Did you know that the average person is on social media for 2.5 hours a day? That’s over one month out of the year. Now imagine if social media is part of your job!
Our phones are a mighty and magnificent tool, but they also allow work to creep into every moment of our lives. I’ve been guilty of checking work emails past midnight while lying in bed. And according to polls, more than 65% of us are scrolling on the toilet!
Puts a new spin on the term “doing double duty”.
Research suggests we need between 3-7 Instagram posts per week. Between 1 and 2 Facebook posts a day. At least 1-5 Tweets a day. And, another 1-5 posts on LinkedIn.
Between September and December, we’ve got a different holiday to target every couple of weeks – On top of increased orders to fulfill.
How do we do it all without looking older than Father Christmas by Boxing Day?
First, put the expectations of “doing it all” and “perfection” in a box, wrap it in something shiny, and shove it in the bin.
Unless you have a solid marketing team to support you…
…you need to focus on what you can do, do it well, and let the rest go.
Below are 7 tips to avoid marketing burnout over the holidays:
Take a break? In this economy?
Absolutely!
Resting is as necessary as eating and sleeping. You may think you’re doing yourself a favour by working every day of the week and occasionally through the night, but your productivity takes a huge hit. Nobody wants to be making a “Joy to the world” post while crying from exhaustion at 3 am.
Taking as little as a half-day of scheduled downtime with little or nothing to do can improve your output exponentially. And don’t you dare feel guilty while doing it!
Whether it’s your business partner, someone on your team or your sister’s husband’s third cousin twice removed - ask for help when and where you need it.
Even if you have a social media manager, you may need to call in reinforcements over the holidays. These roles have a high turnover, and it’s no wonder. With graphic design, copywriting, video editing, ad strategy, customer support, and more on their plate, things can get overwhelming fast - especially with extra holiday content thrown into the pot.
Take advantage of younger family members or friends' kids for simple tasks. Offer up some Christmas spending money in exchange for putting shipping packages together or making some quick product posts for Instagram. Find a creative teen with an iPhone, and you’ll have some sharp, ingenious photos in no time!
Establishing a strong work-life balance is key to health and happiness. With more and more of us working from home, it can be easy for the line to get blurred.
Make sure your friends, family, and co-workers know when it’s appropriate to contact you. A quick email outlining your availability will save a lot of headaches and stress down the line.
These boundaries can also extend past the people around you… Are you in the 65% of people taking their phone into the loo? Do you scroll while eating? How about while spending time with loved ones?
Putting your devices away from time to time will let you reconnect to the world around you and reduce the cortisol flowing through your veins.
And don’t forget to have your phone’s notifications turned off after hours!
Eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise a few times a week. Yeah, yeah, we all know these basic rules for a healthy life. And yet, we all mysteriously let them slip over the holidays.
You don’t have to say no to every homemade baked good offered to you, but for the love of your bowels, eat your veggies too.
By blocking off time to focus on one type of task at a time, you can reduce task-switching and get into a flow state more easily. Have set times for making phone calls or checking emails. If you have tasks that require you to leave work or the house, bundle them all in one errand run.
The less you task-switch, the more time you’ll save finding your rhythm.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
You’re bound to come across a competitor or other social media account putting out more or better content than you. Take inspiration, but don’t let it get to you.
We all have different levels of abilities and support around us.
If you find yourself saying “Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!”, save the post and see if you can implement something similar another time.
It’s hard to sleep or rest when your head is swirling like a snow globe in the hands of a toddler. Taking a few minutes to dump your thoughts onto paper can help quell the storm.
Keep a journal with you at all times, that way you can jot down ideas, dates, and to-do items and clear the clutter in your mind.
I recommend spending a good 5-10 minutes on this before bed. Keep the journal handy by the bedside lamp should you wake up with some midnight inspiration.
This is a lot better than giving yourself a shot of blue light with your phone’s notes app… and is less likely to lead you to venture on a witching hour scroll session.
Burnout is more than exhaustion. It’s increased cynicism, decreased efficiency, and the tension that snaps your temper.
In your attempts to hustle and drive your business, you run the risk of running it into the ground – Especially if you're a one wo(man) show or a very small company.
Take a moment today to check in with yourself.
Do you have a solid plan for your holiday campaign(s)?
Do you have the support you need?
Do you need to ask for help?
If you can’t find the support you need around you, set up a call with us below.
