Fighting Post-Production Burnout

The COVID-19 situation has brought a great deal of uncertainty and adversity to our industry. We’ve seen many events and productions postponed or cancelled overall. We’ve each struggled in our own way, whether it was concern over keeping ourselves safe or finding work.

The beauty of production is simple—no matter what the outside world has in store, we can keep creating.

Though many of us find ourselves with this unprecedented amount of free time and cancelled plans, it can become tiresome adapting to the current “normal.”

Whether you’re working from a home studio or telecommuting, it’s essential to strike a balance between your work and life outside of daily routine.

Try these out.

• Go to sleep and wake-up around the same time you normally would. This is key to maintaining some sort of structure to your day, especially as all of the days during this pandemic seem to blend together.

• Schedule designated breaks from editing/working. It’s easy to get into the zone and forget to take a step away from our workstations. Trust us, we know. But the sooner you learn to schedule breaks for yourself, you’ll find yourself much more productive after taking a break.

• Switch between your projects. The easiest way to avoid burnout when editing a particular project is to divide your time between various projects. This keeps your work fresh and allows you to step away from your work before returning and making changes.

• Get another pair of eyes on your work. Getting feedback on your work is by far one of the most effective ways to look at a project with a fresh perspective. Rather than trying to cram all of your work into one compact session, try to space out your project milestones within reason, leaving time for others to proof your work and provide critiques.

• Add some passion projects to your to-do list. They say when you do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work. Well, that may have some truth to it. However, we all know how demanding the production industry can be. That’s why it’s vital to work on passion projects outside of your “obligations.” Your new project can be a breath of fresh air and a way to balance your deadline-driven work with more leisurely projects.

Keep moving forward.

Of course, everybody has their personal preferences. Some thrive when working uninterrupted. Others require moments to step away from work. Whatever your style is, just remember to keep pushing. Keep creating. Keep moving.