3 Ways to Avoid Burnout

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Do you know the song When The Going Gets Tough? I like the Billy Ocean version, but there are other renditions. What do you do when the going gets tough? The way you answer that question may determine your longevity in your career–especially if your career is being a writer.

You’ve heard the old cliché and seen the inspirational posters: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Right?

3 Ways to Avoid Burnout

1. Take a vacation. Sometimes, you’re just too tired to get going. Sometimes when the going gets ever tougher, if you’ve been fighting the good fight for a long time, maybe you should just relax. Take a few days off and just do things that bring you pleasure and make you laugh. Take a little vacation from the daily grind even if you think you can’t afford to take time off. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel, enabling you to return to your work with fresh energy.

2. Change your thinking. When you’re struggling all the time, it’s easy to slip into negativity. Too often negativity leads to disparaging self-talk. If that describes you, it’s time to make a mid-year resolution to stop it. Quit disrespecting yourself–or anyone else. All that negativity and whining takes an enormous amount of energy. Resolve that if you can’t say anything good about someone that you’ll just keep your mouth shut. That is especially true of your self talk!

3. Plot a new course or update the one you’re navigating. Get some perspective on your goals and your life. Figure out where you’re going. If you don’t have goals, make some. How can you achieve something if you don’t have a clear cut idea of what you want? Indecision leads to lack of focus, and lack of focus leads to lack of achievement.

Figure out exactly what you want. You. Not your spouse or your best friend. What would make you happy? Set your goals realistically—high enough that you have to work to achieve them but low enough to be in the realm of real possibility.
Wrong-thinking Goal: I want to hit the NYT best seller list with this book. Or, I want to win Yard of the Month from the Garden Club. (Totally out of your control.)

Right-thinking Goal: I want to finish the manuscript. Or, I want to have a weed-free yard. (Totally within your control.)

Takeaway Truth

Take a vacation, change your thinking, and work on your navigation. Use these 3 methods often to avoid burnout.