What do you do if your content strategy career is leading to burnout?

1 Identify the signs

Burnout is not just a bad day or a temporary slump, but rather a chronic state of stress that can present itself in various forms. You may feel cynical, detached or resentful of your work, have difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions, feel tired or drained more often, struggle with sleeping, eating or relaxing, experience mood swings, irritability or anxiety, isolate yourself from others or avoid feedback and have low self-esteem, confidence or satisfaction. If any of these signs are present, it is important to acknowledge them and seek help if necessary.

2 Assess the causes

Burnout can be caused by a variety of factors, both internal and external. Common contributing factors to burnout in content strategy include unrealistic or unclear expectations from clients, managers, or yourself; lack of autonomy, control, or recognition in your work; high workload, tight deadlines, or frequent changes; poor communication, collaboration, or support from your team or stakeholders; mismatch between your values, skills, or interests and your work; and lack of balance, variety, or growth in your work. To address burnout effectively, it is important to identify the specific causes that are affecting you and determine what changes you can make and what you cannot.

3 Make some changes

Once you have identified the causes of your burnout, you can start making some changes to improve your situation. This could include setting realistic and achievable goals and priorities for yourself and your work, communicating your needs and boundaries to clients, managers, and team members, negotiating workloads or deadlines if they are unreasonable or unsustainable, seeking feedback or mentorship from peers, leaders, or experts, delegating tasks to others or automating them if possible, learning new skills, tools, or methods to enhance your work or solve problems, and exploring new opportunities that align with your values, skills, or interests. Making changes can be challenging but also rewarding and empowering.

5 Prevent relapse

To ensure burnout doesn't recur, you need to monitor your stress levels and burnout signs regularly, review your goals and expectations periodically, and celebrate your achievements. Additionally, it is important to keep learning, growing, and evolving as a content strategist while striving for a balance between work and life. Preventing relapse is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process that requires awareness, commitment, and adaptation.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?