FLEXIBILITY HELPS PREVENT BURNOUT

I’ve written about harmful productivity myths in the past.

I’ve also talked about the benefits of scheduling your (writing) time. This works on the principle that, if something is important to you, then you need to block dedicated time for it in your schedule. Protect that time and treat it in the same way you would a medical appointment; turn up on time, turn off your phone, and focus on the reason you’re there.

However, I’ve since discovered that my (rigid) approach to scheduling – the approach I tried for many years – might not work as well for me as I thought.

I’m sure I’m not the only creative out there riding dangerously close to burnout. These issues are pertinent for me right now, so I wanted to share my experience in the hope that it might be helpful for others.

Schedules are designed to be strict and to help keep us focused and on track with our goals. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be flexible, and it doesn’t mean they can’t be changed if they aren’t working for us!

THE BURNOUT TRAP

I begin each New Year with new energy, optimism, and carefully thought-out goals and plans. I always tell myself that this year will be ‘my year’. I always have lofty ambitions and unrealistic expectations about how much I can achieve. I always forget that I get tired, and that life happens, and that my children are walking petri-dishes.

Logically I know I’m prone to this, but – although I can see the trap – I always seem to fall straight into it.

I’m a reasonably productive person. Yes, my own novel's progress is slower than I'd like, but my editing schedule is usually full, and I’ve kept up with most of my business and marketing schedules. My children are happy and healthy. My home – while far from immaculate – has at least seen a vacuum cleaner in recent history.

However, burnout is deceptive.

If I’m being honest with myself, it’s been bedding in for years.

I have so many goals and ambitions that I pile loads of stuff onto my plate, forgetting I have two young children who already take up a lot of my time and energy. I spend all my days working, writing, and looking after my children. I spend most of my evenings putting my children to bed and taking care of life admin. And, let’s face it, parenting is 24/7 anyway: especially when one or both children are ill or won’t sleep. Looking at you, Little Bro.

I'm not guaranteed rest even at night

My children are (of course) my number one priority, and they come before everything else.

I love writing and editing, and I love the business I’m trying to build. But it’s important to remember that passion and dedication can only get us so far.

It doesn’t matter how much I love what I do: if I keep pushing my body and mind at this intensity then – sooner or later – I’m going to crash and burn.

The signs of burnout – and the speed at which it sets in – varies for everyone. For me it is a gradual thing; I spend weeks or months thinking I’m doing okay and handling everything, and to be honest I can keep up an intense pace for long periods of time.

However, at some point on the downward trajectory, it hits me that I have no energy, little motivation, and I’m struggling to focus on anything. My body aches. I’m grumpy. I realise it’s been ages since I took my boys for a countryside walk, or read a book, or spent quality time with my husband.

And I never learn. I keep pushing myself to the brink of burnout, without having successfully set myself up to avoid it in the first place. Even with my productivity strategies in place, at any one time I'm only one bout of family illnesses or one family emergency away from starting to physically and mentally unravel.

I'm getting better at recognising when I'm in danger of burnout, and fortunately I've been able to reverse back from the brink each time. However, I've been in this state for so long that I don't know if I'll ever truly avoid ambling towards that cliff edge. Maybe being a parent, and a writer, and a freelancer means I can't avoid the cliff paths: at least, for now.

I’m only able to tell you about burnout-avoidance strategies which are helping me right now. They may or may not help you, but the main message I hope you get from this post is that your schedule and goals can – and should – be flexible: especially if you’re a parent and / or have many demands on your time.

CHANGE THE GOAL POSTS

The first thing I do when I recognise the signs of burnout is to change my goals. I look through my tasks, identify the highest priority items, and then postpone anything which isn't urgent or important. The decision about which tasks are most important or urgent is personal to each of us. However, by taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, I can usually identify which tasks and timeframes I can be more flexible with: at least in the short-term.

We may need to be flexible with our goals when facing unexpected obstacles or burnout

This step helps me stay focused on priority tasks and goals, and helps me make time for some much-needed rest.

I also have to keep re-learning the lesson that sometimes life will throw something unexpected at you. In fact, this happens daily if you have kids. If something like this disrupts your day (week, month, year) then it’s outside your control and you just have to deal with it as best you can. Logically I know this, and yet I still get deeply frustrated every time I get the ‘dreaded phonecall’ from school, or the call from my mum telling me Little Bro just re-created the vomit scene from The Exorcist.

For me, frustration and loss of control contribute to my burnout, especially if I don’t adjust my expectations and show kindness to myself.

CHANGE THE SCHEDULE

I have a nasty habit of overloading myself, and then feeling angry and frustrated with myself when I – shockingly – can’t keep that pace up indefinitely.

I know some of this is internalised capitalism telling me I have no worth if I'm not working every hour of the day and not being productive 100% of the time. However, I’ll save that rant for another day.

For now, I’m carrying out some major housekeeping on my daily and weekly schedules.

I’m fortunate that Big Bro is in school, and – at time of writing – Little Bro is about to start school as well. I’m naturally more productive earlier in the day, so I’m going to assign most of my writing, editing and marketing work to the weekday hours when my sons are in school. I’m assigning life admin to late afternoon, and dedicating most evenings to self-care and spending time with my husband.

Flexible schedules help avoid burn-out

It will probably mean I can’t get as much done, or as quickly. Then again, it might not; if I’m getting more rest and sleep in the evenings, then I should have more energy and motivation during my daytime work hours, which might mean I get more done in those hours than I would if I was exhausted from the night before.

Regardless, I need to start taking better care of my physical and mental health. I want to read more books. I want to enjoy life, instead of always being in either ‘work mode’ or 'childcare' mode. I enjoy writing – and it is relaxing to an extent – but it’s still a mentally tiring form of work in itself.

If I have a deadline then I might temporarily step back into working evenings to meet it. However, I don’t want to keep dancing at the precipice of burnout.

The lesson for me – and possibly for others – is that you can change your schedule if it isn’t working for you: especially if you haven't factored in rest and self-care. Experiment with it. Adjust things if life gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re genuinely exhausted and you skip a writing session. The schedule is there as a tool to help us do the things we want to do, not as a stick to beat ourselves over the head for the crime of being human.

DISCLAIMER

I realise I’m in the privileged position of working for myself and therefore having more control over my schedule than many who are in formal employment. Society is an absolute mess right now and I don’t have the time, space, or mental bandwidth to delve deeply into the topic here. Capitalism, climate change, inequality... all of it is linked.

All I’ll say here is: if you have any control over your situation at all, please try your best to protect your boundaries and protect your health. I know from experience that that’s easier said than done, but if more of us – in our own small ways – resist toxic mindsets and working patterns, then we can help nudge society towards the changes it so desperately needs.

CONCLUSION

It is difficult to put into words what I’ve been feeling in recent years! However, if there’s one thing I hope you’ll take from this, it’s that having some flexibility in your schedule and your goals is vital for productivity, physical and mental health, and life in general.

BEFORE YOU GO…

Do you have any thoughts on this difficult topic? Have you experienced burnout? Is there anything which helps you deal with it? Please join in the discussion (contact details below).

Please feel free to comment on the article and/or contact me if you have any questions!

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I do not use generative AI to produce or inform my blog, my images, or my fiction. All of my content is generated by the chaotic firing of my own (human) brain! (I have access to some images through my Wix subscription). I do not consent to the use of my content, images, or fiction to train generative AI models. Please contact me to discuss permission and compensation if you wish to use my content in this way.