Holy smokes, what just happened?
Come back to early January with me. We’d just come off the holidays, and my work-life balance was feeling on-point. I wrote about it. My husband and I are both public accountants, so we were gearing up for the impending “Busy Season” (that’s February through April, but I’d argue all the way through to June, especially this year for Canadians – IYKYK).
I was even inspired to write a little “How to Beat Busy Season Burnout” post here on the blog!
It had sort-of become a bullet journal tradition of mine to write these brief “survival guides” for myself every January as a motivational tool. So I had been excitedly flipping through my old Busy Season Survival Guides to take notes and think about what worked, what didn’t, and why, in hopes to share a “master” guide with you.
I had a good chuckle at myself as I looked through my old plans, tips, reminders, and motivational quotes. Every year I was certain that I had found the magical key that would get me through the season unscathed.
Every year I got burned.
Not this time, though. No, this year would be really, truly, different. Life was different. My priorities were different. I was different.
…Right?
Fast-forward to the first week of February… I think my bosses would forgive me for saying: we got steamrolled.
Not even two weeks into the ‘Season, I was already feeling completely overwhelmed as work and life unfolded in dramatic fashion.
Well, only 12 more weeks to go.
…And then another 8.
I’m here writing of course because we made it to the other side of the first big deadline of the year. Whether out of spite or optimism, I’m probably still going to finish writing this year’s Guide, why not? Maybe there will be some useful stuff in there for someone. But let me tell you, the Guide is not a magical recipe that guarantees to keep burnout at bay.
In this post, I’m talking about when your best laid plans go awry, and how to recover.
(Writer’s note: I haven’t written a darn thing in a month! It feels awesome just to do the thing. I may not post very often, but do I write at least a few days per week because it’s a pillar of my creative practice. It’s been a very long time since I went that long without writing though, and I have to commend myself for that dedication. 🙂 It’s time to get back into the flow. Hitting the keyboard again feels like visiting the duck pond with a bag of bread – all those little ideas are jumping up and down waiting to be written. On the plus side, the long break created a great opportunity for experimentation…)
Knowing What To Do, and Then Doing It
It turns out there’s a big difference between knowing what to do when shit hits the fan, and actually doing it.
Meaning, no matter how carefully you craft your own Busy Season Survival Guide (or whatever form your best laid plans are kept in), you also need to have strategies in place so that you’ll follow it.
To do that, you have to know where your challenge areas are.
For example, one key to my plan is that regular exercise is non-negotiable (and imperative when things get stressful). The challenge of course is that exercise is in fact quite negotiable. So I have to get creative in convincing myself that getting that run in is indeed the best use of my time.
You’re creative though, so that part shouldn’t be a problem!
For me, I know what keeps me from strapping on the running shoes is my general tendency to want to please everyone by working even more, and the allure of the couch and a tub of ice cream. I have to be ready to recognize when I’m choosing to convert a workout hour to a working hour (is it really the best use of that hour?). I also have to remember clearly how good I feel if I’ve gone for a run and the positive impact it has on my energy levels, mood, and productivity. You know, as compared to the lethargy that follows semi-reclining with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s.
What IS a problem is that planning takes foresight. You can even see it in my example: I’m going to feel this way, so I’ll counteract it with that. We can make an educated guess, sure, but the reality is we simply can’t see exactly what’s going to happen, how we’ll feel about it, or how others will react to it.
So Many Things are Outside of Our Control
I had an excellent plan and foundation in place going into this Busy Season. I was very grounded in my creative practice. I’m fortunate to have lovely understanding family and friends. I know what makes me tick, and I know how to check in with myself so that I can spot trouble coming and take care of it before it becomes burnout.
I’m not going to be taken down this year. No way. Just as long as I can control my workflow… And whether my family will be sick or not, and for how long. Totally reasonable expectations, right? 🙂
Yup, I know better now.
You can absolutely take preventative measures for your best chance at a desirable outcome. Say “no” more often. Under promise. Carry hand sanitizer everywhere you go. You can do everything “right”! But you can’t guarantee an illness-free household, nor can you guarantee your workflow won’t get unintentionally out of hand.
