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Let me guess: your Notes app is a graveyard of brilliant business ideas you may never have time (or budget) to pursue. You bought a course you forgot to finish. You started a podcast... in your head. And you’ve got 12 tabs open right now, including a Pinterest board for a branding shoot that may or may not happen this decade.
Sound familiar?
Yeah—me too.
There was a season where I couldn’t walk into my garage without tripping over half-finished projects. I had a drawer full of receipts for materials I never used, notebooks bursting with ideas that made me giddy at 2am and irrelevant by breakfast. I even created a whole brand concept during labor with one of my kids. (Don't worry—he’s fine. But the brand? It never saw the light of day.)
Here’s the good news: you’re not broken. You’re just creative.
And here’s the hard truth: chasing every idea, trend, or "must-do" is the fastest route to burnout.
Why We Burn Out
We burn out because we care too much and do too much. We say yes when we should say "not right now." We believe the lie that success = perfect systems, flawless feeds, always-on energy.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
Over the past decade of working with creatives, the pattern is clear:
- We chase someone else's version of "success"
- We try to turn every passion into a profit
- We forget to eat, sleep, and move our bodies
- We have zero systems
And then we wonder why we can't think straight.
I’ve skipped more meals than I’d like to admit, not out of vanity but because I “lost track of time” trying to finish one more thing. I once wore a blazer and sweatpants to a client call—not because I was quirky, but because laundry hadn’t been touched in four days.
And I’m not speaking in hypotheticals here. I’ve hit full-on burnout before. The kind that rearranges your brain and body. The kind that makes you question everything and still not have the energy to change anything.
I'm still recovering from that. And here’s what I know now: you have to take care of yourself. No one else will.
You need a space you actually want to work in. You need boundaries and breaks. You need to delegate. You need to let things go.
If you don’t? You will literally melt from the inside out.
What If Simplicity Is the Secret?
What if you don’t need a rebrand, a new platform, or a productivity hack? What if you just need to come home to yourself?
Simplicity doesn’t mean giving up on the dream. It means trimming the excess so the dream can breathe.
Here's how:
1. Know What You Want (And What You Don't)
You can't build a brand around chaos. Clarity is kindness. Make a "yes list" and a "not now list." You are allowed to not do everything. Every "no" is space for a better "yes."
2. Build Systems That Fit You
Forget the guru templates. Create repeatable systems that match your life and energy. That might mean batching emails on Mondays or scheduling a day off every month to just read, think, and be.
3. Stop Romanticizing Busy
Being "booked and busy" isn’t a badge of honor if you're constantly anxious and halfway present. Build margin. Take naps. Move your body. Eat a vegetable. Your creativity will thank you.
4. Choose Progress Over Perfection
Done is better than perfect. Posted is better than polished. And resting is better than resenting your business.
5. Don’t Chase Every Idea
Just because it’s a good idea doesn’t mean it's your idea to build right now. Let some things go. Let them live in the notebook.
(Or in the folder called "Brilliant Business Ideas Vol. 47.")
Real-Life Tips from One Creative to Another
✦ Keep a "Someday List" — And Let It Be
Instead of pressuring yourself to act on every idea, start a "Someday List" in your Notes app, journal, or Google Doc. It’s not a to-do list—it’s a permission slip to not do everything right now. Ideas aren’t lost just because they’re paused.
I revisit mine quarterly with a cup of coffee and a dose of realism. Half the stuff still lights me up, the rest… gets gently retired. No guilt.
✦ Set Office Hours—Even If You Work in Your Kitchen
Whether you’re freelancing, building a brand, or daydreaming in between diaper changes—give yourself actual working hours. And more importantly, stopping hours. You're not a machine. You need dinner. You need sunlight.
I once scheduled a client call on my kid’s birthday because I “couldn’t say no.” I said no the next year—and guess what? No one died.
✦ Build Before You Broadcast
You don’t need a perfect brand guide, full website, or 90-day content calendar to get started. Test your idea with real people. Make something small. Have a conversation. See what clicks.
I’ve spent months “perfecting” ideas that never went anywhere. But that one rough, messy PDF I sent out in an afternoon? My most downloaded resource.
✦ Ask Yourself: What’s Driving This?
Before diving into a new project or platform, pause and ask: Is this desire coming from comparison, pressure, or genuine calling?
If it’s rooted in “everyone else is doing it,” give yourself a moment. Clarity loves quiet.
Take It Further: Try the Creative Clarity Map
Want help untangling your own creative chaos?
I made something for you:
✨ The Creative Clarity Map ✨
It’s a simple tool to help you brain-dump what’s in your head, identify what really matters, and take the right next step (not all the steps).
No perfection required. Just a pencil, a few minutes, and maybe a snack.
You can build something beautiful without building something that breaks you.
You don’t have to do it all.
You don’t have to do it perfectly.
And you don’t have to do it the way “they” say you should.
You can build something beautiful without building something that breaks you.
Let’s stop chasing every idea, every trend, every shiny opportunity. Let’s build brands that are honest, a little messy, deeply meaningful—and actually sustainable.
The kind of brand that feels like you.
The kind that can grow slowly, intentionally, joyfully.
The kind that lasts.
And most importantly—the kind that lets you last, too.
With you in the wild ride,
Heather B.
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