burnout is often due to the continual strain on the
mind. One helpful way of breaking out of project burnout is to put your mind in
a new state of being. This is achieved by learning. When you are studying
something new, it forces your brain to work in new ways, breaking your thinking
patterns. It is a bit of a roundabout way to handle project burnout. Learning
brings back the inner discoverer in you, which leads us to the last method.

Method 5: Take the Time

Project burnout happens. It sucks. Ultimately it takes time
to get through. You can try and power through it, thinking it will go away, but
that will make you resent everything more. Trying to ignore it doesn’t help
either. This will reflect in your attitude, the quality of your work, and your
personal life, whether you know it or not. So, don’t try and take a shortcut.
When you realize you are experiencing project burnout or see it on the horizon,
accept it, and work your way through it. In the end, it is only you that can
pull yourself out of that rut. Take the time and do not beat yourself up.

Stay Clear of Icy Ground

Once you experience project burnout, it is a dread that you will not forget. It requires humility and discipline to remind yourself that you need to slow down and not take on so much work. Sometimes the work does pile up all at once, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Remembering your mental exercises of handling project burnout will help you avoid it or face it healthily when you are in doubt.

Do you have any methods of handling project burnout? I’d
love to hear them, feel free to share in the comments.

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