A plan is good. The purpose is to help keep you focused, guide your decision-making, and to give you direction when you need it. But we also need to have the flexibility to diverge from the old plan and build a new one when unforeseen circumstances arise.
The Disappointment of a Failed Plan
There’s huge sense of disappointment when a plan fails. I’ve certainly got egg on my face, thinking I was impervious to overwhelm. It wasn’t just the stress of trying to fill my waking hours with work, then, but this sense of personal failure that was getting to me.
At a deeper level, it left me wondering – had my theory failed? I started this blog in pursuit of the creativity I felt I’d lost, and in hopes that I’d find some sort of reciprocal relationship whereby my creativity would help to support me in my career (and vice versa). If I could stay grounded in my creative practice, I could manage whatever came my way at the office.
Was I wrong?
Maybe, but maybe not. In the chaos of it all, I forgot how great things had been going for the 11 months beforehand. I was laser-focused on the setback here and now.
Failure is not defined by one setback. Setbacks are part of the process that leads you to success.
This reminded me about how we keep thinking things will be different when. When we graduate, when we get the job, when we hit the milestone, when we get married, when we have kids. When we finally prioritize our creativity.
And yeah, certainly some things will be different then.
But not everything, and not entirely in the way you expected.
Patiently Implementing Change
Change comes slowly, especially for our inner workings. You can start new habits and break old ones, and while some immediate benefits arise from taking action, the real, lasting change takes time. I see it like spinning a raw egg. Circumstances on the outside can change rapidly, but the stuff on the inside sort-of takes a second to build up momentum. Obviously I’m not a physicist, but hopefully you catch my drift.
My creative practice did not give me immunity to burnout. I fell back into old habits, but with a little more awareness than in previous years and enough presence of mind to pull back when I could. The “stuff” is starting to move, it just hasn’t quite caught up yet.
If you struggle with trying to make a change and encountering a setback, don’t get too frustrated with yourself. Depending what leg of the journey you’re on, know that:
- Just because we CAN work until we drop, doesn’t mean we should, but similarly,
- Just because we CAN take care of ourselves in time to avoid the burnout, doesn’t mean we will, and
- Just because we’ve succumbed to the busyness of it all doesn’t make us failures.
There’s still room for growth, and when one opportunity passes, another follows. The key then is not to agonize over how the plan failed, but to pivot and shake things up for the next time.
Making a Quick Recovery
I think “quick” is the operative word here. When I couldn’t engage in my creative practice, and I couldn’t seem to disengage from my work, these are some little band-aid solutions that helped:
- Setting reminders on my phone that had something either mindful or encouraging on it pop up on my to-do list.
- Planning for all of the (fun!) things I would get to do when I could finally catch a breather (and reminding myself that I would eventually get there).
- Practicing being okay with disappointment (mine or other people’s).
- Asking for help by making tangible and specific requests – dates and time frames included.
- Letting a lot of things go, for example my typical cooking and tidying, and my creative practice (GASP – but sometimes it’s necessary… Work with your creative seasons!)
- Choosing some of the most impactful yet manageable self-care items and making them non-negotiable. A couple of mine were mindful and intentional time with my kids, and exercise (walking/running).
- Allowing for the occasional well-timed breakdown, because you know – you have to feel your feelings at some point. Also, a great therapist helps. 🙂
Parting Words
By all means, make a plan and beat burnout before it ever has the chance to ignite! But also know that it won’t always work out that way.
There are simply too many things that are outside of our control. The key is to go in with a plan, but to then be flexible. When things don’t go our way, we get to feel the disappointment, and we also get to look forward to the next opportunity to make a change.
If you’ve been struggling with your own burnout, I wish you a solid reprieve and regroup so that you can get some space, pick your self-care non-negotiables, and ride the chaotic waves.
Personally, I’m optimistic for the rest of this year’s Busy Season. When you start out on a run, there’s this initial resistance you need to push through before your body gets used to your pace and you start to feel like you’re gliding, even though you’re still working hard. Maybe the same applies for mental marathons.
Keep moving forward, and I’ll see you on the other side!
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