Oh hello there.
You’ve probably noticed by now that I haven’t published a new blog post in well over a month. I don’t have an excuse other than I’ve just kind of stopped.
Over the past year, I’ve made it a point to create the lifestyle I want – working out on a daily basis, eating healthy, and working extremely hard on my blog. But I finally reached the point of burnout.
The thing is, I wasn’t giving myself time to relax… I was always on the move.
I was attempting to juggle working a full-time job with everything else I was trying to accomplish. Yes, it is possible to successfully do this, but I was piling too much on my plate. I was pushing myself too hard.
What caused the overload?
A new idea. I wanted to create a website for people to learn how to create their own blogs and how to grow their social influence. It was a beautifully curated idea. I pushed myself to launch the website on May 1st and then I pushed myself to publish a new post every weekday for the whole month. Needless to say, I only made it a week and a half. During this time I was also trying to keep up this blog, brainstorm, film, and edit youtube videos, and keep up my healthy lifestyle. It was insane.
So what’s going on now?
I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things. I started with my healthy lifestyle, as I prioritize that as the most important. I think it’s crucial for us to appreciate and take care of our bodies. Now that I’ve started getting back into the habit of working out and eating healthy, I’m moving onto my blog. Blogging has been such a huge part of my life over the past two years and it’s not something about to give up on. As much as I’d like to work on YouTube videos, I simply do not have the time at the moment.
It’s A Balancing Act.
To balance all that I’d like to accomplish, I’m thinking of focusing on projects in rounds. Maybe one week I’ll focus on my blog, the next week I’ll focus on YouTube, then the following week I’ll focus on my Graphic Design business or maybe my second website. Doing this will allow me to still work on everything I want to work on, but will help stop me from getting overwhelmed.
Time management is such a huge part of avoiding burnout. The key is to make sure you’re giving yourself time to relax, and yes you may actually have to schedule time for this. (The hourly Erin Condren Life Planner is perfect for this.)
Realize Your Strengths.
Knowing your strengths can help you to avoid burn out. Often times, your strengths are what lead you to burn out. It’s similar to working the same muscles every day. Eventually, your muscles are going to need a break and time to recoup.
When you’ve recognized your strengths then you’ll have a better understanding of when you need to take a break and step back. Enjoy some time to yourself and relax.
See The Warning Signs.
Burnout isn’t something that instantly happens, it grows over a long period of time. If you learn to spot the signs of an oncoming burnout, you might be able to stop it from happening. Two signs are a consistent lack of energy and overall stress.
If you find yourself experiencing either of these two symptoms, then take a step back to evaluate what’s going on in your life that would cause these symptoms. Is it an overbearing course load, taking on extra hours at work, or maybe a family or financial issue?
Evaluate and Take Action.
Once you’ve identified that you’re on your way to burnout and you know what the cause may be, it’s time to take action. Take a few extra steps each day to avoid burnout. Maybe that means meditating, reading a book, taking a bath, or simply enjoying your surroundings.
Take the time to treat yourself and your mind to a few minutes of peace. Your brain needs to relax sometimes!
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