I really appreciated this newsletter today! Between just general hustle culture and then my adhd people pleaser parts, this is something I've struggled with for a long time. This year, I've really tried to focus on the fact that all my time at home on weekends doesn't need to be productive. Just because I'm home and there are important things to be done, sometimes I need to veg more to get through the week and not burn out. It actually ends up giving me more energy when I do go to do the important things and I get them done quicker and more enthusiastically
Hi susan! Relate to this so much as I am currently writing my first book whilst in Dental School😂. One of the things I have planned to avoid burn out is to find a stable part time job and a fairly well-off partner. That way my writing will always remain a hobby and something I do for leisure, rather than a need to sustain myself. Of course, I’ve accepted that I may never be a successful full-time writer, but at least my kids will be able to see my work. I can also always release my work for free on platforms like AO3 and Wattpad :)
Ha, a great plan! Having a partner with money and your own stable income ALWAYS makes it easier! (I talked about that in my post on not quitting your day job!) And yes, you can always release your work and get it to readers in whatever way you desire!
I just thought of another tip as well. Sometimes we just live in a monotonous rut; same job, same environment, same routine, with no new stimuli around us to fuel our creativity! I think as artists we need novelty in our own lives in order to feel inspired. Maybe change up your environment? Try visiting library with friends or coffee shops, or join new clubs? Try a new routine so instead of writing in your room, write on a beach, or on a train. Even with weight loss, we hit a plateau at some point, and personal trainers advise switching up. In short: introduce more variety into your life and don't be afraid to fling yourself into a new situation.
I wish I had advice. I’m so deeply burned out right now in my professional life, and I got brutally dumped a month ago. It’s a struggle to do anything, let alone create
Ah, I am so, so sorry to hear this. You are very clearly burned out, and I hope you can find some moments to do nothing and just let your brain and body recover. It's hard, but we all need it!
This was so good and so needed to read, thank you so much Susan! Burnout is so real and when we’re used to flexing the guilt muscle instead of letting ourselves rest, it can become an even bigger monster. I’ve been using the analogy of humans being a battery so much recently, because of this very reason. We don’t expect phones to keep working when the battery is dead and yet we’re constantly pushing ourselves into exactly that. Exhausting.
I hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on with GI issues soon! Being in the hospital is no fun 🥲 and uncertainty is extra no fun. Feel better!!
Unrelated but related, I recently took Becca’s Write Better Faster class (it was amazing! Thank you for recommending it <3) and so much of what you said here resonated with what I’ve just learned, it’s amazing the difference knowing where your energy and needs come from makes :))
Wish I had advice to offer! I teach during the day, parent my intensely adorable and needy little kids in the evening, and then attempt to write at night (when I'm not prepping for the next day). So your newsletter was the validation I needed to be okay with my decision to watch old episodes of New Girl on the couch last night instead of struggling to draft a new scene. Thank you, thank you. And I'm hoping you get your GI issues figured out soon - that is no fun!
This rings true for me, too. I just took a week off at work to find joy in my life again and get stuff done around the house and also sleeeep.
I know started pottery – a thing that helps my main character in the story I'm working on about a mental health journey – and I feel more aligned already!
I'm sending you lots of love and good bowel movements instead of vomiting. You're gonna feel better soon, I'm sending all the vibes 🥰
The empathy well. Wow, that makes so much sense. The creative well made sense too, but empathy well resonates a little deeper because I have to be able to empathize with my characters to write.
I've been dancing on the edge of "am I just tired, or am I almost burned out" this week (definitely due to lots of Big Life Changes and grad school), so something I'm doing for myself is taking more time away from my computer screens and making food (been on a healthy smoothie kick) or going for a walk with my dog. I try to do something "productive" (look, yes, rearranging my bookshelves for the nth time is productive) or good for me so my brain is a little nicer about it. Sometimes I just sit on the floor and listen to music.
I hope you get some good rest and feel better soon <3
Great post😊I hope you rest well & find the balance you need to stay healthy. You are absolutely right that stress causes so many health problems. For me, I have noticed I’m getting burned out when I lose patience for everything & everyone, and especially when I feel the need to go far away from all people (happy INFJ here). I started regulating my writing time more to balance it, & that helps. Meaning I force myself to get up every hour to drink water & do something physical...then restrict my time to shorter sessions for days or weeks until I feel more energy while writing again.
