November 4, 2024

Community Insights: Navigating Freelance Burnout

1. Tell us about yourself

I’m a freelance writer and social media manager living in the heart of Canada (Winnipeg, Manitoba). I spent over 15 years in corporate marketing and communications roles before I branched off on my own in 2022. I’ll never go back to an office if I can help it; I love the flexibility and creative freedom that comes with freelancing.

When I’m not working, you can find me watching B-list horror movies or running my book club and
softball team. Oh, and I’m a huge word nerd who loathes the Oxford (serial) comma. Debate me, fellow grammar nerds!

2. What does burnout look like for you, and how do you know when you’re reaching that point?

I love my work. When I start to feel like I don’t love it anymore, I know something is up—and that’s usually burnout!

Signs I’m reaching that point: My daily energy drops to the point of exhaustion. I’ll start procrastinating, which is very unlike me. I feel overwhelmed, like I can’t keep up and the work I’m producing isn’t good enough. (Hello, imposter syndrome!)

3. How do you approach managing multiple projects/client requests without feeling overwhelmed?

Organizational and time management skills are critical. On any given day, I’m juggling multiple projects, deadlines and priorities. Knowing exactly what needs to be done—and when—is a huge weight off my shoulders. While many of my client-facing systems are automated, I’m a paper gal when it comes to organizing my day and prioritizing tasks. Find a system that works for you!

4. What daily practices help you maintain a balance between work and personal life?

When I started freelancing, I used to push myself to stick to a nine-to-five schedule as much as possible, but now, I let my body and mind guide my work hours.

If I’m not feeling particularly inspired or simply need a breather, I’ll pick up a book, clean my house or meet up with a friend to break up my day. Often, that helps ignite my creativity again and I’m ready to dive back in when I return to my desk, even if it’s in the evening or late at night.
On that same note, I’m constantly online since I manage clients’ social media. I make it a point to carve out screen-free time every day to stay balanced (and give my eyes a break!).

5. Have you learned any valuable lessons from experiencing burnout that changed how you approach freelancing?

The feast-or-famine mentality is a real thing for freelancers. When I first started freelancing, I said yes to nearly every project that came my way, regardless of my capacity or desire to work on said project.

Now, I’ve learned my boundaries and have no problem turning down a project if I’m too busy or if it’s not a good fit. I’d rather be honest with a potential client than compromise my well-being or the quality of my work.

To learn more about Andrea, visit her website.

Emily Lauren Dick – Creative Marketer

1. Tell us about yourself

My name is Emily Lauren Dick, and I am a shamelessly multi-passionate feminist creative marketer and published author. I help small women-owned businesses grow their online presence, wealth and impact in the world with strategic branding and website design.

2. What does burnout look like for you, and how do you know when you’re reaching that point?

Burnout for me is a state of mental and physical exhaustion stemming from feeling overwhelmed. As both an entrepreneur and a mother, the constant demands and ever-growing to-do list can become unmanageable.

I recognize that I’m in burnout when I lose the desire for activities I usually enjoy, both creatively and personally. I struggle to focus, even on small tasks, and find it difficult to do things like maintain my inbox or eat balanced meals. While it feels counterintuitive to rest when there’s so much to do, taking time to decompress always helps me bounce back faster and be more efficient in the long run.

3. How do you approach managing multiple projects/client requests without feeling overwhelmed?

As a brand strategist and website designer handling multiple projects and client requests, I avoid feeling overwhelmed by using project management tools and systems to stay organized. I have an established structured workflow and priority list to help me!

I also set realistic deadlines and only take on a sustainable number of clients at a time. For me, that’s only 2-3 design clients per month. This ensures that I have enough time to work on other passions, be available for my family, and carve out time to take care of myself. Of course, some seasons are busier than others, but I do my best to stick to this structure when it comes to my work. I am always looking for ways to stay organized and deliver exceptional results!

