One Unexpected Reason Why High-Performing Creatives Burn Out
Burnout is a sneaky, fickle foe.
When most people think of burnout, the common culprit we almost always point to is overwhelm.
It makes sense, right?
We burn out if there’s either:
Too much on our plate
Too many plates spinning in the air for us to manage well
But what if I told you there was a more nefarious path to burnout—hiding in the shadows, just waiting for the right opportunity to strike?
If chaos is one path to burnout, the opposite is equally as likely to send you there.
Stagnation or a lack of development (or “LOD” for short) can make us feel as though we’re not making any progress in our projects, goals, careers, and lives.
We begin to resent the work.
As a high performing creative, I need to be doing something of value. And you can bet that thing better be helping me grow as I do it.
No growth—ain’t nobody got time for that.
Stagnation leads to anxiety, then stress, and finally burnout. When we let the autopilot in our lives take over for too long, it becomes more difficult to justify why we’re doing what we do.
We resent the process.
We self-criticize.
We look for an escape hatch that isn’t there.
And while most who experience burnout are overwhelmed, stagnation is unfortunately becoming far more commonplace for creatives.
As I share my ideas on burnout, I find more and more creative professionals dealing with lack of development. Those who may have been able to manage the amount of work they have can’t always find a way to develop what will challenge them or help them grow.
Lack of Development in the Real World
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Architect (who we’ll call “Steve”) when I spoke at a conference about Burnout.
Steve shared with me his own experience with Lack of Development.
Steve is a sole proprietor. He told me that his clients “know what they want” and don’t give him much room to share any design recommendations when his ideas conflict with that vision. They don’t want to hear it.
As a result, Steve has become bored with what he does because all of the creativity he once enjoyed in his early career has been ripped from the process.
He’s not overwhelmed with too many projects.
Steve’s problem is that he’s trudging through the wrong ones for him.
If he continues on this path, Steve will surely arrive at burnout.
It may not happen today.
It may not happen tomorrow.
But that frustration Steve has with his work will someday push against him so hard that he’ll have nowhere else to turn but burnout.
5 Ways to Prevent a Lack of Development
If you find yourself in Steve’s shoes, fighting against stagnation, here are some ways to do just that.
Way #1 — Go out of your way to learn something new every day — It doesn't have to be big, but we need new knowledge inputs in order to learn and grow. By dedicating effort to learning, we’re more likely to feel as though we’re growing.
Way #2 — Present your career goals to your boss — If you want a change at work, you need to let someone know. Give your boss or supervisor a brief update on what you’ve accomplished recently and what areas you would like more experience and responsibilities in.
Way #3 — Teach what you know — In order to teach someone, you need to filter information back to the person learning from you. Teaching may require you to do additional research or distill your knowledge into an unfamiliar format. That process will lead to your own personal growth as a byproduct.
Way #4 — Journal your ideas — By writing down our thoughts, we can dive deeper into who we are and who we want to be. Journaling also creates a record of where you were and where you are today.
Way #5 — Switch Jobs — If your current job really isn't working for you and there’s no hope of changing it, it’s time to look elsewhere. By finding a different job you can better select the values and opportunities that align with who you want to become.
—
When our personal growth stops, burnout starts growing in its place. Left unchecked, burnout can overwhelm us and prevent us from doing the work we were meant to do.
Recent Finds
📸 Video — A powerful reminder from Joshua Fields Millburn at The Minimalists that only we are in control of our emotions and how we react to the world. And our emotions are often dictated by the expectations we put on ourselves.
💡 Idea — Found an interesting graphic from Seth Goldberg that breaks down how much time we spend on everything from working, to sleeping, to education, and so on. The kicker? It’s in years of life. Does it make you think twice about how you’re spending yours?
📸 Video — Sensible advice from Simon Sinek for how to think differently about the boundaries between “work” and “life”—Work and life are not opposing forces. It’s all your life.
Quote of the Week
“Let’s take away from ourselves the pressure of believing we must achieve it all at 30 or 40 or any age, for that matter, all at once. And let’s also remember that when we take the time to unplug, recharge and find joy, wonder and gratitude in our daily lives — instead of burning ourselves out in the pursuit of some imaginary deadline — we’ll be better able to realize our dreams and actually be present for them.”
—Arianna Huffington
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
