There's no doubt that being a creative entrepreneur is a rewarding – yet challenging! – journey.

As a creative entrepreneur, you often find yourself juggling multiple tasks, such as client work, business tasks, and creative projects, while trying to balance your personal life.

Along the way, you may encounter feelings that drain your energy and negatively impact your mindset, business, and overall confidence in your work and creative abilities. But here's the catch: it doesn't have to be this way –– and I'm here to help guide you as you transform your mindset on this.

Let's take a closer look at three of the most common feelings that can drain the energy of creative entrepreneurs, as well as some suggestions on how you can work through them.

Whether you're just starting your entrepreneurial journey or are a seasoned veteran, I hope this post will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you maintain your energy and stay on track.

What are "energy-draining" feelings?

In short, "energy-draining" refer to the negative emotions that hold you back and keep you stuck in the same place, spinning your wheels. These feelings are often the result of taking on more than you can handle or receiving less than you put in –– both in terms of time, energy, and capacity.

The thing about "energy-draining" feelings is that they can be insidious and build up over time, little by little, until they compound into something larger.

And, when they're not worked through, they can make you feel small and frustrated, instigating a lack of confidence in your work and business.

They can also lead to feelings of unworthiness, making it hard to believe in yourself and your abilities as a creative entrepreneur.

It's essential for your well-being to identify and address these "energy-draining" feelings, as they can significantly impact the way you see yourself, lead your business, and live your life.

The three main "energy-draining" feelings you might encounter as a creative entrepreneur

Over the years, I've seen a pattern in how the creative entrepreneurs I worked with struggled with common feelings (and even actions) that kept them stuck in cycles that weren’t productive or helpful to move the needle in their business.

The three main "energy-draining" feelings that stood out to me most were: a sense of urgency, loneliness, and decision fatigue. So let's run through these one by one.

1. Sense of urgency

Generally speaking, "urgency" means that whatever is in front of you has to be done right now. While this can be motivating in the short term, it can also take a toll on your energy levels and well-being in the long run.

When you're in a state of heightened urgency, your body goes into overdrive –– meaning that it's not in a resting, relaxed state, both physically and mentally.

And what does that mean for you? Well, this feeling can lead to burnout as the activity compounds over time. When you're constantly reacting to the demands around you –– from clients, teammates, and/or friends –– you're less likely to tap into your priorities and be proactive.

How can you fix this? To reduce the feeling of urgency, taking control of your time and being intentional with what works best for you is important.

You can do this by:

Creating a schedule on your terms
Charging more for rush services
And adding in buffer time

By taking these steps, you can create a more easeful and sustainable pace for your business while tapping into your priorities, working more efficiently, and avoiding the dreaded burnout.

2. Loneliness

Working as a creative entrepreneur can also be incredibly lonely for some –especially in the beginning.

While the world might see the finished product and success stories, the behind-the-scenes isolation many creative entrepreneurs experience often goes unseen.

Plus, the feeling of loneliness can also be exacerbated by the sense of urgency we discussed earlier. Through loneliness, you might also feel like you don't have the time to meet with people, network, or set up coffee dates. However, it's important to remember that building a community is always worth your time –– especially when running your own business.

How can you fix this? Building a community and connecting with others can be a great source of support and inspiration, helping to combat feelings of loneliness.

This community-building can be done through many different actions, such as:

Attending networking events
Scheduling coffee dates with friends or other entrepreneurs
Connecting with like-minded people in the same niche/industry
Or working with a coach!

A coach can provide external structure and interaction outside of friends and family, as well as mentorship and guidance. This, in addition to also providing a sounding board for your business and helping you feel seen and understood –– a basic but deep human need.

3. Decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is a familiar feeling for creative entrepreneurs, as you're constantly faced with many choices and decisions. These decisions can range from taking on a particular client or enrolling in a course to posting a specific piece of content.

Without a clear understanding of our bigger picture or a brand guide or marketing plan, these decisions can become overwhelming and lead to a feeling of being stuck. Enter: decision fatigue.

How can you fix this? To combat decision fatigue, it's important to get clear on your bigger picture and goals.

Having a coach can help to provide the tools and experience needed to make informed decisions. Coaches can also help to address underlying issues such as overthinking, perfectionism, and fear of not getting it right.

These feelings can make it hard to decide and, in most cases, leave you feeling like you're going to make the wrong decision –– all of which ultimately leads to anxiety and stress (at least in my case when I’ve been in moments of decision fatigue).

However, by having clear goals and a plan in place, you can make confident decisions and avoid the feeling of being stuck.

Micromanagement plays a part in this, too!

Micromanagement can be a major drain on energy for creative entrepreneurs, leading to feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

To combat this, taking control of YOUR time and focusing on what matters most is essential.

This can be achieved by:

1. Knowing your signature services: Understand what you are best at and what you want to be known for, and focus on those services.

2. Knowing what you say yes/no to: Be mindful of the projects and clients you can take on and make sure they align with your values and larger vision.

3. Knowing your values and larger vision: Understand your values, and make sure that your projects and clients align with them.

4. Creating templates and decision maps: To save time and energy, create templates for repetitive tasks or emails, and create a decision map to help guide your decisions. This will help you make decisions faster and more efficiently over time.

By following these steps, you can work toward reducing micromanagement and focusing on what's important for your business –– two things that lead to having more energy and a much healthier and better work-life balance!

Leaving these "energy-draining" feelings behind for good

It's important to remember that feelings such as urgency, loneliness, and decision fatigue are not good or bad: they are signals of what we need to pay more attention to.

If you're starting to see these feelings come up more frequently, it might be a sign that it's time to revisit how you work, your mindset, your bigger vision, and the "why" behind your business. By getting clear and working with intention, you'll find it much easier to reduce these feelings and regain control of your energy and success as a creative entrepreneur.

Some ideas to get you started on reclaiming your energy (and time!):

Own your power as a CEO
Simplify systems
Implement solutions that can help create more time and space for you to make decisions, be in your creative flow, and cut down repetitive tasks

I want you to take a moment to quickly assess how you're feeling right now: are you burnt out? Are you feeling anxious? Do you feel like something is off?

If you're comfortable, feel free to drop in the comments how you're feeling and what you're thinking, and let's work through these feelings together as a community!

And, if you're feeling a little more inspired, book a discovery call to learn more about how I can help you navigate these feelings and achieve your business goals.

3 Feelings that Drain your Energy as a Creative Entrepreneur