5 Tips on How to Avoid Author Burnout by Dave Chesson

How to Avoid Author Burnout – 5 Tips:  
 a guest post by Dave Chesson

Most of us have probably been there. Perhaps it started as a few weeks of massive productivity, followed by even more weeks of exhaustion.
 
Perhaps it simply came as a form of depression, where we wouldn’t even feel like getting up in the morning, or we would sit at a computer and the words just would not come.

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Whether we have experienced this or not, chances are we will encounter burnout at some point in our author career. In fact, I’d say that’s more than a guarantee.
 
So, what can we do? Well, there are a few things that we can do to improve our recovery from burnout. But far more effective are the techniques we can use to avoid getting burned out in the first place.
 
In this article, I will examine five of these.

Tip #1: Work Smarter, Not Harder

If you’re burnt out, work is the last thing you want to talk about.

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That said, a lot of us still need to continue working even if we are burnt out.
 
So, one strategy to get over this problem is to work smarter, not harder.
 
Imagine if you could get the same amount of work done in half the time. Would that make you feel better? Would you have more time to spend on self-care?
 
That’s what I’m talking about here, not working more, but getting the same amount of work done in less time so you have more time for yourself.
 
For authors, there are some proven ways to write faster, which can include:

• Dictation
• ​Choosing the right music

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• Keeping a consistent writing schedule

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• Outlining
• Rewarding yourself
• Waiting to edit until you are finished​

Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay.

All of these will help you in the long run, but just one or two quick changes can make a huge difference.
 
Try picking one technique and mastering it to see how much time you can save, and you will be amazed at what you are capable of.

Tip #2: Schedule Time Off

This is probably the first thing that most people think about when we discuss avoiding burnout.
 
But in reality, it works.
 
There are several types of time off that you should consider. In addition to your typical vacation once or twice a year, I recommend you have at least one day off on your weekend, one extended weekend per quarter (3-4 days), and at least two half-hour breaks throughout your day.
 
This will not always be possible, but the more you can make time for yourself, the more likely you are to avoid burnout in the first place.

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I especially recommend taking breaks throughout the day, because the more tired you are every day, the more likely you are to have a tiresome week.
 
Which brings me to my next point…

Tip #3: Try the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a method I have been using for a long time. Put simply, it's a technique where you spend 25 minutes of your time in an intensely focused state, followed by a five minute break. This technique helps with focus, but also helps you stay mentally grounded.
 
What's most important is that you plan your brakes effectively. This is not a time to check social media, or watch five more minutes of your favorite TV show. During that five minute break, you want to get a drink, go to the bathroom, take a few deep breaths, and move around a little bit.

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Doing all this will refresh your mind and give you the energy you need to continue going for the next 25 minutes, and so on, and so forth. I found it to be extremely effective at helping me get a lot of work done without the burnout.

Tip #4: Go Ergonomic

You may not know this, but part of the reason why you’re having trouble with burnout might be physical.
 
For that reason, you might want to consider investing in some ergonomic hardware.

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I personally invested in an ergonomic chair, and found that it helps so much with my level of comfort while I’m working. An ergonomic mouse or keyboard is another great option. Even better, you can try dictation so that you don’t wear out your wrists and hands.

Tip #5: Know When to Say No

Lastly, I think it’s important to remember that sometimes we take on more work than we should. It’s easy to say yes to everything that people ask of us, but we need to understand our limitations.
 
If we don’t do this, we are likely to end up with far too much on our work plate than we can realistically handle.
 
So make sure that you know your workload, and that you only say yes to a new request if it is urgent and coming from someone important in your life (such as a boss or a spouse), or if you know for certain that you can get it done in the time allotted.
 
Remember that you are a writer, and your job is to write. All other tasks are secondary.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of other ways to avoid burnout, these are just a few. But I also don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information. So I recommend you pick one or two of these that speak to you, and really try to give them a solid trial run.
 
If you do, I can promise that you will experience increased success, a rested mind, and you will hold burnout off for a little while longer.

Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash.

Guest Blogger Bio

Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash.

Dave Chesson is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book Marketing, which even Amazon KDP acknowledged as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers.

Links
http://kindlepreneur.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KindlePreneur/
https://twitter.com/davechesson

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