How to Balance Creativity and Discipline (While Avoiding Burnout)
As an ex-teacher, I am no stranger to the word ‘burnout.’ Sometimes it felt like every term there was another member of staff taking time out of the profession or leaving it altogether because of the physical burnout they had suffered from the constant pressures of the job. And make no mistake, there are a lot of pressures in teaching.
(5 Ways to Keep Focus When Burned Out and Brain-Fried.)
Juggling lesson planning and classes, managing school and parental expectations, constantly shifting deadlines, standardized assessments, and report writing are just some of the things that teachers face, but beyond the job itself are all the issues that can arise in any large workplace.
We all know the effect an unhappy office or a bullying manager can have on a person. As adults, it would be wonderful to believe that we left toxic environments in the playground, but we know that is not the case. Unfriendly or outright cruel colleagues are unfortunately found around the globe and can take a mental toll in any profession. I came close to burnout many times and find no shame in admitting that during my last years in the profession, I required medication to help me cope with those stresses and expectations.
But now I’m not working in that type of environment anymore. In fact, I work in my living room. I don’t have any managers to belittle or undermine me. I don’t have to sit in meetings and feel my blood pressure rise as I’m forced to defend my actions. I am a full-time writer, finally living my dream job. Yet I know that alone is not enough to ensure a plain-sailing bill of mental health from now on. So, why is burnout still so prevalent amongst creatives and writers?
Personally, I believe the first strain on our mental health is the same in all jobs: expectations. Expectations placed upon us by others and ourselves. As a writer, I put my work out there for the world to see and every rating and review is a judgement of my ability in my chosen profession. Sometimes that can be hard to take. We want every piece of work will be better than the last. After all, isn’t that the purpose of doing something? To get better at it? Particularly in a profession that is so deeply coveted. But sometimes that doesn’t always happen and when the reviews for a new book don’t meet the same standard as a previous release, then that pressure to prove ourselves becomes even greater than before.
Then there’s the quantity of work. When people think of writers, I believe an image appears of someone working two or three hours a day, sometimes more sometimes less, but always sitting in a comfy seat with a beautiful view, sipping their coffee, starting and stopping according to the ebb and flow of inspiration. But in reality, life for us full-time writers is rarely like that. We are constantly hustling, trying to get as many words down as we can. Trying to prove we deserve a place in our profession. (At least, that is the case for me.)
At this precise moment, I’m on a girls’ holiday in the south of France. But while the others are enjoying the rosé and the music, I’m there with a cup of green tea at the desk in the villa, typing away, as the request for an article came through with a short deadline and the last thing I wanted to do was turn it down. Now, it’s barely sunrise as I’m editing it and everyone else is still in bed. (I do have another cup of green tea, just in case you are interested.)
But it’s not just writing that puts pressure on our time, as much as I wish it was. The world of social media is ever-present, and we need to be on it, engaging with our readers, finding out what they loved about our work and perhaps what they didn’t enjoy so much. The days of meeting people and talking about your work solely at book signings or events are over. We can receive messages and requests any time of day or night, and I don’t think I speak only for myself when I say I want to respond to each one and make the sender know I appreciate them. After all, they’re on my side; they’re reading my books.
Check out Hannah Lynn’s Athena’s Child here:
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Then there’s the terror that is comparison. With social media and the transparency of our lives now, it’s easy to see how other writers are doing, how your friends are performing, and that term ‘imposter syndrome,’ can be very real. That constant mental pressure we place upon ourselves to prove we are good enough to do this has very real physical effects. There’s the lack of sleep, because we want to work as much as possible, the lack of socializing, locking ourselves away because writing is a solitary act, and the lack of physical movement. If left unchecked, it’s not a surprising such issues can lead to burnout.
When that occurs, the challenge is no longer trying to get as many words down as possible each day, but trying to get any words written at all. So, what can we do to prevent this? How can we add longevity to our careers and ensure that this occupation we undoubtedly adore does not end in burnout?
One of the first things I think is essential is to accept that every person is different. I am fortunate to be surrounded by several highly successful author friends, and I can tell you now that no two of them have the same work routine. One, is a phenomenally bestselling author, whose sales make me green with envy, (though I can’t really be jealous as she is the most wonderful person and deserves all the writing success in the world). She has designated writing days and non-writing days. But on those writing days, she is so focused that her husband isn’t even allowed to speak to her in the morning in case it affects her flow. Only when she emerges from her office at some point late in the day can they actually have a conversation.
Other writers I know—equally successful—start each day at five-thirty and don’t leave their desk until they hit their 2,000-word target. Some plot extensively and write exceptionally clean first drafts, but for others they just write, knowing it will all work out in the end. None of these methods are better than the others; what matters is that it works for the individual. Find what works for you and never think you need to conform to someone else’s way of doing things. The beauty of our job is creativity and that extends beyond the words on the pages.
In any profession, writing included, prioritizing makes all the difference to your mental health, especially when what you prioritize is your mental health. I know I work much better when I’m well-rested. When tired, I produce sloppy writing, have a very low word rate, and am an exceptionally grumpy individual. This is not the type of person I want to be, so if taking a midday nap means I can be more productive in the afternoon, then I will. To be honest, I think naps are my ultimate self-care tool. They are what work for me. Another self-care method I failed to utilize for the first two years of writing full-time is exercise. For anyone spending all day sitting at a desk, focusing on this aspect of self-care is paramount.
I recently went back into the classroom for the day as a guest author. I love these opportunities as they remind me of the best parts of teaching. I get to inspire the students, and sometimes the teachers too, and get to show them that this dream job really can be a reality for them. But last week, this author day made something abundantly clear to me. It reminded me how much movement was involved in teaching: constantly climbing up and down stairs, around desks to help children, or over to the photocopier for worksheets.
With duties and meetings and just popping to the staffroom for a cup of (green) tea, as a teacher, I was perpetually in motion. But as a writer, I might sit at my desk from five-thirty in the morning and still be there at five-thirty in the evening, having only taken a couple of hours off to handle personal tasks like picking up my daughter from school. This sedentary routine is incredibly unhealthy. But even though I’m aware of the situation, it’s a challenging habit to break.
So, what have I done to address this? Firstly, after much resistance, I’ve incorporated dictation into my routine, allowing me to walk and speak my thoughts rather than sitting constantly. Even if it’s not always my most productive way of writing, it offers respite from the shackles of the desk, and in that manner helps my creativity enormously. I’ve also bought a treadmill for the colder months, prioritizing my physical health even in our cramped living space. (I’ve already had an issue with one of the cats trying to share the treadmill with me, which isn’t great.)
Along with the aforementioned ideas, there are two other aspects of my writing life that I believe help avoid burnout. One is personal to me: I write in more than one genre and it is something I hope I will always do. Time and time again, friends have ended up taking long breaks from writing, or taking longer and longer to complete their first drafts, simply because they have tired of writing the same style repeatedly, but as the old saying goes, a change is as good as a rest, and I believe that. My constant desire to keep telling different stories helps keep me excited about what I write, as well as helps to alleviate that potential fatigue.
The other universal advice is to find a writing community. For years, I viewed writing as a solitary profession. Recently, that has changed. I attend regular writer meet-ups. Even though I often consider skipping these meetings, every time I force myself to attend, I never regret it. Whether online or in person, having peers to share the journey with, offer moral support, and provide advice is crucial.
In summary, when it comes to mental health and writer burnout, everyone is an individual, but we all need the same things: nourishment, rest, and time without guilt for self-care.