4 Ways To Avoid Burnout: When Life Hands You Lemons

To say that it has been a long week is an understatement. I had planned to do a lot of designing, but life had other plans. My Great Aunt passed away at the age of 90 last week, so it was definitely important to take time off to be with family. My grandfather had his 88th birthday two days after the funeral, so needless to say, I have been exhausted. I am not one to take naps, but suddenly, I found myself napping instead of designing. I know that I won't be able to catch up on lost sleep, so I have been leaning on my two favorite crutches: coffee and green tea (with local raw honey).

In the midst of everything that occurred last week, I found myself NOT DESIGNING. I have had a solid month or two designing, but it felt really weird not sitting at my desk designing products. The thing that I have to remember is that it's okay to take a break. In fact, I probably needed the break. I had planned on creating a huge Valentine's Day collection, but it hasn't happened yet. As long as life stays calm, I will get it done.

I've put together a list of 4 tips to help you (and me) stay designing when life gets complicated. If you have tips for how you manage, feel free to post them!

1. Sketchbooks & Notebooks

Photo Credit: Pixabay

I have to admit, I would be lost without my sketchbook and plethora of notebooks. It's where I keep 95% of my project ideas. The other 5%? I don't take my sketchbook or notebooks with me when I go places, so the next best thing is my iPhone. It must be the old soul in me, but I prefer to write things down with pen and paper. Along with jotting down my ideas, I love to doodle. I'm not the best doodler, but sometimes it helps me come up with some great ideas. If you haven't doodled since you were a child, break out the paper and markers (crayons and colored pencils work, too). Oh, and doodling for your graphic design is popular right now.

2. Design Something Everyday

When life gets crazy, it can be hard to make time to design. I beat myself up over the handful of designs I came up with, but the most important thing is I designed something. I could have easily said "I'm not designing anything" but I didn't. There's no need to stress or feel bad about it. Just do the best you can.

3. Plan Ahead

The past week made it hard for me to design. I did some traveling and was busy with family, so I was unable to get on the computer much. Even if you don't have access to a computer, there are some things that you can do to help your graphic design business. Most businesses, both design-related and not, fail due to a lack of planning. It doesn't matter if it's simply brainstorming for ideas, you are still being active in your business. Always try to think ahead and stay up to date on what's happening in the business world. Your business will thank you.

4. Stay Inspired

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In the graphic design industry, it's so easy to get burned out. As designers we have to keep our creativity intact, so we need to stay inspired. If I am having designer's block, one of the first things I do is look for inspiration. You can find it on Pinterest, Creative Market, Zazzle, and especially on sites relating to graphic design. If that doesn't get your creativity flowing, maybe you need some new tools for the trade. I am in no way saying blow tons of money on graphic design resources, but sometimes you need to freshen up the arsenal. My favorite site for graphic design purchases is Creative Market. Creative Market is amazing, because they have a little bit of everything: fonts, patterns, textures, stock photos, brushes, vector graphics, and a lot more. There are plenty of free resources across the web, but make sure you check the licensing to make sure they allow commercial use.

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