Burnout is a big problem for hairstylists, who often spend long hours behind the chair giving to others before they realize they have left nothing for themselves. Lets end burnout once and for all! We sat down with stylist, brand ambassador and educator Olivia Thompson (@omgartistry), who gave us some practical tips to beat burnout that include making a no list, time blocking and ensuring your physical wellness with a great mat like Smart Step Salon Mats.
Beauty Launchpad (BLP): What is a practical tip you use to beat burnout behind the chair?
Olivia Thompson (OT): I actually will audit my entire life every six months. It's called the roadmap. I'll make a list of every single job that I have. Then from there, I actually will make a love/hate list with all of those jobs. Within six months, my goal is to eliminate, delegate or automate everything that I hate out of that list. That has been life altering because when I wake up every single day, and I do the things that I love, I don't do the things that I hate anymore. I figured out how to get them out of my life, so I can live my best life every day.
BLP: How do you know when you are facing burnout?
OT: You know what it is? It's lot of self-awareness. You have to really see what's actually happening around you in your relationships, your clients, your friends and your family. Are you seeing the signs within your own health — your own physical and mental health? When I have a better pulse on my body, I can actually start to have a better understanding of where I'm at.
BLP: How do you carve out enough time to take care of yourself?
OT: I time block my entire life. I actually say to myself, 'Where is all my time going? And or am I aware of my distractions? Am I aimlessly scrolling? Why am I not making enough time to take care of myself?' My physical and mental health has a business hour. Working for one brand has a business hour, and the salon has business hours. Even my relationship with my husband has a business hour because I want to make time to do everything.
BLP: What are some easy ways that a stylist can prevent burnout?
OT: Every single time that I'm feeling really burnt out, I go, 'Okay, I have to start a no list.' I have to basically start saying no to things and seeing where my schedule is. But also, if you're just feeling like it's already too late, I would go take a class and get inspired from another artist — maybe go to a hair show and join a community of people that are also like minded that are doing the things that you want to do.
BLP: How do you help maintain your physical health, not just your emotional?
OT: I have made time in my schedule to go for walks to actually take care of my physical health. As I'm getting ready, I wear compression socks, and I always wear sneakers to work. I try not to wear anything high waisted ever because it bothers my lower back. I avoid belts at all costs. I try not to wear too tight of shirts. I also have a salon uniform — Those clothes sit in one spot of my of my closet, so I know where to go in the morning.
Moving into my salon atmosphere, I'm a newbie to the mats. I've only been using mats now for six months. I am an aesthetics type of girl. I look through the lens of what my camera would see to make sure that my salon looks beautiful because I live in a very content curated world. That is actually why I never chose mats to begin with — because I didn't like the way that they looked. These [Smart Step] mats are gorgeous, and they're wide enough that I don't feel like I'm standing on it or standing off of it. That being said, I'm also doing something for my body that is intentional, but also mindless. Kind of like the socks, right? It's intentional, but I don't really realize that I'm standing on it. I actually did hurt my foot maybe three months ago. It was right around the time that I had gotten the Smart Step mats. I absolutely attribute the fact that I'm like 100% perfectly fine because of my standing conditions, which I was the most nervous about. So I don't even like to call Smart Step a mat. I like to call it like a standing solution. I can actually take back the control of how I feel at the end of the day, because my job does not end at the end of my salon day. I swear I am not feeling the physical fatigue like what I used to feel before Smart Step.
BLP: How are Smart Step Mats different from anything you’ve used?
OT: I am doing something for the longevity of my career. It's like they say, 'Take care of your health or you pay for it later.' I am paying one time for the longevity of what could go into my lower back pain, my knees, my ankles, my arms, my entire body. I'm paying one time for the longevity of what potentially, not only what my mental, but my physical body health will look like at a later date. It's preventative. As a busy stylist, I don't have time to replace my mats every year, so it's music to my ears that Smart Step Salon Mats have a five year warranty.
BLP: How can you describe the aesthetic of Smart Step, and how does the aesthetic fit your space?
OT: I'll just mention some of the specs of my Smart Step mats that were very appealing to me and maybe just not even look-wise. My mats are beautiful. They're like a brown golden flake, which is so on brand. I have a lot of earth tones in my room, so it's beautiful. Because the mats go in gradients from the edges, my trolleys are not shaken up. They can glide over very easily. Also, I love that Smart Step mats do not flip up. That was a huge sell for me!
BLP: What is your experience like now with Smart Step?
OT: My mats have tiny golden flakes, and sometimes I don't get a chance to sweep up the hair right then and there, and it helps to kind of blend it a little. It just really camouflages my day to day. I'll look at the other mats, and they have hair spray on it, and you could see the product. Smart Step mats don't get that filminess. I know that they have a solution that they put on top of the mats that help them sweep nicer. Smart Step Salon Mats does a great job offering many shapes, sizes and colors to accommodate your salon and brand. I just happen to love this copper color.
BLP: How does your body feel differently at the end of the day?
OT: I don't think I realized how bad I felt until I realized how good I felt. But it's only until I look back that I'm like, 'Yeah, this is actually working, you know?' Smart Step mats have this nice buoyancy to them that feels soft, but it's not like I'm stepping on a water mattress or something like that. It has good firmness, but it also has a nice squish that I feel like I'm walking on a cloud shoe.
BLP: How has that changed what you give to your clients?
OT: I am a 92% extrovert, and now I'm in a suite. So, I'm doing a lot of talking. I've been told that I do the most. I would love it if I could save my energy daily from using something that's just below my feet. Statistically, I feel like I have 30% more energy to invest in my client, my relationships and my techniques. That adds on to how you provide for the client. If I had 30% less energy today, do you think I would perform as well? That's not up to my standard of what I charge in the salon or of what I provide for my clients. So, yeah, I'm going to take that 30% every single day. And who wouldn't want 30% back? Let's go!
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