As a creator, do you feel fatigued by your social media channels? If so, you may be dealing with creator burnout.
What’s creator burnout?
As your social media channels grow, you may feel pressured to produce more and more content, but it may not give you the joy it used to.
Creator burnout is the feeling you get when the stress of a project doesn’t feel like it’s worth the reward. This can often leave you feeling fatigued, and you may begin to dislike your role as a content creator.
How can burnout affect creators?
As a creator, you may feel pressure to “always be on” and it may be difficult for you to find a work-life balance. The breaks you plan to take can easily become work, and you end up returning more exhausted rather than rested.
Burnout can also be triggered if you focus too heavily on your content’s performance metrics. This can be exhausting and it can negatively impact your desire to continue creating content.
Lastly, social media gives creators the opportunity to instantly connect with their followers. But when something goes wrong, criticism can come instantly. This kind of pressure can cause you to resent interacting with your followers, and push you to consider making content that that doesn’t feel genuine to you.
Let’s talk to a creator about burnout.
Adrian Krog, or Adrian Krogsæter, is a Norwegian and World football freestyle champion who creates energetic, urban content on @krogfreestyle. He uploads frequently and is always crafting fresh content for his followers. Adrian shared his views with us about burnout and how he avoids it.
It’s often said that the “Internet never sleeps.” Do you feel pressure to always be available, and if so, what steps do you take to handle it?
This was a huge problem in the beginning. Platforms like Instagram could steal 2-4 hours out of my day because I wanted to stay up-to-date. It became an addiction for me, and constantly checking [Instagram] throughout the day eventually added up. I finally recognized this as a problem and figured out that I should only allow myself to be online for 1-hour a day; in order to stay in touch with my community and upload content. I’ve put the activity alarm on so when it says I’ve been online for 1-hour, I immediately delete Instagram from my phone and reinstall it the day after. I wouldn’t say I felt pressured to be online, but social media can absolutely swallow you, especially if you’re a creator.
Have you experienced burnout before? If not, how did you prevent it?
I’ve been lucky to not experience any burnouts yet and my motivation to create is usually strong. I think the main reason I’ve not experienced any burnouts is because I always have goals to strive for, which gives me purpose in what I do. My current goal is to reach 100k on Instagram and I want to create the best possible content in order to reach this number before the summer.
How can brands help creators during collaborations to help prevent burn out?
The best thing brands can do to help creators is to give inspiration during a collaboration. By presenting other collaborations or specific content ideas you have in mind, you’ll make it easier for the creator to meet your demands. This will ease creative stress on the creator and give inspiration to create that great content we’re all striving for, with a touch of their own style.
Do you have any recommendations for other creators?
What I would recommend every creator that takes their content seriously and wants to stay at top of their game:
- Create a schedule for your social media of choice and delete the app everyday if you feel that you are wasting precious time scrolling.
- Find a balance to never overuse the platform.
- Watch your favorite creators in order to get inspired and create your own unique style that sets you apart from the ocean of creators.
- Have something to reach for that makes you excited, you can’t get unmotivated if you always have a purpose that will fulfill you.
Recovery and prevention
Take a break.
If you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed or stressed communicating with your followers or during the content creation process, perhaps it’s time to consider taking a break. It can be as simple as promising yourself a dedicated amount of time offline each day.
Set boundaries.
Moving forward, setting boundaries can be a great way to set yourself up for success. Routines are a great way to organize your day, and it’ll allow you to ‘clock out’ once you’ve completed your desired tasks. You should communicate these routines with your followers so they know when you’re available to connect with them. This will help you better plan your projects and commitments.
Find your passion project.
This may also be a good time to evaluate what you enjoy or don’t enjoy about content creation. Focus on the projects you’re passionate about and interests that bring you the most joy.
Talk it out.
Lastly, talking to a friend, family member, or other creators in the industry can be a great way to reflect and heal from creator burnout. Take the opportunity to join creative communities or meet new people so you can build a healthy support system.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help and support is available here and here.
