How to Recover From Burnout
+ Tips for preventing it in the first place
Burnout and I are old friends.
It all started when I was deemed a “gifted” student, achieving straight A’s, excelling in school, and being praised for being at the top of my class.
Fast forward to adulthood, and now I’m an anxious overachiever who too often ties her self-worth to her productivity. Oof.
This can be a huge problem when it comes to freelancing, making it hard to turn down projects even when I’m fully booked. This leads to long days and, eventually, burnout.
I know better. I have frameworks to prevent it. I even teach others how not to fall into the trap of hustle culture.
And yet… I still find myself in burnout more often than I’d like to admit.
Maybe it’s a passion for what I do. Maybe it’s wanting to help others who are looking to grow. Maybe it’s my own masochism.
Whatever it is, it has to end. First, it makes me feel like a hypocrite and a fraud. Second, it does nothing for my personal or professional life.
But I know I’m not the only one. So, if you’re a recovering overachiever like me, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled some of my top tips to not only recover from burnout but to also prevent it from happening in the first place.
How to Recover From and Prevent Burnout
Wait, before I dig in, I want to mention that if you’re in a state of burnout, nothing is wrong with you. You don’t have some moral failing, and you’re not doomed. You likely just really care about what it is that you do, and that’s a good thing! It’s just time to harness it a little better and take control of your time.
1. Schedule Your Days
This can be a little difficult as a freelancer, as random projects and client requests can filter in at any time, but it’s not impossible! I love time blocking, but find a system that works for you. Having strict boundaries regarding turnaround times (and actually enforcing them) changed the game for me when it came to being able to plan my days.
No longer do I feel like I have to do something the minute it lands in my inbox. Instead, I make a list of the most important things to tackle in my day and work down from there.
Don’t forget to schedule time for yourself, too! It's not selfish. You won’t lose clients. In fact, you’ll likely find that if you start actually taking time for yourself, your work will actually improve.
It might sound counterintuitive, but try it out. You might be amazed.
2. Set Better Rates
If you feel like you’re constantly on a hamster wheel of client work and always chasing burnout, it’s likely you:
Have too much work
Have too much work because you’re undercharging.
If every client prospect is saying yes you’re rates are too low. I highly encourage you to start raising them ASAP. That way, you can work less and make more.
You don’t have to do it all at once, though. Start with your lowest-paying client or the one you like least, and go from there.
3. Have Hard Boundaries
This goes hand in hand with scheduling your days, but I truly can’t emphasize it enough. If you don’t stick to the boundaries you set both in a personal and professional sense, your clients are likely to start walking all over you. They might not even know it, but they will!
Set strict boundaries for when you’re “in office,” your turnaround time for projects, and the actual scope of your work, and take a big deep breath, knowing nothing is truly that urgent. We’re typing on computers, not performing heart surgery, after all.
*Tip: If a client can’t respect your boundaries, you probably don’t want them as a client anyway.
4. Vary Your Work
Personally, I get bored doing the same thing day after day. I think many freelancers do! So, if you’re feeling uninspired, unmotivated, stuck, or just plain bored, it might be time to add something else to your offer suite.
This can even be a personal project or side hustle. Hobbies count, too! Adding a little variety to your days can give you something to look forward to and challenge your brain in new, exciting ways you’ll look forward to.
5. Don’t Forget to Have Fun!
That’s what freelancing is all about, isn’t it?! Most of us start freelancing with goals of freedom and chasing our dreams, but it can be easy to lose sight of that along the way. Don’t be afraid to switch things up, try new skills, reach out to dream clients, or simply put yourself out there. It’s not that serious!
What do you do to prevent and recover from burnout? I’d love to know!
If you found this post helpful, I would be forever grateful if you bought me a coffee. Every little bit helps to allow me to continue to produce FREE content for you. 💕
Love this! Having a steady daily rhythm and strict schedule has been so helpful for me personally to overcome burnout and feel more at peace. These are great tips!
I love that you brought up "vary your work" because I have been working on doing that a lot lately. As a physics student, adding writing and art to my pursuits has made everything much more consistently enjoyable, even quantum mechanics and electromagnetism!