What to Do When You're Burnt Out
Plus writing jobs, encouragement, advice, and more!
Hi writers and friends!
What to Do When You’re Burnt Out
For a while recently, I’ve felt super busy and stressed. Writing multiple articles a day, editing, pitching, working with new publications for the first time, dealing with life, you name it.
I thought that was what I wanted. And in some ways, it was — it felt like the level of success (and amount of money) I’d craved and needed.
But quickly, I became very burnt out. And in the time since, it’s been harder for me to find motivation, enjoy my job, and all that stuff that — at one point — came pretty easily to me.
Despite trying to not overwork myself since then, I still feel burnt out, weeks later. Honestly? It’s kind of scary. I’m still learning how to handle it and be compassionate with myself.
If and when you experience the same thing, I’d like to share some tips that I’ve read helped other people and have helped me some, too:
Cut down on your workload (what this entails can vary!)
This could look like pitching less, working more with publications/editors who require fewer edits, not doing the unnecessary stuff, giving yourself more time to complete assignments, etc.
Important note: This isn’t as easy as it sounds! Saying no to high-paying assignments isn’t going to feel good — but the vital changes we have to make, while hard, are worth it. (More on this next month!)
Add in the life-giving stuff
What makes you happy? Maybe it’s playing a sport, hanging out with friends, baking cookies, watching your favorite TV show, etc. Be intentional about doing those fun things!
Consider pivoting what you do
What are other ways you can make money doing what you love? This could be a paid newsletter, coaching, making paid resources, trying a new type of writing, etc. It could also be completely changing careers!
Talk to a therapist or loved ones
I’m a big fan of venting. Hearing people validate what you’re going through and reminding you you’re not alone can be so helpful to hear. Therapists, especially, can also provide coping skills for those rough moments.
Make sure you’ve addressed vulnerability factors
In other words, are you getting enough sleep? Eating regularly? Getting some movement in? Taking your medications? Taking care of your mental health and well-being in other ways?
More tips from fellow writers in this embedded thread:
We have to regularly engage in these practices, and unfortunately, they’re not a quick fix. Try some of these tips and remind yourself that rest isn’t earned — it’s something we all need consistently, no matter how much work we have (or haven’t) done.
I want to be clear that I’m very blessed and privileged to be in a space where I can comfortably do these things most of the time. Not everyone can afford therapy, making big changes, saying no to assignments, etc. Part of that comes from you all supporting me, so thank you for that!
Writing/Freelancing Tips
Pitching tips/mistakes (don’t feel bad if you’ve made these—we’ve all been there!)
Pitch Calls
First, I want to share my latest pitching guide: “5 Websites That Pay Writers Around $1/Word or More”
Here’s what a friend / fellow freelancer said about my pitching guides, BTW :)
GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:
If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.
Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!
Pitch calls:
Send pitches about the connections you make with music for Bandcamp (Rate: $375)
Pitch article ideas about sex and sex culture for Pleaser / Daily Dot (Rate: About $0.13/word, according to Who Pays Writers)
Send pitches with actionable, specific, personal advice for the potential upcoming recession for Business Insider (Rate: Starts around $320, according to this pitching guide)
Want a bunch of these weekly? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.
Writer Jobs
Want a bunch of these weekly, all spelled out? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.
Writing/Freelancing Resources
Free and inexpensive resources that can help you learn how to write online (My friend wrote this incredible article & was so kind to give me and some of my resources a shout-out!)
Bonsai (It’s an all-in-one business management and financial suite for freelancers, small businesses, etc where you can handle invoices, proposals, and contracts, as well as access templates, tax things, task trackers, forms, surveys, and more. I’m an affiliate partner!)
Encouragement
My Articles + Updates
This HuffPost article, “Why Some People Get Irked by Unread Email Notifications and Others Don’t,” was a fun and easy write — and finding more assignments like that is a big goal of mine right now!
Hopefully, I’ll be offering more resources, coaching opportunities, etc soon. I may be pivoting a bit, so stay tuned!
Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help
Don’t forget about my Medium guide and coaching/editing services and Writing Checklist Set!
More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls
Feedback from you: (1) For the newsletter // (2) For the resource set
This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, and my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3 :) A huge thanks to donors!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)