What do you do if you're showing signs of burnout as a podcaster?

Give yourself permission to take a break and disconnect from podcasting for a while, allowing yourself time to rest and rejuvenate. Reflect on your priorities and set clear boundaries around your podcasting commitments to prevent overcommitting. Make self-care a priority by engaging in activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul, and don't hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or fellow podcasters. Reconnect with the passion and purpose that inspired you to start podcasting, and consider if there are ways to streamline your workflow or experiment with new formats to reignite your enthusiasm.

It's MUCH easier coming back from a break than it is coming back from a burnout. Make sure that when you see the symptoms, take action on it straight away ??

During this time, it’s also important for you to take a step back and reflect on your reasons for starting this journey, what kind of progress you’ve made and what you plan to do once the goal has been reached. If you find the goal can never be reached, that’s part of the reason for your burn out. Unrealistic goals. If you find you can’t track progress, it’s possible you’ve just gone through the motions and have been on auto pilot. It’s easy to burn out without clear direction. If you can remember why you started, you didn’t have a good enough reason to start.

If you're feeling super exhausted all the time, and saying yourself "I can't do this anymore." you might be dealing with burnout. You may start doubting yourself and your podcasting skills. MOST IMPORTANTLY - don't brush it off like it's nothing. It's your body and brain telling you something's not right. Give yourself some time. Maybe it's time for a little break from podcasting, or maybe just changing things up a bit. Don't be afraid to ask for help or talk to someone about how you're feeling. And remember, "it's okay to not be okay sometimes". You're not alone in this!

Take a break and use that creative energy in other areas of your life. Maybe you use that time and energy to deeper connections with your community, maybe you reignite creative practices you haven't give much time to (or start new ones), or maybe you get out in your community/ the larger world and experience the various forms of art and beauty. I took a break from podcasting for over a year, invested in all of these things, and am now coming back to a new podcast (and helping to produce others) with renewed energy and new insights.

I'd recommend pairing your personal podcasting break with a season break so that you don't just disappear out of nowhere. That's no way to build a connection with your listeners!

Fundamental para no cargarse con el mundo del podcast. Y es que aunque se convierta en tu pasión, es necesario programarte esas desconexiones para oxigenar tu cerebro y recobrar la inspiración. En mi caso, para ello, establezco unas temporadas de unos 30 episodios y desconexión de dos o tres meses de emisión (que no quiere decir que no estemos buscando opciones de invitados e incluso grabando). Pero es fundamental establecer la cronología de las temporadas incluyendo ese tiempo de descanso o desconexión.

Part of success in life and in podcasting is discipline. This means, you'll occasionally need to do things you don't enjoy. The same holds true here as consistent podcasting is key. That said, if you aren't enjoying podcasting, this problem will only get worse. Dropping frequency of episodes, or moving into a seasonal model is a way to combat "podfade". You can also repurpose old episodes while you are taking a break so as to keep your audience engaged.

We tend to record in bunches, meaning we record episodes over a 6-8 week period, and then take 4-6 weeks off. We make sure we have enough content banked and in production to still have new episodes weekly.

Use the Eisenhower Matrix to understand what's on your plate, what level of priority it is, what needs to be acted on first, what needs to be eliminated and of course, what needs to be delegated! This is a key for growth and for being able to handle more.

The #1 reason people quit podcasting is they are spending way to much time. In my opinion, a successful podcast must have people behind the scenes handling the busy work that makes the show go. Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are a good start, however finding the right person for the job can be a huge task. This problem is actually how I started my business. I help business owners automate their podcast with AI and human power. With the right flow systems and people enhanced with AI tools like Castmagic and Descript, you can ensure the longevity of your show.

Tente identificar se o esgotamento está relacionado à fun??o podcaster mesmo ou devido outras circunstancias, para que tome medidas assertivas sobre uma possível renúncia (momentanea) em algum de seus projetos ou atividades do dia a dia. Caso o podcast seja fator principal, além de apoio psicológico, avalie o nível de organiza??o na rotina de produ??o para identificar se há como otimizar algo que lhe permita continuar trabalhando e se divertindo. Em última instancia, veja a possibilidade de contratar algum profissional para segurar etapas dessa produ??o pra você até que se sinta mentalmente mais forte de novo. N?o se sobrecarregue.

As a seasoned podcaster, I can't stress enough the importance of seeking support. It's not just about avoiding burnout, but also about fostering growth and innovation. Engaging with a community can provide fresh perspectives, spark new ideas, and even lead to collaborations. Conferences like Podfest and Podcast movement are great. I even lead a mastermind group of podcasters to leverage fresh ideas, strategies, and tools. Remember, podcasting isn't a solitary endeavor, it's a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem.

Sometimes, you may just need to take it down from 4 episodes per month to 2 episodes per month, just so that the podcast is more manageable and can fit into your life a little better. I wouldn't recommend once a month though, that is too little in my opinion.

Consistency is key in podcasting, but it doesn't mean you have to do always exactly the same. You can try variarions of the thing you do, or even do new things inside your podcast. For example, if you don't do interviews you can try, or just the opposite (change interviews for some monilogues). Another idea can be something special, such as "the week of..." and break the monotony. By the way, some times is not a matter of the product but the process. You can try recording in orher places, or with other schedule... Tiny changes in few things can open the door to big improvement!

I like to look at my daily calendar and layout - like placing actual events - when I'm working, resting, getting out of bed, taking lunch, etc., and just laying out the full schedule. When I do this, I adjust my calendar if I notice a break for time just for me. I try and see things like, "Oh, there's more work time and not enough creative time." And I try to adjust that. That is just an example. Try to be honest with yourself and know your priority and what forcefully became a priority. If you need to delegate more (like steps 3 and 4 on this), do not hesitate to make that shift - your emotional and mental health requires it.

Podcasting burnout can be a real challenge, particularly when you're managing multiple aspects of your digital media presence. It's crucial to reassess and make changes as needed. Try different styles of episodes, interviews, solos, audience questions, live episodes, are all ways to keep things fresh. This is also important, because you don't always know what your audience will respond to. You might just be surprised!

Something that I learnt over the many conversations that I did with podcasters is that, the core reason for burnout is the process that they are following. Podcasting involves a lot of things and a lot of work. If you are in it for the long run, then you might want to look at simplifying your workflow. Looks at possible automation options, eliminate repetitive tasks and templatize as much as possible. This will help you save a lot of time and will help you enjoy the process.