How To Avoid Burnout (And Not Quit Music)

PLUS, there’s another freebie at the end of this guide!

Here’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself:​ “Should I give up my dream of

being a musician?”

Maybe it’s just me who’s asked that. But I doubt it.

It’s tough being a musician with a day job. That’s what I am, so I get it. It’s hard trying to
make music in the nooks and crannies of my life. Music often takes a backseat, and the
quality of my creativity seems to diminish.

Musician With A Day Job

And that’s when I feel like giving up on music. That’s when the ​Burnout Beast​ rears its
ugly head and threatens to bite.

But there are some tactics I’ve found super helpful in avoiding burnout. Things that help
me whip out a fire extinguisher and point it at that fire monster.

So I’d like to share three things (three “Extinguishers” if you will) that have helped me
keep going.

But first, let’s take a little hypothetical trip down your possible future…

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Musician With A Day Job

 Let’s say you quit music...

This guy’s about to get eaten by the Burnout Beast

Imagine something with me.

Imagine you decide to quit making music​, like for real. You stop trying to pursue the
music career all the music blogs are promising you. You give up on your dream
because, well, it’s just a dream.

Music isn’t in the backseat anymore — it’s in the trunk.

Maybe you pick up a guitar here and there, play a few chords on the piano when you
get a chance. And songwriting? Forget about it. That’s something you ​used to do.​

Picture yourself in this hypothetical scenario. Really picture it.

Musician With A Day Job

Now, ask yourself these questions:

● Are you happy?

● Do you regret anything?

Be honest. Your future self depends on it.

Okay, now rewind back to the present. Before you quit music, you’ll need to ask yourself
some logical questions, just as you would before quitting your day job to make music.

You’ve got to think it through (which is probably why you’re reading this).

Ask yourself:

● Does making music enrich your life?

● Does being a musician ​have to be​ all-or-nothing?
● Are you okay being a part-time musician?
● Is there any way you can make a supplemental income from music, just to make
it easier on yourself?
● Can you find a day job you don’t hate? Or maybe a day job you find rewarding?

Try sitting with these questions and ​really​ answer them.

Now, assuming you’re still with me and you want to try to put out the fire — to overcome
burnout — here are three ways you can keep on keepin’ on.

Three ways to extinguish that feeling of despair many musicians get…

Musician With A Day Job

 Extinguisher #1: Do Multiple Projects At Once

This one may surprise you. If you barely have time for music, why add more stuff to
your calendar?

Well, the answer to that question is in the fascinating podcast episode “Jumpstarting
Creativity” from the TED Radio Hour.

One of the guests, Tim Harford, makes the case that doing multiple projects
simultaneously in the long-term​ is good for your overall creative output (in terms of
quality and quantity).

He calls it “slow-motion multitasking.”

He cites people like Einstein and Darwin who created their most influential works while
doing several projects at once.

Einstein was working on Brownian motion, the Theory of Special Relativity, the
photoelectric effect, and E=MC² — ​all at the same time.​

Darwin had a few research papers in process when he came up with the Theory Of
Evolution.

The idea is you can jump between your projects if you get stuck or bored with one of
them. Let them speak to each other and make each other better.

If you’re trying to do some songwriting but get writer’s block, you can hop over to your
instrumental side project. Then after a while, go back to songwriting and see if you’re
unstuck.

​ rojects.
Now, there is a balance between having multiple projects and having ​too many p
Sometimes you will have to say “no.”

Musician With A Day Job

But the benefit of slow-motion multi-tasking is your creativity stays in a
continuous flow.

Extinguisher #2: Remind Yourself How Far You’ve Come

Comparing yourself to others will make you miserable. It will lead to you making
excuses as to why you’re not succeeding.

Instead, I like to compare myself to myself. Where was I last year? Three years ago?
Five years ago? How am I better at what I do today than yesterday?

See how far you’ve come since you first picked up an instrument, produced your first
track, or played your first show.

Write it down if you have to. Anything to encourage yourself to keep going.

Remind yourself how far you’ve come and you’ll give yourself fuel to go further.

Extinguisher #3: Keep Track Of Your Goals

I was feeling disorganized and discouraged with my music career. I couldn’t see the
audience for the fan.

I was losing the big picture.

So that’s when I created something called ​The One-Thing-A-Day​ chart (FREE

download)​. ​I now use it all the time, at least weekly.

This chart can help you:

● Figure out what you want to do with music

● How to get where you want to be
● What you can do today to move in that direction

Musician With A Day Job

 ● Stay focused and not lose heart

And it’s completely changed my outlook on being a musician.

Should You Quit Being A Musician?

I’ve been doing music for 10+ years and have felt like giving up many-a-time. But these
three things, I’ve found, are the main things that keep me going.

So, no, you shouldn’t quit being a musician. Not with all the resources you have
at hand.

GET THE ONE-THING-A-DAY CHART FOR FREE

Grab your FREE download of something I use all the time as a musician: The
One-Thing-A-Day Chart. ​DOWNLOAD IT HERE​.

Musician With A Day Job