What’s on the iPod: Million Dollar Bill by Middle Brother
Some days you wonder why you got out of bed. Yesterday I wasn’t terribly busy, but I was facing some odd situations — one that included an edit back to the original version of something I’d presented. Three edits later, we were back to the beginning. The client is always right even when they prove you are.
Things are ramping up on a bigger project. I let the client know when I was delivering it, so that makes the deadline official in my head. It’s what I wanted and needed. It may sound great to get a “whenever” deadline, but it’s easier to build something around a concrete time period.
Since this month’s theme is writing diversity, I figured it was time to talk about burnout. Every now and then you’ll get to a point in your work life where you feel there’s no end to the pile, no variety, and no way you want to put one more word on the paper. We all get there. How to fix it?
Diversify.
You saw that coming, but diversifying your projects is one of the best ways to avoid burnout, or reduce it because we still have to work on projects that can zap our energies. Take resumes, for example. I wrote resumes daily or almost daily for four and a half years. I worked with great companies and one not-so-great company, and I was to a point where I could get a resume and cover letter completed in under two hours.
After so many years, I came to hate the gig.
So I stopped. As it happens, the resume group I was working with started sending me projects sporadically, then eventually stopped sending altogether. Their slow demise saved me the trouble of waving goodbye and explaining why objectives and cover letters no longer made me swoon (ever, really).
However, there are times when you can’t really stop what you’re doing. You like the client, you like the work to some extent, or the payment helps alleviate the indifference. I say if you’re not 100-percent into it, give it up, but I’m not you. If you’re not quite ready to give up that gig, here are some ways beyond diversifying that can help:
Time it. Put a limit on how much time you’ll devote to that project. That may mean you turn down a few projects, but the goal is to get you to a point where you feel a bit more balanced. Instead of allowing the work to consume you, break it up into smaller, scheduled increments. It will help you restore that sense of control.
Change your location. Take the work on the road — try working from the nearest WiFi spot that isn’t your office. Even outside on your patio or deck is enough to get a fresh perspective. It won’t change the work, but it may elevate your mood.
Make a game of it. When I was doing resumes regularly, I’d try to find how many adjectives I could that described the same thing. I’d also go on a hunt for “bullshit” words that didn’t say anything or were overused, like “detail-oriented” or “seasoned professional” (which has me imagining employees rolling in paprika). Find something in that boring or stressful job that makes you feel more alive.
Vent a little. It’s okay to get on the phone with your writer friend and say “Gawd, this job is driving me nuts!” Just don’t let it consume you. It’s easy to get locked in a pattern of complaint instead of action. If you vent for 10 minutes, make sure to follow it up with at least 10 minutes of productivity on that very gig.
Find ways to change it. When I worked with one resume company, I decided I wasn’t writing the resumes any longer. Instead, I moved to proofing them. Not that that didn’t come with its own stress — including a supervisor who was quick to call out the smallest oversight as “sloppy” or “lazy” behavior. But I wasn’t wasting hours on a task I no longer enjoyed. Try going back to your client when you can and discuss ways you can change up the gig.
Besides dumping a job that burns you out, how have you changed it up so that the job isn’t as stressful/boring/unfulfilling?
You lasted longer with resumes than I did. At first I liked them as a simple diversion, but once the client started wanting two a day I put on the breaks and slowed down to maybe three per week. Now I only do them when a friend or family member refers someone my way. Just had one request come in and as soon as the check arrives I'll get started.
I can't proof a resume without actually editing or rewriting it. A friend just updated the resume I did for her three years ago and asked me to look it over. She was confident it was good enough to send out. Boy was she wrong! Unless the year actually is 20213. It wasn't just that she didn't follow the basic format she had before her, she had typos, incomplete sentences, uneven spacing, and she Capitalized any Word she thought was Important. What a mess! I couldn't help but clean it up since it would take longer to explain what was wrong, why it was wrong and how to fix it. Worst of all? The first term she used to describe herself was, "Detail-oriented." Obviously not!
To keep things from getting too boring, I try to mix things up. Yesterday I worked on a short article for a local client and did a long, fun interview for a different client. Today I'm tracking down sources for a couple of articles and transcribing.
I wish I could change locations. It's going to be really humid and in the 90s again today with a heat index around 100. No central air, and my lone window AC is in the dining room. This morning I was wishing I had a laptop or tablet or some way to work by the AC.
Paula, that's why I finally bought a Surface tablet. I can't type on laptops (awkward hand positioning), and I don't want to lug around something so bulky. A tablet with a detachable keyboard is just easier, from my perspective.
I saw Dell has one for $299. Not sure what it has/doesn't have, but it may be worth looking at.
All of my stuff is Mac, and I don't know 3G from Wifi (probably because I've never used anyone). Besides, if I had $300 to spare, I'd use it to have the chimney repaired.
I forgot to add something earlier. Venting to another writer has a side benefit: they often have suggestions to improve the situation you're complaining about. I don't know how many times writer friends and I have offered each other possible solutions.
Good point, Paula! Venting can bring about resolution. I like that!
I'll take a day or two off… ideally go somewhere, but even if I stay home and just read junk novels, when I get back to it I'm fresher and so seems the writing.