Avoiding burnout as a creative leader in a fast-paced, busy environment seems harder than ever when the boundaries between work and home are blurred. However, with modern tools and new outlooks on work management, performance can be optimized in a way that produces breakthrough results while allowing creatives to generate their best possible work.

On November 16th, Adobe Workfront gathered a virtual panel of experts at Amplify Your Creative Value in 2022: Work Management Game Plans for Driving Creative Thinking to share their experience in managing heavy workloads, improving time management, and ultimately producing phenomenal results.

Check out the main takeaways from our discussion on the 16th:

1. Outsource mundane tasks

Jim MacLeod of EBSCO discussed outsourcing contractors on the creative side of his company to do the more mundane tasks, leaving more room for creatives to do what they do best: be creative.

“The last thing I want to do with my in-house people is say ‘Hey, you do all the nuts and bolts. We’re going to outsource all the really cool stuff,’” he explained. “That’s the fastest way just to get everyone on your team to quit.”

2. Incentivize creatives with a useful brief

An informative brief helps creators make something that works for everyone. “If you give them no box and no real input and no content, then you’re in the Wild Wild West,” said Chris Patti of SAS. “They want to create work that’s actually going to move the needle. That’s how we’re all incentivized as professionals.”

In getting a brief with clear guidelines, creators will be able to innovate in a more strategic way.

3. Work against tedious, repetitive processes

To counteract mundanity in projects, Charles Nix of Monotype suggested searching for leeway in the guidelines. To avoid burnout when every project seems the same, it can be a huge help both to the customer and to the creative to find new ways to build from the inside out.

“Looking in the process of understanding the brand or anything about the project, are there levers within it?” he asked. “We get it as tight as possible, but are there levers within it that still allow me as a creative person to find some advantage not against the customer, but against being the same.”

4. Get into a rhythm of preparation and high output

“You spend time preparing for one moment, then afterwards thinking about what went wrong or right,” Charles said about having an agile workplace. “It’s that idea of establishing a cadence and a rhythm to buttress those moments of sprint with planning and retrospective.”

That “cadence” is key for making room to constantly improve on the next project through consistent practice and thought on how the sprints forward can be optimized.

5. Prioritize innovation and consistency

While work is definitely not slowing down in the year ahead of us, it’s important to help your team meet the demands of an increasingly digital world while keeping the integrity of the company’s branding.

“The priorities did not change or stop,” said Chris. “Through the pandemic we had to react quickly. We had to embrace new technology platforms and keep the branding consistent.”

Curious to learn more about our discussion with Workfront and our expert panelists? Access the full event content by filling out the form at the top of this page.