Medium Burnout Is A Real Thing
By: Edie Tuck
Tags: Priorities, Burnout, Medium Writers, Goals, Writing

I’ve seen this happen to writers time and again. It was only just a matter of time, and not I’m sitting here, completely blank. Burnout. Medium-burnout. …and that’s where this article was born.

I see many people publish amazing articles every single day, and I’ve done my best to try and keep up the pace — I should have known it couldn't last.

I know that in order to create a steady stream of income on Medium, quantity seems to be just as important as quality, but I’m beginning to wonder if the process can be challenged. I’m also starting to question if I’m going about it the wrong way; putting too much emphasis on the earnings and losing sight of the actual writing.

Over the past few weeks — since the MPP change — I’ve found myself obsessing over the daily earnings, refreshing my screen repeatedly after the clock hits a certain time every night until the earnings update. This obsessive state I’m in detracts from why I’m here in the first place, which is to write.

I found this platform when I did a Google search about “how to make money writing online.” I wanted a place where I could let my creativity flow, and this seemed like the ideal place to do that. My goal when joining Medium was never to write about Medium. And here I am, hitting the publish button on two of them in a row. Why? Well, because 1) I’ve realized, as many others have, that articles about Medium do well, and 2) I write about what I feel, and right now I’m feeling some pretty heavy Medium-burnout.

I’m a fiction writer. Other than dabbling (and failing) in personal blogging a time or two, I only began writing non-fiction pieces once I joined this platform back at the end of June. I’ve had to step out of my safety zone, and it has really helped me push my own boundaries and expand and grow my skills as a writer. But if I’m being completely honest, I miss fiction. I miss it dearly. And I hate this state of mind where I’m finding myself these days.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to step back a moment and reevaluate things. I’m not leaving Medium — I love it here! If it wasn’t for this community, I would have never met some of the people I now consider my dearest friends. But my goal isn’t to lock myself in, it’s to continue to grow.

In order to do that, I know I need to widen my horizons beyond the walls of Medium. I need to add streams of income so that I’m not at the mercy of a single website. The goal is to turn writing into a full-time career, and although some writers make incredible amounts of money here, in my heart I know this is a stepping stone. One single aspect of what my career and my life is shaping into.

So I’ve decided that I need to stop putting so much pressure on myself. Publishing a story every single day (or trying to) has brought me to the point where my brain feels empty. Devoid of anything remotely inspiring. I need to reboot. I also need to break this crazy addiction to statistics.

Quality or Quantity

Instead of pushing myself to write things that just aren’t there every day, I’m going to work on putting out two or three pieces a week — with some poetry sprinkled in here and there. I’m going to focus on the quality of my work because I came here to add value first and make money second.

I’m not giving up my goals of writing for a living, so I’m going to hustle in other areas to try and create that career for myself. I’m not leaving Medium unless they kick me out (please don’t kick me out!) but I will be publishing less frequently.

There’s definitely a bit of controversy on this topic, and I’ve found myself agreeing with both sides of the coin in the past. I also know that different methods — quality over quantity, or vice-versa — work best for different people, and I’m hoping that this will be the right move for me. It may be for you, or it may not be…but I’m going to give it a shot!