TPE #36: 7 tips to prevent burnout in PPC
Apr 03, 2023Read time: 4 minutes
Hey guys, it’s Miles here - back with the PPC Edge. A bit different this time. Not an advanced Google Ads tip, but something I’ve wanted to write about for a long time: how to prevent burnout in PPC.
Getting good results are great, but they’re meaningless if you suffer from prolonged stress and mental health issues (I speak from experience).
Do you often feel stressed as a Google Ads Specialist? You’re not alone.
According to Forbes, 83% (!!) of marketing professionals experience some form of burnout, big or small.
The main reasons for burnout, according to Reclaim.ai and my own experience:
- Long workdays
- Poor management
- Not getting paid enough
- Lack of work-life balance
- Having too many meetings
- Not taking enough time off
- Lack of time for focused work
- Too many things to respond to
- Not getting enough appreciation
- No career advancement perspective
- Overwhelmed by pressure to perform
- Poor working conditions/company culture
It’s likely you’ve experienced at least a few of these in your career.
I know, because I have too. We’re all in the same boat.
PPC is a fast-paced industry with lots of stressors.
I’ve seen family members and close friends suffer from burnout and it’s something I strive to prevent at all cost.
In this newsletter, I want to give my personal tips on how to reduce stress and prevent burnout.
Disclaimer: I’m not trying to be a doctor or give medical advice. Everything I share is based on my own life experiences.
Let’s dig in!
How to recognize burnout?
I like this definition by Mayoclinic:
“burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Whatever the cause, burnout can affect your physical and mental health.”
To bring it back to my own words: stress, when unaddressed for too long, can lead to physical, mental, emotional and health problems.
Here are my 7 tips to prevent burnout in PPC (based on my own career and life experiences):
- Don’t work for toxic people
- Seek help on time
- Know your worth and set boundaries
- Live a healthy lifestyle
- Allow yourself to take time off
- Put everything in perspective: it’s just work
- Don’t identify with your results
1: Don’t work for toxic people
From what I’ve seen around me, most stress is caused by working with toxic people: overly demanding clients, bad managers, negative coworkers.
My advice: find a company with a strong culture that matches your personal values.
If you don’t like working there anymore, leave. Don’t stick around.
And finally: fire toxic clients fast. Even if you make a lot of money from a client, is it worth sacrificing your (employees’) mental health? I don’t think so.
Whenever I work with new clients, the first thing I do is a vibe check: do I like the person behind the business and does he/she have a positive attitude towards work and life? If not, I’m out - instantly. I don’t care how much they’re willing to pay me. I’m not going to let negative people ruin my day.
2: Seek help on time
A lot of people feel ashamed about being stressed and don’t want to ask for help. My advice: talk to people regularly, not only when it’s too late. Give your manager/boss a headsup when you feel overworked. You’ll do yourself and your company a huge favor.
Seeking help is a sign a strength, not weakness. I had to learn that the hard way in life.
3: Know your worth and set boundaries
Burnout often happens when boundaries get overstepped too often. That’s why you need to set clear boundaries. How much are you willing to do for someone, and where is the line? Only you can decide what your boundaries are — and you’ll know when they are overstepped (you’ll feel it).
Use the instant feedback you’re getting from yourself and communicate your boundaries whenever someone crossed them.
Also: know your worth. Don’t let anyone hold you back. Be crystal clear on what you want to achieve and what you think you’re worth in terms of salary, workload, time off etc.
4: Live a healthy lifestyle
This might be the biggest one to prevent burnout: live a healthy lifestyle.
Eat healthy, sleep well, exercise often. That’s how you feel strong, energetic and much less sensitive to stressors.
5: Allow yourself to take time off
So many people don’t take enough time off (I’m looking at my American readers specifically). I’ve always been baffled by the lack of vacation days in the US. Not taking enough time off from work is the quickest way to burnout. Here’s what to do instead:
Take frequent walks through the day.
Walks are a magical way to get some movement, clear your mind and get mental clarity. I’m not a doctor and this is not medical advice, but trust me — you’ll experience huge benefits from walking frequently throughout the day. Micro breaks are needed to perform at a high level.
Go on a long vacation at least once per year.
Fully disconnect from work — or as Peter Hutta, my former manager, used to say: reconnect with yourself. Take a long vacation at least once per year. See the world. Forget about work for a minute and actually live life. You never regretted going on a vacation, right?
Do something fun after work.
This one speaks for itself. I love to work, but I also understand the importance taking breaks and doing something fun after work. I like to go on long walks/hikes with my girlfriend or play some FIFA or other video games to unwind.
It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s a fun, relaxing activity you enjoy (either alone or with people you like).
6: Put everything in perspective: it’s just work
We often make work too big and important, while in reality it’s not. It’s just work. Nobody is going to die if you hand in your report a few hours later.
Don’t take it too seriously and let work just be work.
7: Don’t identify with your results
Stop identifying with your results on an emotional level. Do you recognize this?
→ Good results? You feel good.
→ Bad results? You feel stressed.
I used to let my results determine my stress levels.
→ Good days, low stress.
→ Bad days, high stress.
If you work for multiple clients, this is very unhealthy in the long run. I know because I’ve been there.
9/10 clients got good results, but 1/10 got bad results? I still felt stressed.
The best Google Ads specialists focus on the process and know results will eventually come.
They also know that bad days always happen.
→ It’s ok to celebrate wins.
→ It’s ok to optimize when results are bad.
→ It’s not ok to let results dictate your emotions.
It’s a recipe for disaster, a burnout waiting to happen.
Play the game to the best of your abilities, but don’t ever let your results dictate your emotions.
Prevent burnout at all cost
We always talk about hustling hard and getting results, but we never talk about our mental health and well-being.
Recap of my 7 tips to prevent burnout in PPC (based on my own career and life experiences):
- Don’t work for toxic people
- Seek help on time
- Know your worth and set boundaries
- Live a healthy lifestyle
- Allow yourself to take time off
- Put everything in perspective: it’s just work
- Don’t identify with your results
If you’re a business owner and you’re reading this: open up the dialogue with your employees. Mental health issues, stress and burnout should be open topics of discussion. You want to prevent these at all cost - for the sake of your people and your business.
If you struggle with mental health issues or burnout — talk to someone. Seeking help is a sign a strength, not weakness.
Wishing you peace and joy in your work and life.
Cheers,
Miles (and Bob)
