July 15, 2022

 

Programming note: Into & Overit is taking a summer break. I'll explain why. 

 

Relaxing doesn’t come easy to me.

 

Last weekend provided a picturesque pair of days for sitting and enjoying. Except, when I found a free moment to do that, I filled it with other things.  

 

I should get a headstart on that project.

There is a weird patch of weeds over there. 

Crap, I didn’t respond to that email about that thing.  

 

There’s some comfort in knowing I’m not alone (thanks, Justin). 

This idea of total productivity has been beaten into us.  

 

👉 Arrive early. Stay late. Don’t bring your job to someone else’s.

 

We keep moving because slowing down creates guilt and self-doubt. 

We keep moving because slowing down allows us to feel how much we’ve been carrying.

 

There is a season for hustle and a season for rest.

 

I think we sometimes forget that we need both. 

 

⛺ Roasting Marshmallows Over a Burnout Fire?

 

⬆️ I didn’t write that line (Ann Handley did in her brilliant newsletter), but, oh boy, do I feel it. 

 

Are your marshmallows feeling a little burnt?  

• Are you drained and exhausted--constantly?
• Are you quickly triggered, more distracted, and less engaged?
• Are you creating PPT decks at 2:30 a.m. because you can’t sleep?

It’s normal for our energy levels to ebb and flow. Recently, I learned there are four energy quadrants that humans move through. 

• The performance zone is when your energy is high and positive. You feel upbeat, engaged, challenged, and optimistic.
• The survival zone is when your energy is high but negative. You feel anxious, impatient, irritable, fearful, and self-critical.
• The burnout zone is when your energy is low and your feelings are negative. You feel helpless, empty, and exhausted.
• The renewal zone is when your energy is low but positive. It’s where you can recharge and get back to the performance zone. 

When your stress and anxiety become normalized, they no longer register as something you're holding. If you don't know you're carrying it, you can't choose to put it down. You may not even realize you’re in the Survival or Burnout zone until you’ve signed a lease and taken up semi-permanent residence. That’s how burnout gets you.

 

😬 What Should Be Obvious But Sometimes Isn’t

 

Doing nothing is an important something. 

 

To be idle is not to be unproductive or lazy. Moments of idleness are necessary for us to stay engaged with our work and life so that we can keep moving forward to accomplish great things.

 

When your job is to constantly have new ideas, implement ideas, or use your brain to analyze data pertaining to ideas, you must give it the rest required to do so.

 

Or else.

Have you ever struggled for HOURS to solve a problem, and suddenly, the answer came to you when you were in the shower, driving home from work, or laying in bed unable to sleep? 

 

Your brain needed the space and quiet to work the problem out. 

 

Those connections happen easier and faster when you’re not constantly pushing so hard. 

 

New wellness trend alert! Look more brilliant and more attractive to your friends and colleagues by taking a pause to refill the well.

 

⚡Avoiding Burnout by Recharging Your Brain  

 

How do we avoid getting to that place of total depletion?

 

→ Know your 'Mores' 

 

At 27, I started an SEO company, and by 30, I was so burnt out from its physical and emotional toll that I stepped down and took six months off to sit in the sunshine and will my body back to life.  

 

When we think of burnout, we think in terms of “I am doing too much.” There are too many projects, too many needs, or too many people looking at me to have the answers.

 

What was helpful for me back then, and remains helpful, is to reframe that thought. My brain is burnt out not because I am doing too much, but because I am not doing enough of what recharges me. 

 

What do I want more of?  

• I want to do more for our clients to help them distill what’s interesting about them and use it to their advantage.
• I want more access to more parts of their campaigns to make a bigger impact. 
• I want to write more. 
• I want more time to hike, kayak, and be with my son, especially as he’s young.

Those Mores brought me to Overit, and that I am supported in my pursuit of them is  one reason why I'm still here ten years later.

 

What are your Mores? List them and then prioritize them.

 

→ Take your PTO.  

 

Take your PTO without feeling bad. Take your PTO without caving to the pressure to fill it with productivity. Time off is part of your compensation package for doing your job. You've already earned it.

 

If you can, take a few days off.

If you can’t take a few days, take one.

If you can’t take a full day, take an afternoon. 

 

Use the time to recharge your brain by not giving it something to focus on.

• Go for a walk without listening to a podcast. 
• Go to the beach without bringing a book.  
• Lay on the couch without turning on Netflix. 

 

→ Replace obligation with inspiration

 

Say no to projects when you can't fully say "YES!" 

Say no to people who suck your energy. 

 

“No, I cannot attend that meeting.”

“No, I cannot meet you for coffee.”

“No, I cannot take on that project.”

 

Instead, use that time to: 

• Do nothing.
• Rewild your attention.
• Explore. Your town. A new town. A topic. A rabbit hole.  
• Reconnect with another human who fills your tank.
• Feed yourself a new experience.

 

Focus on these three things, and do it before you're showing signs of burnout. If you wait until you're already tapped, you've waited too long to care for yourself. 

 

⛱️ Programming Note: I’m Taking a Break

 

So, today is my last day for a while. 

 

I'm taking some time off to clear my head and to unburn some of my marshmallows. 

 

My plan for the next 30 days is simple: do nothing. 

 

I've promised myself that I will do my best to force my brain to slow up and my body to sit down. I hope that you’re able to find moments soon to do the same.

 

Into & Overit will be back on August 26, and I can’t wait.

 

 

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🗓️ Tuesday, July 19: Coming Back Better: Event Planning Lessons from COVID

Next week, we'll be hosting our first hybrid event! We’ll discuss how to adapt your events for the post-COVID world and rework your marketing and public relations tactics to suit. 

 

Join us in person (!) or online with our panelists: Becky Daniels, Liska Wilson, and Adam Clairmont, moderated by Leanne Ricchiuti. Register here.

 

💌 P.S. Like this newsletter? Please forward it to a friend and encourage them to sign up. There's even a fancy new sign-up page where they can check out past letters. I appreciate every bit of support.