Exhausted, burnt out, overwhelmed, uninspired… Let me guess, you’re probably feeling at least one of these feelings if you’re here right now. I GET IT. No, really. I get it. I have been a full-time content creator for over 4 years now and have been in the blogging world for 7 years. Content creation is hard work. Whether you’re pursuing your creative career full-time or as a side hustle, you’re bound to hit a wall of exhaustion at some point or another. But, there’s hope! You don’t have to stay stuck. You can press on and get through the tiring times. Better yet – you can also develop self-care practices that will serve you well as a content creator.
As creatives, we’re naturally very passionate, especially when it comes to our work. This is a good thing and a not-so-good thing sometimes because we end up pouring more of ourselves into our work than taking a moment to breathe and care for ourselves.
Content creators, you need to invest in caring for yourself so that you can hustle harder and work well.
7 BEST SELF-CARE TIPS FOR CONTENT CREATORS
1. HAVE OFFICE HOURS – Boundaries and a good work/life balance are key when you’re a content creator. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed and your work seeping into your personal life, consider setting office hours. Having office hours will help you set and keep to your work/life boundaries. Everyone works in different ways. I’m a work-at-home mom, so not only am I trying to balance content creation, but I’m also taking care of my daughter full-time, as well as keeping my home tidy. It’s a lot to balance. I have set office hours during my daughter’s naptime and then more flexible office hours throughout the rest of the day. If you’re not a mom, you’ll probably be able to have a more set-in-stone schedule. I think is important is to leave room for flexibility but not to the point where content creation can take over every aspect of your life.
[bctt tweet=”The 7 BEST Self-Care Practices For Content Creators” username=”SummerTelban”]
[bctt tweet=”Content creators, you need to invest in caring for yourself so that you can hustle harder and work well.” username=”SummerTelban”]
2. DECLUTTER REGULARLY – Decluttering is essential when it comes to staying organized, on top of your work, and keeping your stress levels low. The moment my deskspace or laptop desktop starts to get cluttered, I can feel a shift in my stress levels. Spend 5-10 minutes each day decluttering. You don’t need to do it all at once but picking something to tidy up each day will help you work better.
Things to declutter regularly:
- Email inbox
- Desktop & downloads files
- Your camera roll (I need to work on this one! ha!)
- Your desk/office
- Anything that keeps you from working your best
3. LIMIT SOCIAL MEDIA USE & TURN OFF PUSH NOTIFICATIONS – When your job is social media (or a huge part of it), it’s important to limit your social media use outside of work. I do my best to limit my time on social media and my phone on the weekends. I love having family time with my husband and daughter and having time to refresh myself. Weekends are my days off! I can catch up with the online world when I get back to office hours.
As I mentioned earlier, boundaries are SO important when you’re a content creator. It can be such a fine line sometimes. I recommend turning off push notifications for all social media apps. This is something that I have personally found a huge help for not only keeping to my boundaries but also for keeping a good mental health space. Turning off push notifications helps to keep overwhelm at bay.
4. HAVE A CASUAL HOBBY – If you’re a content creator, chances are you’ve probably turned your once hobby into an income stream. That is awesome! Now you need a new hobby – something you can have just to yourself. Having an outlet that’s just for fun is not an income stream is important. Plus, having hobbies helps you to keep your creative juices flowing!
PIN FOR LATER!
[bctt tweet=”Set foundational boundaries and self-care practices as a content creator. Having a firm foundation is essential to growth and success.” username=”SummerTelban”]
5. OUTSOURCE & UTILIZE SCHEDULERS – Something I think content creators and entrepreneurs need to normalize is that you truly can’t do it all. There may be times where you do manage to do it all but it can lead to burnout, which is what we’re trying to avoid! As your business grows, consider outsourcing tasks that don’t necessarily need all of your attention.
Some things to consider outsourcing:
- Graphics
- Pinterest Strategy
- Hashtag Research
- Photo Editing
- Social Media Management
- Instagram Management
- Brand Contact Research
Along with outsourcing, consider using schedulers on some platforms. I use Tailwind to schedule out pins for Pinterest. You can get a free month of Tailwind when you sign-up with my link! Buffer is great for Twitter. When it comes to Facebook, I use their scheduling options. Instagram is the only platform I would recommend not using a scheduler for since Instagram pushes content that has great initial engagement.
6. LET GO OF PRESSURE & GO WITH THE FLOW – The pressure that we put on ourselves to constantly be creating is heavy at times. Good news – you don’t have to be constantly creating content. I have found that (for me) going with the flow works best. What I mean is to go with the flow of your life, circumstances, content calendar, and the weather. It’s wild how the weather can have such an impact on our work. On rainy and gloomy days, I work on graphics and strategy, rather than stressing about how bad the lighting is for photos/video. On the days with the best lighting, I’ll work on batch shooting photos and videos so that I have content filed away for those gloomier days.
7. SCHEDULE BREAKS/VACATION – Breaks are needed. Breaks are NEEDED. In addition to having regular days off from creating, I encourage you to schedule at least 2 week-long breaks/vacations to clear your mind and to just relax. When you’re a content creator, you deal with A LOT more than many people think… the pressure, the hate, the trolling, the balance of what to share/not to share. It’s a lot. You need a break. You deserve a vacation away from work just like everyone else. Now, go schedule your break!
[bctt tweet=”Are you a content creator feeling burnt out and overwhelmed? You NEED these tips!” username=”SummerTelban”]
Implement these key foundations and you’ll start to find a happy and healthier you. When you’re at your best, you’ll work your work. Keep on creating!
XO,
