So, uhh. When does burn-out kick in?

I started ten years ago doing videos every other day. Now I'm down to every week or so with 999 videos on the channel. Not sure I'm burned out but certainly slowed right down. I was ready to throw in the towel tonight when I checked a month's worth of footage (at least ten videos with five places visited and my 1,000 video) and found the audio was f****d on the lot of it.

I might be out of context because I am strictly doing this as a passion: but I feel like, as with anything, if you start to even slightly dread putting in the work, are having mental blocks of content to create, then it's fine to take a break. It sounds like you're still having fun with it, which is also why I am doing this! If things start to feel less fun, perhaps just go for some basic rides, keep the footage simple, don't spend too much time on planning or post-production. Or just start making shorter videos and schedule to post over time rather than posting one longer video every few days. Just some thoughts!

I stick to posting one motovlog per week, and I do that purposefully to prevent from getting burned out. Motovlogging is a fun hobby for me and a part time thing, I don't want to turn it into a "job". I also take a break for two weeks every Christmas + New Years.

Now that said, I'm finding my 50 motovlogs per year schedule to be a bit limiting, as I have a spreadsheet full of a couple hundred motovlog ideas and not enough "weeks" to put them all out. I might start spreading a few "two vids per week" throughout the year just to get a few more of my videos out of my backlog.

MotoWolfUK said:

Ooh. Wish I had a spreadsheet of ideas pal I just do whatever comes into my head lol

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I have a similar list. Quite often I end up deleting ideas because they were about the news and if I recorded them they would be about the news six months ago

Great question! I'm at around 450 videos [since September 2020] published, with 20 more in editing. I also keep a spreadsheet of things to record. I will record whatever, whenever, and however. I just love recording, editing, and the interaction you get when a video goes live.

My strategy to prevent burnout, even posting 3 videos per week, is to take advantage of a "creative push" as I call it, where I'm 100% all in on recording & editing - and then take a week or two off. I will record 5 or 6 videos in a week, edit a bunch of videos, and then sit back and schedule them, while watching other peoples' videos.

I've seen so many people get burned out on it - I did a recent video on my channel about it - but I do not chase views - I chase FUN. If it's fun, I'm doing it, if not... then bye bye.

If it ever becomes a full-time thing, then great, if not, it's still fun so I'll do it until that wears off. That said, I've slowed down my recording cadence, so hopefully I can catch up at some point in the next few months [nothing like having footage from March go live in June, LOL], and it's weird to be riding along not recording anything.

-John

I also agree, it must be when you are not doing it because you want to, but because you feel obligated before subscribers or habit. Also when you don't know what to make the video about and end up just cursing at all the passing cars and such.
I have had the moments, when something happens and all goes downhill and then I just don't feel like doing it anymore. And then I won't. And then the videos I have scheduled all get published, and autumn comes, the riding season is about to end and I suddenly am full of ideas and want to do stuff but there is no time to do it anymore

MotoWolfUK said:

Oh yea. That’s possibly my (problem?) I’m enjoying it so darn much I could probably make 1-2 videos a day but don’t want to flood YouTube and now over 2 months scheduled

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I've done experiments, posting a video a day for a week... I still need to sit down and record the talking head video discussing the results.

Maybe next week

I just upped my schedule from 1/week, to 2/week, to 3/week, and that seems to be the sweet spot for my viewers.

-John

Theodor said:

I also agree, it must be when you are not doing it because you want to, but because you feel obligated before subscribers or habit. Also when you don't know what to make the video about and end up just cursing at all the passing cars and such.
I have had the moments, when something happens and all goes downhill and then I just don't feel like doing it anymore. And then I won't. And then the videos I have scheduled all get published, and autumn comes, the riding season is about to end and I suddenly am full of ideas and want to do stuff but there is no time to do it anymore

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Yep, I've been there too - riding along, recording a video, and say to the camera, "nope, I don't feel like doing this today". Turn the cameras off, enjoy the ride, and do it again a different day.

Running out of riding weather is a real risk one takes, but hey, we're not living off the YT money, so who cares? Get to it when you get to it.

-John

Drakhen99 said:

I've seen so many people get burned out on it - I did a recent video on my channel about it - but I do not chase views - I chase FUN. If it's fun, I'm doing it, if not... then bye bye.

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That's my outlook on motovlogging too, but I've never been able to state it so succinctly and perfectly. Well said!

Hmmmm I tend to try not to do videos on the bike too much, mainly becuase I end up repeating myself and sounding a bit silly.
Also putting up the same route every time can be a bit repetative. I am on 140 vids now I have ideas its just finding time to do them, but I dont think I see me getting burnt out

Moto Mengy said:

That's my outlook on motovlogging too, but I've never been able to state it so succinctly and perfectly. Well said!

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Thanks - I don't usually say things so succinctly ... hence why I typed it. Otherwise, it would be a series of 20-minute videos outlining why that is... oh wait, I already did that!

tomstc said:

Hmmmm I tend to try not to do videos on the bike too much, mainly becuase I end up repeating myself and sounding a bit silly.
Also putting up the same route every time can be a bit repetative. I am on 140 vids now I have ideas its just finding time to do them, but I dont think I see me getting burnt out

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HAHA, I repeat myself constantly, repeat myself constantly!

Recording videos on the bike, for me, just requires more editing to get rid of the repetitions. And yeah, I ride the same route a lot, but it's always a LITTLE different, because of weather or traffic, and definitely because of topics.

-John

I don't do burnout as far as motovlogging.


Tires are expensive.

HippoDrone said:

That is the good thing about making videos, you can edit it all out and make it look like a slick masterpiece of thought, wit and ready repartee... all with a couple of clicks of the mouse button!
(Why do you think I do jump cuts rather than flowing ride videos?) Jump cuts also have the advantage on repetitive routes too, as if you only keep the talking and then edit that to be succinct, then rarely will 2 videos be alike enough for a viewer on the other side of the country/world to know you were even on the same roads!

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^^^ He's right, you know. Jump cuts make the world go 'round... and me sound halfway coherent.

NOTE: I did NOT say intelligent - merely coherent.

-John