4 Ways to Fight Q4 Burnout

Hello, my beautiful, angel-faced, fellow marketers. How are we all feeling?

I ask this question because I just came across a concerning headline that read:

'Burnout hits 70% of media, marketing and creative professionals, reveals 2024 Mentally Healthy Survey.'

SEVENTY PERCENT? Yikes.

I knew burnout rates in our industry were bad, but I didn’t quite realise how bad.

Seven in 10 professionals across the media, marketing and creative sectors have reported experiencing burnout in the past 12 months, the 2024 Mentally Healthy Survey has revealed.

With the collective overwhelm most of us feel as the pressure of Q4 hits, and these stats in mind – I thought a little check in would do us all good, myself included.

Constant deadlines, the need to have our creative brains constantly turned on, and balancing multiple clients and campaigns can be enough to make the sanest of humans feel a little cuckoo.

On one hand, there’s work to be done! But, on the other, simply 'pushing through' is not always the best option for our sweet little minds, bodies or souls – despite this kind of being the go-to solution in our field.

We’re an industry known for working hard and playing harder.

And while I love having my cake and eating it, too, this can often lead to some pretty grim effects.

Insomnia, anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, depression – these are symptoms you don’t want to f*ck around with, especially when they start to manifest in physical ways, which they so often do.

Ten years ago, there was no such thing as workplace wellbeing.

Those who struggled with work-life balance and the health challenges that followed had to endure a silent battle. That was, until the pandemic flipped that thinking on its head.

Nowadays, there’s employee advocacy out the wazoo. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t still struggle.

Marketers, in particular, haven’t had it easy in recent years.

We're managing harrowing global event after global event, new rules of marketing, emerging platforms, dying platforms, consumer behaviour that changes like the wind, AI...the list goes on!

Pair this with:

• Algorithms fuelling the need for constant output, meaning we’re tasked with churning out content at a breakneck speed

• The expectation to be available at all times, responding to 'urgent' requests that aren't actually urgent (it’s PR not ER, babes)

• Creative drain and the need to produce fresh and impactful ideas ALL THE TIME

• And the cultural pressure to work ourselves into a frenzy for results.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the advertising overlords were trying to make it difficult.

However! I’m not here just to have a big old whinge – as far as jobs go, we get to do some pretty cool sh*t. And I’m all for solutions, not self-sabotaging sook fests.

So how do we break the burnout cycle without resorting to the 'workplace mindfulness' clichés we’re so often taught?

Because you and I both know a breathwork session won’t really solve the never-ending list of deadlines on my desk.

So let’s look at a few actual solutions…

1. Rethink boundaries – but for real this time.

I’m looking at you, creatives.

You can’t be everything to everyone all the time. It’s not just about setting boundaries; it’s about reinforcing them and making sure they’re respected. Things like declining non-essential meetings and creating focus blocks in your calendar are great ways to practise this.

This is an area where I need to take my own advice. So, let’s say it together, 'I don’t have capacity for this right now, but I can revisit it once I’ve finished my own priority list.'

See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?

2. Unsubscribe from the god-awful phenomenon that is hustle culture.

The best work comes from a well-rested mind.

Driving yourself into the ground does not end in good results, only bad ones, usually from the doctor.

I recently read a story about a marketer who found herself on the emergency table for a fourth time in anaphylaxis because she prioritised work over her health. While that may sound insane, it’s a slippery slope from working late every single night to full-blown burnout symptoms like this.

Know when you’ve done enough for the day. Then, close the laptop, and go home.

3. Don’t be a busy idiot.

My boss, Stanley Henry, often says this. It may sound harsh, but what he really means is prioritise deep work over being ‘busy’. Make time for work that matters instead of just ticking tasks off a list.

And (I can't stress this enough), if you don't know how to do something, ask for help! Muddling through something just because you are afraid to look dumb by asking a question is, well, dumb. Even better, delegate the tasks you’re struggling with to someone who knows better and has the capacity.

4. Find support that actually helps.

Go beyond the usual wellness buzzwords. Actually step away to recharge by doing something you enjoy. Check in regularly with your managers. Have real, honest conversations about where you’re at.

The real gift this holiday season is sanity.

Yes, there’s a lot to do. But it’s not going to get done at all if you put yourself in a straight jacket trying to do it.

An important word for me at the moment is ‘permission’.

I give myself permission to rest and recharge, as much as I give myself permission to work a little longer to get something over the line because I want to deliver epic work.

Yin and yang, baby. You’ve got this ♡

-Sophie, Writer