OH MY GOSH am I feeling this post right now. Maybe for the past year...or two...or three. The work has been so incredibly demanding (don't do two books a year -- it's a trap!) that I've also wrestled with the empathy for story problem, and finding the energy just to look at the manuscript is so hard some days.
I try to really use the days that I feel good and able to work well. Because like you, I usually do get a lot of energy and enjoyment from working. I LOVE my job. But when I start sensing the burnout coming, it's time to do something else and recharge, even if it's only for a day or two. For me, that's usually knitting or spinning, while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
Lol, why didn't you tell me to not do two books a year sooner?! 🫠 But really, I have accepted that two books would only happen "if life didn't get in the way." And here we are. Life was like, "Let me throw a hundred small but escalating speed bumps at you!"
I definitely am learning to listen to the body though. I REFUSE TO REPEAT 2020!!
Apparently I never tell people until it's too late! Same thing happened with Brigid, haha. But seriously, once I am on the other side of my own two books a year (this is the last one!), I will probably write a post about why it's not just twice the work -- it's way more than twice the work somehow. :(
This made me cry, I’ve been so burnt out and empty for the last couple months, and even though I know that’s what it is and why, the guilt is so real. It’s nice to know others understand. I’m going to try your thirty minute strategy, I really think that might help. And they way you put into perspective how much our characters draw from our well, how much energy we expend using our brains, that’s really helpful to think about too. Thank you for always being so encouraging :)
The guilt IS so real, and I absolutely understand how it feels. I struggle with the fact that it's not usually the writing that burns me out...but my life, which means I can't do the thing I know would make me feel better (writing).
But I'm really working to accept that and to carve out "imagination" time where I can just sit silently and daydream, even if I can't put words on page yet.
I seriously needed to read this at exactly this moment. I'm in the middle of IVF, a really stressful job, and have been pushing myself to keep writing through it all, but sometimes you just need a night off! Or five. Thanks Sooz :)
Oh, Brooke. IVF is just...so hard. Long, sustained trauma. PLEASE don't push yourself. I totally abandoned Witchshadow and instead wrote Executioners Three during IVF...then the Luminaries online adventure. Because I just couldn't work on the things with pressure attached, and I needed stuff that was ONLY for me.
I also binged the SHIT out of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and then Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Like I cannot tell you how many hours I sunk into those games...
Anyway, take the time you need and do the things that bring you joy, even if it's what society deems as "lazy" because IVF takes and takes, and it is HARD.
Really appreciate this article! I'm an aspiring/would-be writer who can only cram in an hour or two of writing into a few days per week, between full-time work and trying be an actually-present father and husband. Many days I'm just wiped out and think "there's no way I could write anything now". The 30-minute test is absolutely true! Sometimes I'll push myself to just get in front of that keyboard.... and 20-30 minutes later the words are just flowing and I'm so glad I got to it. But then other days I'll push myself and 30 minutes later I've only made it to Frustration City, determine to quit the whole writing endeavor. I have to remind myself that it's OK to back up, regroup, keep letting the ideas percolate, and give it a go another day. Thanks!
I definitely know Frustration City well! I'm glad you're good at regrouping and giving yourself permission to step away. I wrote a few months ago about how I actually think the ideas end up better that way, sometimes. More space for the subconscious to do its thing!
This felt like it was written just for me. I have struggled so far this year with stress-induced burnout that’s making it hard to do the things that help me take care of myself as a chronically sick person. Yet I feel awful if I inconvenience others so my shrinking capacity has been spent on overworking/supporting and not on recovering—which is just making things worse. I need to cut myself some slack. Thank you thank you for sharing this at just the right time for me to read it 🥰
A little late to this post. This is something I've definitely learned as a parent and during the pandemic. I had a root canal and I couldn't believe how tired I was afterwards. I keep wondering when I can get back to things, but I need to rest! The kid was sick and home from school. I think him seeing me rest helped him too.
I love this newsletter immensely. I also love that this happens to be the first one that I am reading from you. As a writer myself, this discussion surrounding the correlation of the two, how they differ, and to learn to identify one against the other is essential. One of my biggest tells when I am in burnout range is the lack of focus, the sense of losing control, and the increase in irritability.
I really appreciated this newsletter today! Between just general hustle culture and then my adhd people pleaser parts, this is something I've struggled with for a long time. This year, I've really tried to focus on the fact that all my time at home on weekends doesn't need to be productive. Just because I'm home and there are important things to be done, sometimes I need to veg more to get through the week and not burn out. It actually ends up giving me more energy when I do go to do the important things and I get them done quicker and more enthusiastically
Yes! Veg out!! You definitely need that time, and it will serve you best in both the short and long term!
