5 Strategies to Help You Avoid YouTube Creator Burnout

He went on to launch his own YouTube management company only to start feeling the effects of burnout a few years later. This was around 2017, when people were just starting to talk about this idea of “burnout.”

“I noticed something really interesting, which was that everyone was talking about the problem, but nobody was doing anything about it,” he says. “I decided at that moment I was going to be the solution — I was going to do something about it.”

And so he became the first-ever certified life coach dedicated to helping creators, and he’s now dubbed the Creator Coach® — or, as I like to call him, the Clark Kent of YouTube (and no it's not just because of the glasses).

I caught up with Josh, and we talked about the unique problems YouTube creators face, strategies to combat creator burnout and some of the most counterproductive habits you should avoid. (Spoiler: You’re probably doing at least one of them right now.)

The Unique Challenges YouTube Creators Face

Being a YouTube creator comes with a unique set of challenges many other professionals won’t encounter. Josh is well-versed in this department. He spends his days working with clients to help them get from point A to point B — pushing them to power through obstacles getting in their way.

It’s no secret creator burnout is a huge issue in our industry, but there are also issues with loneliness and trust.

“Everyone I work with says, ‘I'm the only one that has this problem,’ and I just sit there and wait for it, and it’s, ‘I'm lonely,’” Josh explains. “I hear that from every single client, and everyone thinks they are the only ones who feel that way because this is such an isolating job.”

Think about it. You probably sit behind a computer or in front of a camera for the majority of your day. Sure, you’re collecting views and comments from fans, but this actually starts to pose another problem: trust issues.

When you start hitting it big on YouTube, you’re really just creating these one-way relationships. Everyone thinks they know you and wants to become your friend, and it’s hard to know who you can really trust. Not only that, but a lot of creators feel as though they can’t be their true selves “because that's not the persona they've put out on YouTube,” Josh says.

And, chances are, you don’t really have anyone you can trust to give you honest feedback and ask you the hard questions that’ll help you move forward. The result?

“The symptoms are stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, not feeling inspired to create content, stopping making content — to just watching the numbers drop and giving up,” Josh says. “It also can go the other way, where people start pumping out more and more and more content until they run themselves into the ground.”

Even my good pal and Pro Channel Manager Community member Thomas Frank, who is as close to superhuman as is possible was not immune to burnout;

5 Simple Strategies You Can Use To Avoid YouTuber Burnout

During these times especially, we’re feeling the effects of burnout. Part of it has to do with something called “surge capacity,” the mental and physical systems humans draw on for short-term survival. Think: The fight-or-flight response.

When you operate at these speeds for too long, it’s impossible to maintain, and your surge capacity becomes depleted, resulting in straight-up exhaustion and burnout.

Josh offers up some simple strategies you can start using today to avoid this.

If you need some morning routine inspiration, read “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. It changed my whole perception of morning routines.

Now, this is sort of folded into the idea of having a morning routine, but it’s important to establish a sense of normalcy throughout your day. Rituals can include exercising, eating meals, talking to a friend — doing all of these things at certain times throughout the day.

And remember: These should be things that make you feel good and boost your mood.

Establishing rituals can be difficult at first, but if you need some accountability to keep you on track, try enlisting a friend to participate in this with you. Or of course we have a whole community of fellow YouTube pros to talk over at Pro Channel Manager.

Well, maybe don’t throw it away entirely, but think about this: When’s the last time you’ve actually completed an entire to-do list?

For a lot of people, myself included, the answer is never because we tend to keep adding tasks to the list, and it becomes never-ending.

“The reason why the to-do list is dangerous is because you always add things,” Josh says. “So when you cross something off, it doesn't feel significant because the list just keeps growing.”

Instead, he suggests writing down three to four things you want to accomplish each day. That’s it. This allows you to actually cross items off your list and feel a sense of completion at the end of the day, “reinforcing positive behavior and giving yourself the credit that you completed something,” Josh says.

Sure, you can keep a running to-do list. That’s OK. Just don’t make it part of your everyday workload.

I've really changed my way of running "to-do's and have switched over to using the awesome Clever Fox Planner Pro, which helps you think of longer and shorter term goals as well as gratitude journaling and other personal development rituals.

Stop Isolating Yourself

We talked about how being a YouTube creator can be a pretty lonely job. For that reason, it’s essential you get as much (safe!) human interaction as possible.

If you’re experiencing Zoom fatigue, find other, more creative ways to keep in touch with people. Pick up the phone, join online groups (there’s always the Pro Channel Manager Community  - did I mention that already? ) or find ways to leverage outdoor spaces.

Although your job depends on you being behind a computer, you’re not required to be there 24/7, physically OR MENTALLY, so it’s important to step away and take time for yourself — otherwise you risk burnout.