4. What daily practices help you maintain a balance between work and personal life?

As a working mom, I have limited work hours during the day to get everything done. I make a strong effort to only do client work when my kids are in school or when they are having some quiet personal time at home. I prioritize taking care of my body and like to schedule in time for facials, massages, pilates and hockey! As someone who does a lot of sitting in front of the computer, being able to walk my kids to and from school and stay active is important to me! I also do my best not to respond to emails in the evenings (but I’m still working on that one). Because I am so passionate about my work, I struggle with turning off my brain, but reading fiction books helps with this!

The most important thing that I’ve learned is that there is no such thing as balance when it comes to being an entrepreneur. It’s more about life’s ebbs and flows. There are times where I have to focus more time and energy on my work and other things take a back seat and vice versa. Honouring this mentality has been extremely helpful. It ensures that I’m not beating myself up for not being everything all at once. That’s impossible!

5. Have you learned any valuable lessons from experiencing burnout that changed how you approach freelancing?

When I first started freelancing, I would take any and all jobs to get more experience! Today, as an empathetic person, I want to help everyone regardless of their budget but it’s just not possible. I’ve had to become very firm with my boundaries when it comes to pricing my work.

I realize that investing in your business is a significant commitment for entrepreneurs, and they deserve the best possible results. That’s why I’ve had to become firm with my pricing – to ensure I can dedicate the necessary time and resources to deliver exceptional work while building a sustainable business for myself. It’s challenging to balance the desire to help everyone with the need to charge my worth, but ultimately, I believe it’s essential for both my clients’ success and my own. 

To learn more about Emily, visit her website.

Heidi Turner – Content Strategist, Consultant, and Writer

1. Tell us about yourself

 

2. What does burnout look like for you, and how do you know when you’re reaching that point?

For me it looks like being unmotivated, not wanting to work, not feeling excited or energized about what I’m doing. I also find it more difficult to make decisions and feel strong urges to stay in bed and watch tv.

3. How do you approach managing multiple projects/client requests without feeling overwhelmed?

My first and best tip is to always give yourself longer deadlines than you think you’ll need. Clients tend to operate in a sense of urgency (they need everything immediately). But if you fall for that, you’ll constantly be running from deadline to deadline and you’ll start to underestimate how long it’ll take to get work done in an attempt to please them. And, the truth is they rarely need anything as quickly as they think. If they ask how long something will take me and I can do the work in three days, I tell them five days.

This gives me some wiggle room in case life happens, it means I’m not always trying to get things done as quickly as possible, and it gets me used to setting boundaries with clients. And if I get the work done more quickly, I can always send it to them early, which makes them happy. It’s so much better to run a business when you don’t feel like you’re constantly rushing.

4. What daily practices help you maintain a balance between work and personal life?

I do my best to keep my boundaries between work and personal life. So I don’t respond to client emails after my regular work hours. I avoid working on weekends unless I’m compensated in some way (charging a rush fee) and I make up those lost days off by taking weekdays off.

One day a week (Fridays) I keep almost exclusively for working on my business and tying up any loose ends from the week, so they don’t hang over me on the weekends. And I don’t let clients control my calendar—I control it. That means I don’t allow last-minute meetings that derail my schedule, I have time blocked off in which meetings aren’t allowed (such as Fridays). I also automate as much as I can (invoicing, meeting scheduling) which saves valuable time.

5. Have you learned any valuable lessons from experiencing burnout that changed how you approach freelancing?

To listen to my gut about clients, being overworked, and feeling burned out. I can often see the signs before it happens and in those. cases, it’s important to take steps as soon as possible to mitigate it. To say no to projects that don’t feel like the right fit or seem like they’ll be more trouble than they’re worth. To take steps every week to ensure I have adequate personal time, and to have things outside my work life that I’m looking forward to (such as travel, evenings out with friends, and nights at home reading a great book). Oh, and I start off almost every morning with a long walk with my dog. That exercise, fresh air, and time with my dog always makes me feel more rejuevenated.

To learn more about Heidi, visit her website.

Enjoyed this blog post? Stay tuned for Part 2.

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