The sky outside my window is still a stubborn shade of gray, as if winter is desperately clinging to its last days.
Much like this weather that refuses to transition, I find myself in a post-Q1 slump.
That moment when you’ve poured a ton of energy into getting your new year projects off the ground but not enough time has passed to see the results and get that dopamine hit.
I’ve been thinking about these energy valleys we all face as marketers.
Over the years, I’ve experimented with different approaches when my energy takes a nosedive. Since we’re probably all feeling a bit depleted right now, I thought I’d share some of these experiments.
Rename to reframe
Words have power—even the ones we only use privately.
For the longest time, I used “Blog” as the title of the to-do project where I stored all my writing tasks. It was a leftover from when that’s mainly what I was doing.
But that small label was subtly diminishing the work in my own mind, relegating it to “side project” status.
One day, I changed the label to “Platform.”
It wasn’t just writing anymore; it was building something—a foundation for professional visibility, a trust-building engine, a client attraction system.
The work didn’t change, but my relationship with it did.
What labels in your work life need upgrading?
Sometimes, the quickest energy boost comes from simply renaming the work to honor what it truly is.
Change your setting
It’s weird how much a change of scenery affects the brain.
After three years of working fully from a home office, I started going to a coworking space a couple of days a week. These are still some of my most high-output days.
But it doesn’t need to be dramatic. Sometimes it’s just grabbing your laptop and heading to a coffee shop for a few hours. Or switching from your desktop to your tablet.
The fog just lifts.
This works for your content, too. Try a format change in your newsletter. Play with a different visual style. Test a new content structure.
It’s like getting a shiny new smartphone—it’s not that the old one didn’t work; there’s just something energizing about novelty that makes the familiar feel fresh again.
Your personal projects are the perfect place for these experiments. I imagine your boss won’t be thrilled if you request a design refresh whenever you feel creatively stale, but that’s what personal projects are for.
Keep a creative log
Now, I recognize this is a bit of a “you should have started three months ago” tip, not immediately helpful. But stay with me.
I keep a simple visualization of my newsletter publishing cadence—a dark green dot for every Friday this newsletter goes out. On low days, looking at that growing set of dots reminds me that I can keep creating even when I’m busy or not especially feeling it.
This documentation becomes fuel when you’re running on empty. Seeing tangible evidence of your output reminds you of what you’re capable of.
Start your log today. Future-you will thank you during the next energy dip.
Learn something new
As I was getting into this latest energy valley, I started a new course, Prompt Engineering for Marketers. I got a rush of energy when I started thinking about all the ways I could apply this learning to existing projects.
The same thing goes for attending a conference or even a small local meetup—talking to people and exchanging insights gets your brain to wake up and pay attention again.
Our brains crave novelty.
When work feels stale, often it’s because we’re processing the same information through the same frameworks day after day.
Help someone else
I’m fortunate to be part of a platform called Growth Mentor, which means I regularly meet new startups and help entrepreneurs face challenges. It’s a great way to keep my brain sharp—I get to remind myself of the dynamics of e-commerce marketing or the complexity of figuring out patterns in early ICP research.
Working on a fresh problem brings in new energy.
You can do the same by opening a few slots for informal chats on your calendar or reaching out to friends who’ve recently started a business and asking how you can help.
It’s good karma, too!
***
The work we do demands both creative and analytical thinking. Taking care of your energy isn’t selfish—it’s smart resource management.
It’s essential maintenance for your most valuable marketing asset: your brain.
So, as we push through these final gray days of winter, consider which of these practices might help refill your tank. The best marketers aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets—they’re the ones who’ve figured out how to show up consistently with fresh ideas and energy.
Resilience matters,
đź‘Ś Handpicked stories for you
​How to Find (Not Guess) Your Target Audience: A Data-Driven Approach​
One of the most detailed step-by-step walkthroughs about audience research! I’m keeping this tagged for client education purposes. I especially love the section on researching your existing customer base.
​You Are Not Late​
Although this essay is 10 years old now, Kevin Kelly is still right. “I’m too late to the party” is an excuse for the cowardly ones. If you start today—creating anything—you’ll still be way earlier than many others. So do it!
​Hilton’s SVP, Daniel Reynolds, on the art of brand storytelling​
Now, I know what you’re going to say. Crafting exciting stories is much easier when you have a cozy budget like Hilton’s. But the truth is that the majority of their storytelling-driven content isn’t hard to do. The key: showing real human faces.
​The case against AI-generated users​
Caveat: this is a pretty one-sided story. But I feel there’s enough hype out there about AI-assisted research and we could use this counterpoint from IDEO. You’ll also see a few ideas about scrappy research practices that won’t break the bank.
đź’Ž Highly Recommended
Strategy expert Adriana Tica shares weekly thoughts that will spur you to action in her Strategic AF newsletter. I especially loved a recent edition focused on the perennial question of “How often should you publish?” You can see the piece below, and if you like it, don’t forget to subscribe!
​​Check out the newsletter →​​
đź‘€ Just for fun
- ​This exploration of the language of emotions​ – an interesting look into how we can describe our feelings.
- Weekly cat​ – annoyance is my love language.
🤿 Diving deeper
If you want more insights and resources like these, here are three options:
- Was this forwarded to you? ​Get your own subscription!​
- ​​​​Follow me on LinkedIn​ for weekly pieces of content and messaging advice.
- Check out my course on ​strategic content marketing and brand messaging.