BNL Team Takeover #2: Tayne’s Tips to Avoid Burnout (Even When You’re Doing It All)
Welcome back to the BNL Team Takeover! This series of blog posts is a way for our talented social media unicorns to share a bit of the insight and knowledge they’ve developed over the years in our space.
Whether it’s tips for writing your Instagram captions, handy Canva lifehacks for snappy graphics, or organizational tips to help you get stuff done without pulling your hair out, we’ve got you covered with these write-ups. If you like this post, be sure to stay tuned for more BNL insider info in the future!
Meet Tayne
Hi there! My name is Tayne and I have many hats in my BNL wardrobe. My day can consist of a range of social media management tasks, sales calls, internal meetings, spreadsheets and Canva projects—just to name a few.
To sum it up, I’m here to support my team in the best possible way to set us up for success.
I’m sure some of you are wondering “How on earth does she manage with so many different tasks?” Well, you’re in for a treat, because that’s exactly what we’re diving into today.
Here are my top 3 tips for avoiding burnout and staying organized.
Lists, Lists, Lists!
I’m sure we’ve all heard this before, but it’s true, so I’m going to yell it from the rooftops:
MAKE. A. LIST.
I don’t care if it’s pen (or marker, or crayon, or whatever is handy) to paper or a digital list on your phone. Creating a list lets me put a portion of the mental load somewhere else, so that I can access it when needed and not have to worry about forgetting something important.
Here at BNL, we use Asana for our task management. I’m all for not having work apps on your personal phone, but having my work list right there has saved me sleep.
Have you ever been milliseconds away from falling asleep and it’s almost like a lightning strike hits of something you absolutely cannot forget to do the next day? Well… instead of hoping I remember (I never do), I add it to my Asana task list and fall right back to sleep.
Again, lightening the mental load.
During my work day, I also use a notepad for any odd tasks that wouldn't otherwise be on my Asana list. Also, who says taking notes has to be boring? Go to Staples and pick out your new favourite pen (I personally use the Paper Mate Ink Joy gel 0.7 in teal — highly recommend). No one else will be looking at your notes, so have fun with it! Doodle in your notebook if that helps you focus.
2. Get a Calendar (And Use It!)
Another way to set yourself up for success is to utilize your calendar. This could be a Google calendar, Outlook, iPhone, or a physical calendar. Whatever has been working for you is the correct option. No task is too small to schedule, from a 15 min co-worker collaboration to a 90-minute “powering through” session.
Scheduling tasks in your calendar holds you accountable to them, but it also holds you accountable to stop working. When there’s nothing more on the calendar, your day is done, and YOU are done for the day too.
Turn off those notifications and set your Slack to “away”. If it’s not on your calendar, that email can wait until tomorrow—I promise you. It’s equally important to show up for yourself as well as your team. You need to rest and recharge.
3. Strike a Balance Between Structure and Flexibility
Lastly, one of the top ways I avoid burnout is by creating structure with a chance of flow. Kind of like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, but way less messy.
What do I mean by this? I usually know how my days are going to look in advance, but when I’m finding myself inspired to clean up our systems, crunch some numbers, or write this very blog post (which I may or may not have been putting off), my day allows for that, because I didn’t lock myself into a rigid schedule.
Having the freedom to do the task your brain is craving at the time is liberating, and it honestly makes the day go by faster. I love being able to wear all my BNL hats. It keeps things fresh and fun, and it lets me expand my knowledge in the space all the time.
If you are able to leave a little wiggle room in your day for flow, this will allow you to do the tasks that bring the most joy. I promise it won’t always feel like work!
Beating Burnout One Day at a Time
I know the hardest part about something new is starting, but I promise that if you start to implement even one of these things into small parts of your day it will create the habit.
You’ll be a scheduling and boundaries master before you know it!
Don’t forget you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others and I hope these are tips you can incorporate into your daily (personal and professional) life.
Feeling like you’ve done everything you can to stay organized but you’re still struggling to wear all the hats? Let us hold space for your social media and take that off your plate so you can focus on the bigger picture projects within your business.
Book a free discovery call to see how the BNL Unicorns can come alongside and support your social media dreams!