How to Survive Instagram Burnout as a Web Designer
If you find yourself stuck endlessly scrolling, yet always at a loss for what to post, you could be experiencing instagram burnout.
As website designers, we’ve come to know Instagram as a key platform for promoting our businesses, meaning we get sucked in not only to create content constantly, but also consume content constantly on there too. It can end up feeling like it’s taking up a large chunk of our lives 😳.
Yes, sharing strategic Instagram content can be a great way to share your website design business, but at what point does it become a time and energy suck that we just don’t want?
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What Is ‘Instagram Burnout’?
Burnout on Instagram can actually look a lot like burnout in your overall business! As a social media platform, Instagram is literally designed to keep people hooked on the platform and obsessed with it 😵💫, so you’re definitely not alone if you experience any of the following:
Feeling drained & constantly guilty under the pressure to post more & more content
Finding yourself more irritable, anxious or stressed while you’re scrolling or afterwards
You start comparing yourself to others which de-motivates you to post
You struggle to pull yourself away from your phone (or stop constantly checking your engagement)
It’s totally normal to feel like this every now and then, but getting stuck in this cycle isn’t good for your mental health (or for the hours of time you keep finding slipping away!).
1. Understand what’s triggering you
With Instagram burnout there can be a few different elements at play and it’s important to make yourself aware of what’s triggering these feelings for you. For example:
Are there certain accounts that bring up feelings of jealousy or comparison or imposter syndrome?
Are you seeing a lot of content that makes you feel stressed, anxious, or negative?
Have you put too much pressure on yourself to post regularly and you’re exhausted?
Are you feeling frustrated that the time you’re putting into creating content isn’t getting results?
You might relate to any or all of these points, but understanding the root cause of this burnout is key to figuring out the best next steps…
2. Curate your experience (unfollow, mute etc.)
Remember that, for the most part, you are in full control of YOUR scrolling experience and how you want to spend time on Instagram. You get to curate who you follow and what content you see, and make sure you’re having a positive experience on the app.
Unfollow
If there’s an account that brings up comparison vibes or negative feelings, this is your permission slip to unfollow - liberally! You can always find them again and re-follow if you change your mind.
Mute
Not that anyone really checks who’s unfollowed them, but if you’re worried about someone finding out, that’s what the ‘mute’ button is for! This will keep you ‘followed’ but just hide their content from you until you unmute.
Block or ‘hide’ content
Got a troll comment or an account you keep being recommended that you simply DON’T want to see? Don’t be shy; hit ‘block’, or choose to hide the content or hide based on certain words etc.
Getting back to having a feed that makes you feel inspired and positive is what you need 🌟.
3. Set screen time & scrolling boundaries
I know you’re telling yourself you *need* to be on Instagram for the ‘content research’, but that doesn’t require an hour a day 👀.
In fact, when you have a proper content strategy for your web design business, you barely need to do this at all! Let’s be real; you’re just using it as an excuse, and it’s actually wasting a tonne of your time.
Set a 15 minute timer
Start getting into the habit of setting a timer before you start scrolling. 15 minutes a day is more than enough to ‘stay up to date with trends’ (if that’s what you feel you need!), and once the timer goes - STOP!
Or set an app time limit in your settings
Go into your Settings > Screen Time > App Limits, and set a time limit for how long you’re allowed to use Instagram each day before it ‘blocks’ you from going on the app!
Update your ‘Downtime’
On iPhones, if you go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime, you can schedule specific times of day when you want your phone to ‘block’ you from using certain apps (ie. Instagram).
… and remember - probably best not to start a scrolling sesh when you’re already in a negative/anxious mood. 😅
4. Take the pressure OFF Instagram for your business
If Instagram is the only way you’re currently marketing your web design business, there’s no wonder it’s making you feel exhausted and burnt out!
Relying on and putting all the pressure on a platform that requires you to show up basically every day (and hope the algorithm likes what you post) is SO much pressure.
Instead, build a backstage content funnel that works for you to get clients in the background (even when you’re logged off on ‘do not disturb’)!
I teach how to do this with blogging, email marketing and more inside my In Demand Designer® program.
5. Plan & schedule your content ahead of time
Stressing every afternoon at 3pm because you ‘haven’t posted yet’ is a sure-fire way to mentally exhaust yourself (and means you probably end up sharing slap-dash content for the sake of posting something)!
This is why scheduling in some time at the start of every month to plan out exactly what content you’ll be posting on what day (and outlining the idea so it’s easy to create when it comes to it) is such a better use of your time.
Plus, a bonus if you can batch create the content all in one go, scheduled to post out automatically without you even needing to be ON Instagram!
6. Step away / take a break
You’ve been sucked in to a 2-hour long scrolling hole. You feel like sh*t. You feel guilty. You to do list is still glaring at you.
But the effort of pulling yourself away from your phone alone was enough to drain you, and now you can’t concentrate.
Just stop.
Step away from your desk and go outside. When people say ‘touch grass’, this is literally the moment they mean 🤣. It’s time to disconnect from the online world and reconnect with the physical, IRL world around you (even better if you can get out in nature).
This always helps as a perspective shift, and also to switch your brain out of consumption mode - literally a necessity for self care as a business owner!
And if you need to do this and take a break from Instagram for a week? Two weeks? Go ahead! Especially if you have your backstage content working for you like I said in point 4, you’re good to go.
7. Remember Instagram is a highlights reel
Overall, it’s important to remember that Instagram is mainly quite a shallow platform. People typically share only their top highlights and a small glimpse at their lives & businesses - without the context and depth of what lies beneath.
And all of the things you’re stressed about (views, likes, comments, followers), are all fairly shallow markers of ‘success’. Whether you take a break, or don’t see the ‘numbers’ you want with your content, it doesn’t mean anything about you or your business.
There are plenty of other ways to get web design clients, and marketing strategies that don’t rely on this platform.
