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

1 Identify the signs

Burnout can manifest in different ways, such as feeling tired, irritable, unmotivated, or cynical. You may also experience a loss of interest or satisfaction in your work, a decline in your quality or productivity, or a sense of isolation or detachment. If you notice any of these signs, don't ignore them or dismiss them as normal stress. They may indicate that you need to take action to restore your balance and well-being.

2 Set boundaries

One of the causes of burnout is taking on too much work or not having clear expectations or feedback. To avoid this, you need to set boundaries with yourself, your clients, and your colleagues. This means being realistic about your capacity, prioritizing your tasks, saying no to unreasonable requests, and communicating your needs and concerns. It also means respecting your time off, avoiding distractions, and delegating or outsourcing when possible.

3 Take care of yourself

Another cause of burnout is neglecting your physical, mental, and emotional health. To prevent this, you need to take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly, and relaxing. You also need to find ways to cope with stress, such as meditating, journaling, or talking to someone. Additionally, you need to nurture your social and emotional needs by staying connected with your friends, family, and peers.

4 Learn new skills

A third cause of burnout is feeling bored, stagnant, or unchallenged in your work. To combat this, you need to learn new skills that can help you grow, improve, or diversify your content strategy. You can do this by taking online courses, reading books or blogs, attending webinars or events, or joining communities or networks. Learning new skills can also help you discover new opportunities, trends, or niches in your field.

6 Reconnect with your purpose

A fifth cause of burnout is losing sight of your purpose, vision, or goals in your work. To remedy this, you need to reconnect with your purpose by reminding yourself why you chose content strategy as your career, what value you provide to your audience, and what impact you want to make. You can also revisit your vision or goals by reviewing your portfolio, updating your resume, or creating a personal brand statement. Reconnecting with your purpose can help you regain your passion, motivation, and enthusiasm for your work.

7 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?