Dear Musical Burnout, Bye (11 things that work for me)
You’re human. And you’re making cool things.
You may not always realize it or even believe it, but this also means you’re making the world cooler. So thank you, you are a culture creator. And you deserve a break.
Getting tired, having ennui, feeling behind — these are totally normal things. So learning how to work through them is a solid skill.
These are my top moves for handling musical burnout.
Let’s do this!
What is Musical Burnout?
Musical burnout is a type of creative burnout where you feel chronically exhausted and stress from too much musical work.
A music block, on the other hand, is shorter term and has less stress.
11 Musical Burnout Tips
1. Find the Cause(s)
To effectively solve a problem (long-term), you need to know what’s causing it. Identifying your stressor(s) is a smart first move.
For example, here are some potential reasons for musical burnout:
Doing too much
Lack of life balance
Unrealistic deadlines
Project doesn’t align with values or goals
So try doing some self reflection. Step back and assess your life and musical context. Look for your burnout triggers.
Shine a light on them and brainstorm solutions.
2. Step Away
“Let go, or be dragged.”
Sometimes (often), a burnout calls for a break. So let go and step away — this is your permission slip.
Stepping away is like hitting the reset button.
I always come back feeling refreshed and energized. Trying to solve burnout by force doesn’t work. But letting go, that does.
3. Do Some Self Care
Self care is super important. As humans doing (creative) work, we use a lot of energy. It’s only naturally that you’ll either run out or need a break to recharge. When I don’t take time for rest, burnout sneaks in.
So now is the perfect time to prioritize you and do some much needed self care. For example, here’s what I like to do:
Meditate
Eat quality food
Prioritize good sleep
Spend time with friends and family
Take care of my mental health
Never feel bad about putting yourself and your health first. Without you (operating at your best), the music never gets made.
Explore more:
➤ Self Care for Creatives
4. Do Something Non-Creative
Musical burnout is at least partly due to creative exhaustion. So one way to fix this is to stop trying to be so dang creative — do the opposite.
Non-creative tasks (like sending emails, cleaning or doing admin stuff for your personal brand) cut away the artistic weights that are pulling you down.
It’s also strategic. Because usually, as creatives, non-creative things are kinda boring.
A creative burnout is really just the perfect opportunity to shift focus and catch up on general life-maintenance stuff.
So take that shower, wash that dish — your musical spark will come back eventually.
5. Build A Better Support System
You want to know what worse than a musical burnout? Having one alone.
And “alone” goes beyond just people too. It includes the context of your life. Because the everything in your life plays a role. Collectively, they can support and inspire you or slow you down.
So I like to optimize and regularly ‘update’ my support systems. This includes stuff like:
Your friends and family
The content you consume
The collabs you’re doing
The projects you’re working on (are they aligned?)
Your environment
Your work
Whenever I feel burned out, I look at my support network. If there are glaring issues, I try to fix them. And sometimes, it’s exactly what’s needed to overcome my burnout.
6. Meditate
“Anger and depression and sorrow are beautiful things in a story, but they are like poison to the artist. You must have clarity to create.”
Burnout totally bums me out. It puts me in a super negative space.
But meditation, now that calms my mind and creates clarity. So whenever I feel creatively drained or start spiraling into self-deprecation, I meditate.
It takes practice, but I recommend making it a daily habit. It’s made me more chill, more creative and happier. These are essential states of being for making good music.
So here are some quick meditation tips I like to use:
Find a comfy spot
Use chill music, white noise or a guided meditation
Focus on the breath to start
Imagine yourself expanding
Imagine a glowing energy ball floating in front of you
Feel the energy of the universe
Connect every cell in the body with that energy
Listen for intuitive thoughts
Just observe
Work past urges to get up or move or stop
Explore more:
➤ How I Meditate for Creativity
7. Stop Being so Damn Perfect
Obsessing too much over quality leads to perfectionism, which leads to more unhelpful obsession. Ultimately, this all leads to burnout.
So I like to avoid this whole loop at all costs. Here’s how:
Identify perfectionism creeping in
Shine a light on it and stop yourself in the moment
Shift focus or step away
Focus on the positive points
Stop comparing yourself to others
Redefine musical success
8. Get Social
When you’re going through burnout (or worse), sometimes the last thing you want to do is be social. But it can help.
“Whenever I force myself to go out (even talking with strangers at a cafe), I feel better and more refreshed.”
It’s a break from the musical stuff. But it’s also a reminder about the amazing thing you’re building — your brand, your music, your story…your legacy!
When friends, family or strangers ask me what I’ve been up — I’m energized when I can share specific music projects.
It reminds me of my passion and lights a fire in me. It always lessens my musical burnout.
9. Exercise
Exercise is great for reducing stress. And I don’t know about you, but burnouts usually make me feel pretty stressed.
Whether you’re into yoga, cardio, lifting weights or even simply going for a walk, just get moving.
Maybe it’s the endorphins or the distraction, but exercise always gets me out of my head.
I’m no expert in this department, but do whatever works best for you. There’s a good chance you’ll come back with a fresh mind, ready for some creative work.
10. Be More Realistic
Sometimes, my musical burnout is because of rogue expectations.
I’m expecting more engagement, quicker results, better ideas, less creative bottlenecks…expectations can get the best of us.
So I like to do a quick reality check. If I’m expecting too much of myself and my music project, then I try to reset things and be more realistic — or at least a little less ambitious.
This feels counterintuitive. Because on one hand, dream big! But on the other hand, don’t float away in the clouds either.
But if you’re dealing with burnout, at least turn down the volume temporarily.
11. Do Less
Less is more. And a creative burnout is a signal that you’re likely doing too much.
So, do less. For example:
Automate parts of your workflow
Delegate or outsource things
Delete unimportant tasks
Make simpler, shorter songs
There’s a time and place for complexity. And the midst of a musical burnout is not one of them.
So trim the fat and make your life easier. Do less.
Later ✌️
Musical burnout sucks. But it sucks a little less when you can take back some control.
I like to start by trying to identify the causes. Sometimes that’s the easiest solution. Otherwise, things like practicing self care, taking a break, being less of a perfectionistic and just doing less always seem to help me.
I like to embrace the burnout rather than fight it. It can be a chance to reset and reenergize. And try not to stress, the music will be there when you get back.