Hi susan! Relate to this so much as I am currently writing my first book whilst in Dental School😂. One of the things I have planned to avoid burn out is to find a stable part time job and a fairly well-off partner. That way my writing will always remain a hobby and something I do for leisure, rather than a need to sustain myself. Of course, I’ve accepted that I may never be a successful full-time writer, but at least my kids will be able to see my work. I can also always release my work for free on platforms like AO3 and Wattpad :)
Ha, a great plan! Having a partner with money and your own stable income ALWAYS makes it easier! (I talked about that in my post on not quitting your day job!) And yes, you can always release your work and get it to readers in whatever way you desire!
I just thought of another tip as well. Sometimes we just live in a monotonous rut; same job, same environment, same routine, with no new stimuli around us to fuel our creativity! I think as artists we need novelty in our own lives in order to feel inspired. Maybe change up your environment? Try visiting library with friends or coffee shops, or join new clubs? Try a new routine so instead of writing in your room, write on a beach, or on a train. Even with weight loss, we hit a plateau at some point, and personal trainers advise switching up. In short: introduce more variety into your life and don't be afraid to fling yourself into a new situation.
I wish I had advice. I’m so deeply burned out right now in my professional life, and I got brutally dumped a month ago. It’s a struggle to do anything, let alone create
Ah, I am so, so sorry to hear this. You are very clearly burned out, and I hope you can find some moments to do nothing and just let your brain and body recover. It's hard, but we all need it!
This was so good and so needed to read, thank you so much Susan! Burnout is so real and when we’re used to flexing the guilt muscle instead of letting ourselves rest, it can become an even bigger monster. I’ve been using the analogy of humans being a battery so much recently, because of this very reason. We don’t expect phones to keep working when the battery is dead and yet we’re constantly pushing ourselves into exactly that. Exhausting.
I hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on with GI issues soon! Being in the hospital is no fun 🥲 and uncertainty is extra no fun. Feel better!!
Unrelated but related, I recently took Becca’s Write Better Faster class (it was amazing! Thank you for recommending it <3) and so much of what you said here resonated with what I’ve just learned, it’s amazing the difference knowing where your energy and needs come from makes :))
Aaah, I am SO GLAD you took the class and got something out of it!! I have learned so much from her!
Wish I had advice to offer! I teach during the day, parent my intensely adorable and needy little kids in the evening, and then attempt to write at night (when I'm not prepping for the next day). So your newsletter was the validation I needed to be okay with my decision to watch old episodes of New Girl on the couch last night instead of struggling to draft a new scene. Thank you, thank you. And I'm hoping you get your GI issues figured out soon - that is no fun!
Yes, you 100% deserve and even NEED those episodes of New Girl. Let your body and brain recover!!
This rings true for me, too. I just took a week off at work to find joy in my life again and get stuff done around the house and also sleeeep.
I know started pottery – a thing that helps my main character in the story I'm working on about a mental health journey – and I feel more aligned already!
I'm sending you lots of love and good bowel movements instead of vomiting. You're gonna feel better soon, I'm sending all the vibes 🥰
Oh, I have heard such great things about pottery for soothing the soul and mind!! I love that!
The empathy well. Wow, that makes so much sense. The creative well made sense too, but empathy well resonates a little deeper because I have to be able to empathize with my characters to write.
I've been dancing on the edge of "am I just tired, or am I almost burned out" this week (definitely due to lots of Big Life Changes and grad school), so something I'm doing for myself is taking more time away from my computer screens and making food (been on a healthy smoothie kick) or going for a walk with my dog. I try to do something "productive" (look, yes, rearranging my bookshelves for the nth time is productive) or good for me so my brain is a little nicer about it. Sometimes I just sit on the floor and listen to music.
I hope you get some good rest and feel better soon <3
Great post😊I hope you rest well & find the balance you need to stay healthy. You are absolutely right that stress causes so many health problems. For me, I have noticed I’m getting burned out when I lose patience for everything & everyone, and especially when I feel the need to go far away from all people (happy INFJ here). I started regulating my writing time more to balance it, & that helps. Meaning I force myself to get up every hour to drink water & do something physical...then restrict my time to shorter sessions for days or weeks until I feel more energy while writing again.
Yes! INFP here, and I also know it's bad when I'm just...well, a jerk. I snap and even yell 🙈 which is SO n to like me!!
