How to Beat Burnout: 4 Tips that Work for Me

Hey there!

Today's newsletter is inspired by an important question a fellow copywriter asked me:

"I know we get paid to write... but I'm writing more than I ever have right now and I'm getting burnt out. How do you stay fresh?"

I have a 4-part response to this question.

These are helpful tips if you feel burnout beginning to creep in... but you can also do them proactively to help prevent burnout before it starts.

1) Consume as much as you write. I don't know if it's true across the board, but in my experience, you need more fuel in the tank when you increase your creative workload.

Sometimes that means doing research. Sometimes it's just going down the dark alleys of the internet (or Netflix) reading about things you're interested in.

When you're lucky, you can find places where work-related research overlaps with topics that interest and entertain you. Looking for some good recreational material to consume?

2) Give yourself good breaks. You're not ChatGPT, right? Your brain isn't designed to write for 4 hours straight. I recently took a day off to test drive a new Lucid Air with my youngest son.

On those occasion you have the momentum for long writing sessions, go for it.

Momentum is your best friend. (It can also be your worst enemy, but that's a different conversation.)

But unless you have a screeching deadline, I encourage you not to force it.

3) Get enough sleep. I'm terrible at this, but it makes a huge difference.

I'm the king of the all-nighter. My friends call it "pulling a Donnie."

So I can tell you as well as anyone (outside, you know, sleep scientists) that skipping sleep takes a significant toll.

Especially after 30.

Double especially after 40.

Sure, you may pick up 8 extra hours of work by staying awake, but if you're like me, you're basically useless for 12 hours after that.

Over time, you're depleting your resources, reducing both mental and physical recovery time and likely enjoying life less.

Again, unless your deadline is tomorrow, I advise against skipping sleep.

4) Switch between tasks when you start hitting a wall.

Sometimes that looks like writing for a different project, sometimes it's doing the laundry you know is piling up.

You're able to keep working... but refocusing your brain can breathe some life back into your day.

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Hopefully those tips are helpful for you.

If you're dealing with burnout, or trying to prevent it from knocking on your door...

You should watch "How to recover from burnout (for entrepreneurs and content creators)" from Jude Charles . And subscribe to his YouTube channel while you're there.

Jude is a spellbinding storyteller. He's wise beyond his years. And he's faced off with significant burnout twice, giving him very helpful insights we can learn from.

Have a productive day!

Donnie

P.S.

Bonus Tip 5: As much as possible, try to work on projects you actually like... and work with people/organizations you have positive feelings about.

I realize that's not always within your control, but do your best. It makes a massive difference.