In my last article I told the story of how I burned out while working as a key crew member on a movie shoot. Although it was a painful experience to endure, I learned a lot about myself, about the film industry, and about burnout. A friend of mine when facing difficult situations often quips: “if it’s not a good time, at least it’s a good story!” I absolutely love that quote and will add: “if it’s not a good time, then learn something from it.”
After the movie wrapped I took several weeks off to decompress. Because I’m such a “doer”, my husband predicted that I wouldn’t be able to rest for more than a day or two before going stir crazy, but I literally could not function at my normal level for quite a while. I slept — a lot. I sat on the back patio and watched birds. I started eating normally again and regained the weight that I had lost during the shoot. I slowly eased back into exercise, taking long walks and yoga classes. During my period of rest, I turned down several freelance job opportunities, which normally would have caused some angst but I knew I wasn’t ready yet.
High Time for a Personal Retreat Day!
Finally after about 2 weeks of deep rest I was ready for a Personal Retreat Day. I know it probably sounds like the whole period of time was a “retreat,” and in a sense it was, but if you’ve followed me for a while then you know that a PRD involves very active and intentional mental work.
During my PRD I free-journaled a list of things that I learned from the movie experience. Some notes were specific tips I learned about the industry that I can put to use on future projects. Others were things about myself (such as my preference for working on short gigs rather than months-long projects). I also learned some universal lessons. I’m sharing them here in hopes that they will be helpful to you if you’re undergoing a season of near burnout.
Avoiding Burnout – Learn From Me, Not the Hard Way
- Before taking on a new challenge, do your homework – I’d heard several times that managing locations on a movie was “much different” than working on a commercial, but I assumed I’d figure it out on the job. In hindsight I wished I’d taken opportunities to talk with colleagues and ask good questions. I admit I don’t like to do this for fear of looking stupid – I want to project confidence that I know what I’m doing. But this backfired and I came into the job ill-prepared. Next time I’ll remind myself that it’s better to “look stupid” before a project starts than during! I realize now that my colleagues would have been more than happy to help me learn the ropes if I’d only asked.
- Get organized early – When a project involves a lot of logistics, paperwork, or people, getting everything organized in advance can be such a tremendous time saver! Make checklists, to-do lists, and contact lists. Set up a filing system. Maintain your calendar. Know where everything is. Pro tip: when a project involves repetition, create a master checklist. That’s what pilots do: their pre-flight checklist saves brainpower because they don’t have to remember each step – it’s all in writing. And it can help avoid catastrophe!
- Carve out space for what’s truly important – During the 20 days of shooting, I worked insane hours, often 18 hours a day. (A lot of the extra hours could have been avoided had I done #1 and #2 on this list!) Many nights when I came home I would barely say hello to the family before the inevitable texts and calls came flying in. My family was incredibly understanding and supportive, but this new habit of paying more attention to my phone than to them really hurt. I learned about halfway through the project that if I didn’t set boundaries, I’d really do some damage to my relationships. I started setting my alarm clock earlier to have a peaceful cup of coffee with my husband instead of rushing out the door. I turned my phone on silent for 20 minutes when I got home so I could check in with Greg and the girls. Protecting these blocks of time, however small, helped me remember what was essential.
- “Don’t do more today than you can fully recover from tomorrow.” – I heard this quote recently and wish I’d written down the source. It really resonated. This isn’t always possible but it’s an ideal to strive for. Rest is NOT optional…it’s a vital ingredient to being your best self. In addition to getting a good night’s sleep, taking mini-breaks throughout the day help you enter a rhythm of rest even in the midst of a busy schedule.
- It’s OK to say no – Not just to a project or job itself, but to individual requests within a job. During the movie shoot, several unexpected requests came up that weren’t part of the original plan. Some of these were realistic, but others were insane. Our department wanted to give the creative team what they wanted, so at the beginning we said yes to everything, and it caused a lot of extra headaches. We needed to set boundaries to preserve the quality of our work, and I finally became brave enough to saying “no, I’m not willing to do that.”
- A sense of humor goes a long way – I learned this lesson late in the project. At first getting up to speed was so intense that I took everything way too seriously. Eventually I learned how to ask myself, how can I make this more fun? Taking opportunities to joke around and laugh with colleagues lightened the mood and seemed to lighten our burdens as well.
- This too shall pass – Seasons of life this busy are unsustainable. Hardships of any kind, for short bursts, can be endured. As a freelancer I go from one project to the next rather quickly. Some are more difficult than others. I learned to remind myself that this hard thing will eventually go away…only to be replaced by another opportunity with its own set of challenges. I learned the importance of finding enjoyment in even the difficult seasons of life, because all we really have is this present moment. Figure out a way to find the beauty wherever you are right now!
One More Thing Before You Go:
How do you avoid burnout? I’d love to hear your ideas. Drop me a line at wende@personalretreatday.com