I have made many mistakes in my career that have given me many valuable lessons – one of the most valuable lessons I have learned is to always build with a vision of sustainability.

What I mean by this is when I build anything, it’s really important to know how I am going to sustain what I build. 

Building and sustaining are two completely different skills – I learned this lesson the hard way.

Back in 2010 on top of a very busy day job, I decided I wanted to be a travel photographer and so I built everything I needed to become a travel photographer.

I created a website where my fine art prints were sold, worked with a brilliant printing studio who created my fine art prints, .worked with a brilliant framing studio who framed my fine art prints, bought loads of photography gear, bought a new laptop and editing software,

With all of the above I held exhibitions of my travel photography prints in the 4 major Irish airports, created business & greeting cards and took part in travel photography workshops in many fascinating locations around the world. 

Around the same time I also decided I wanted to be a writer and so in 2012 I launched my blog The Photographer’s Guide to Travel where I wrote about travel, photography and my adventures with both. 

In 2017 I created another blog The Art of Positive Change where I write about all things positive change and in 2020 I started hosting webinars and selling online courses.

The amount of infrastructure I had to build to keep all of these plates spinning on top of a busy day job was insane, overwhelming and absolutely 100% unsustainable – a fact I only know with the clear vision of hindsight. 

Something had to give and it did.

🔥 In early 2021 I suffered burnout.
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For those who haven’t experienced burnout it’s not a physical tiredness that can be fixed with rest. Burnout is an emotional and mental shutdown of the mind, body and soul. Unable to think and unable to do anything, even the simplest of everyday tasks feel like a mountain to climb.
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In the following months I stopped all of my entrepreneur work outside of my day job – I stopped writing, I stopped using social media, I stopped creating content and I removed myself from all online groups that I was a part of.
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🔥 I still felt burnt out.​
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And so I further cleared my plate.
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I stopped reading physical books, stopped listening to audiobooks, stopped listening to podcasts, stopped watching YouTube videos, I unsubscribed from the many email lists I had signed up to and I put all online courses that I was doing on hold.
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🔥 I still felt burnt out.​
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Then my attention turned to my day job where I was absolutely miserable. I had loved my job for many years and it had brought me great joy but Covid changed much of my role. These changes left me feeling like I was just someone checking things off a to do list.
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I was no longer using my brain or my skills and I was arguing with people more than I was supporting them.
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I left my day job and only then realised how much of my life I had dedicated to work.
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🔥 I still felt burnt out. ​

Since late 2021, I have dedicated my life to slowing down and eliminating the effects of burnout, to getting off the fast paced rollercoaster of life and enjoying a slower pace with less highs, less lows and less dramatic turns.
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A part of this journey is learning the lesson and committing to never, ever again building what I can’t sustain.

This is easier said than done for me – I have a tendency to overwork which I have to keep a very close eye on. 

So how do I only build what I can sustain?

I build with sustainability and avoidance of burnout as part of my main goals.

But what about everything I have currently built?

I’m very serious about being able to sustain and enjoy my work and so I’ve had to deconstruct everything I’ve built over the past 14 years.

This has been a painful and painstaking process yet it is necessary if I want to move forward and sustain what I build.

• Are you juggling too many plates?
• Are you overwhelmed by your to do list?
• What can you remove to give you more time & space? 

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Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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