OH MY GOSH am I feeling this post right now. Maybe for the past year...or two...or three. The work has been so incredibly demanding (don't do two books a year -- it's a trap!) that I've also wrestled with the empathy for story problem, and finding the energy just to look at the manuscript is so hard some days.
I try to really use the days that I feel good and able to work well. Because like you, I usually do get a lot of energy and enjoyment from working. I LOVE my job. But when I start sensing the burnout coming, it's time to do something else and recharge, even if it's only for a day or two. For me, that's usually knitting or spinning, while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
Lol, why didn't you tell me to not do two books a year sooner?! 🫠 But really, I have accepted that two books would only happen "if life didn't get in the way." And here we are. Life was like, "Let me throw a hundred small but escalating speed bumps at you!"
I definitely am learning to listen to the body though. I REFUSE TO REPEAT 2020!!
Apparently I never tell people until it's too late! Same thing happened with Brigid, haha. But seriously, once I am on the other side of my own two books a year (this is the last one!), I will probably write a post about why it's not just twice the work -- it's way more than twice the work somehow. :(
WAY more. Because you're operating with less in the empathy well, so you have to dig that much harder to get words on the page!
This made me cry, I’ve been so burnt out and empty for the last couple months, and even though I know that’s what it is and why, the guilt is so real. It’s nice to know others understand. I’m going to try your thirty minute strategy, I really think that might help. And they way you put into perspective how much our characters draw from our well, how much energy we expend using our brains, that’s really helpful to think about too. Thank you for always being so encouraging :)
The guilt IS so real, and I absolutely understand how it feels. I struggle with the fact that it's not usually the writing that burns me out...but my life, which means I can't do the thing I know would make me feel better (writing).
But I'm really working to accept that and to carve out "imagination" time where I can just sit silently and daydream, even if I can't put words on page yet.
I seriously needed to read this at exactly this moment. I'm in the middle of IVF, a really stressful job, and have been pushing myself to keep writing through it all, but sometimes you just need a night off! Or five. Thanks Sooz :)
Oh, Brooke. IVF is just...so hard. Long, sustained trauma. PLEASE don't push yourself. I totally abandoned Witchshadow and instead wrote Executioners Three during IVF...then the Luminaries online adventure. Because I just couldn't work on the things with pressure attached, and I needed stuff that was ONLY for me.
I also binged the SHIT out of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and then Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Like I cannot tell you how many hours I sunk into those games...
Anyway, take the time you need and do the things that bring you joy, even if it's what society deems as "lazy" because IVF takes and takes, and it is HARD.
Being an ambitious and super busy person trying to consciously slow down is SO hard. I know you understand! Such good advice, thank you <3
Really appreciate this reflection! 🥰
Really appreciate this article! I'm an aspiring/would-be writer who can only cram in an hour or two of writing into a few days per week, between full-time work and trying be an actually-present father and husband. Many days I'm just wiped out and think "there's no way I could write anything now". The 30-minute test is absolutely true! Sometimes I'll push myself to just get in front of that keyboard.... and 20-30 minutes later the words are just flowing and I'm so glad I got to it. But then other days I'll push myself and 30 minutes later I've only made it to Frustration City, determine to quit the whole writing endeavor. I have to remind myself that it's OK to back up, regroup, keep letting the ideas percolate, and give it a go another day. Thanks!
I definitely know Frustration City well! I'm glad you're good at regrouping and giving yourself permission to step away. I wrote a few months ago about how I actually think the ideas end up better that way, sometimes. More space for the subconscious to do its thing!
This felt like it was written just for me. I have struggled so far this year with stress-induced burnout that’s making it hard to do the things that help me take care of myself as a chronically sick person. Yet I feel awful if I inconvenience others so my shrinking capacity has been spent on overworking/supporting and not on recovering—which is just making things worse. I need to cut myself some slack. Thank you thank you for sharing this at just the right time for me to read it 🥰
A little late to this post. This is something I've definitely learned as a parent and during the pandemic. I had a root canal and I couldn't believe how tired I was afterwards. I keep wondering when I can get back to things, but I need to rest! The kid was sick and home from school. I think him seeing me rest helped him too.
I love this newsletter immensely. I also love that this happens to be the first one that I am reading from you. As a writer myself, this discussion surrounding the correlation of the two, how they differ, and to learn to identify one against the other is essential. One of my biggest tells when I am in burnout range is the lack of focus, the sense of losing control, and the increase in irritability.