If you’ve been working solidly on your content for months or years, you might have experienced that annoying sensation of hitting a brick wall. Suddenly, you can’t think of anything decent or new to write, your topics start to all sound the same, and you find that writing content becomes more of a painful chore than a pleasure. This is called “content burnout”. Every writer, journalist, blogger, or content creator is susceptible to this kind of burnout, especially if they don’t take measures to prevent it from happening or to deal with it if it comes. Here are some helpful ways to handle content burnout:
1: Something’s Gotta Give
We’re not here to tell you that you’re doing your job wrong, but if you’re feeling the burn, then there’s probably an imbalance somewhere in your life, whether it’s personal or professional. Either way, if you’re at the point where your content starts to suffer, it’s time to reassess your situation and find out how to get back on track. Something’s gotta give. Are you pushing too much for daily content? Scale it back a bit. Are you not giving yourself enough time to thoroughly research topics before writing about them? Readjust your posting schedule. Are you at the office 20 hours a day just so you can keep up with your workload? Try delegating your work, hire an assistant, or learn to organize your time a bit better.
2: Look for Support
Do you work with an awesome team of web developers and other content writers? It might be time to sit around and brainstorm with your colleagues. The content creation burnout problem shouldn’t only fall on your shoulders. Ask for help. Whether it’s for new ideas, a new schedule, or a completely new direction, never be afraid to speak up about your concerns. Chances are, your team will be glad that you were upfront about your burnout. After all, when you suffer, your work suffers, which makes your rankings suffer.
3: Push Through the Pain
Eric Siu of the Marketing School Podcast compares burnout with fatigue, and sometimes the only way to deal with it is to push through the pain. He doesn’t mean to say that you should ignore all the warning signs of burnout. What he means is that sometimes, even if you don’t think you have a shred of creativity left in you, you should just push through. What you might find on the other end of that last-ditch effort is a second wind. Writer’s block works the same way. Ironically, the magic cure for writer’s block is to just keep writing. Sure, it might not be publishable or even salvageable, but at least you’re working those creative muscles and keeping them exercised and primed for that next spark of inspiration.
4: Take a Break
Duh! If you’re spending hours, days, and even weeks sitting in front of a blank computer screen with nothing concrete to show for your time, you need a break. If you can’t remember the last time you produced something you were proud of, it’s time for a much-needed breather. To contradict Eric Siu’s last point, his Podcast partner Neil Patel suggests stepping away from your computer entirely. Nothing is worse than wasting your time. It’ll just make you feel so much worse. Give yourself a few days (or weeks, if you can) to chill out and recharge. If you’re worried about your ratings, try not to think about it too much. You can easily get back on track with better content when you return.
5: Content Burnout? Hire a Content Writer
The easiest solution for dealing with complete content burnout is to hire fresh blood. A new writer can offer a different perspective, new ideas, and a completely new style and tone. Plus, they can take over for you while you recharge your batteries. Or, if you decide that your content fatigue is making you really resentful of your work, consider hiring a content strategy team that can take over on a full-time basis. Hiring a professional content writer allows you to focus on something else that makes you happy and productive.
