15. Almost Burned Out? (The Way Back)
You've recognized the warning signs. Now what?
Last episode, we talked about recognizing your burnout tipping point. This episode is about what comes next—how to pull yourself back from the edge before full burnout hits.
This isn't about recovery from full-blown burnout. That's a different conversation. This is about strategic emergency management when you catch yourself at that turning point—and what to do to tip things back in your favor.
In This Episode:
The strategic pullback: how to "bail water from the boat" to stay afloat
What a real recovery day looks like (and what it doesn't)
Why the minimum viable day is your best tool when everything feels hard
The data collection approach: tracking what tips you into burnout vs what you can sustain
The money vs capacity trade-off (and why that extra income might cost you everything)
Connect With Me:
THE STRATEGIC PULLBACK
When I realized I was at that turning point, I had to get honest about what I'd taken on:
12 contract client sessions a week (all with first-time clients, i.e. more masking)
My own private clients
Building a podcast with weekly recording and content creation
Constant context switching
House projects creating background mental load
Perimenopause adding extra fatigue
I couldn't think my way into the right choice. I needed to follow sparks. And that first spark was knowing I needed to stop the bleeding.
I picture it like bailing water from a sinking boat.
The weight I bailed out:
Paused podcast recording for a month (even though that's what I wanted to do)
Stopped attending biweekly team meetings
Blocked off extra client spots—I'd finish existing bookings but no new ones
Lost $800 in income from not opening extra spots (but knew I could float it because I'd structured my life with reduced expenses)
I'm at another burnout tipping point right now. Another busy contract season where I got sick and the effects have lingered almost a month.
I've been dropping everything I can to conserve spoons:
Not going out on weekends
Lying on the couch outside of sessions
Pausing projects or following creative threads
The kind of rest where there's no brain power involved
WHAT A RECOVERY DAY ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
The Minimum Viable Day: What's the minimum today to keep up only the things that can't be shed? One task maximum when everything feels hard.
What that recovery day looks like:
Cozy video games (stimulation without mental exertion)
Lying down—not just sitting down
Watching comfort shows
Not doing creative work, even if I have to force myself (it still takes brain power)
Naps—which means not taking my Adderall so I'm letting my brain be sluggish
No social calendar
Repeat
What Recovery DOESN'T Look Like:
Trying to be productive ("I should at least...")
Forcing creative work because "it's fun and I want to"
Adding social commitments thinking they'll be rejuvenating
Continuing commitments that cost energy even if they're "good for you"
I paused Pilates even though it's "good for me." At this emergency triage point, it was one more thing taking spoons. You can't skip the rest phase. You can't outsmart burnout.
Earlier this year when my husband was away for two weeks, I felt amazing puttering with my plants and diving into podcast work. But that was AFTER I'd had slow client weeks—I had a recovery buffer first.
DATA COLLECTION
I started tracking what tips me into burnout vs what I can sustain:
My sweet spot: 8 client sessions per week (2 days of 4 sessions)
My danger zone: 12 sessions per week or sessions 3 days in a row
Recovery ratio: One FULL recovery day for every two high-demand days
STRATEGIC CALENDER-ING
Here’s what I did:
Reduced context switching: Contained contract work to Wed-Thurs, not scattered. Set specific times—10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm—not random slots.
Didn’t mix client types on same day: Contract clients use different brain space than private clients. Mixing them adds context switching cost.
Recording podcast only on lighter client weeks: Recording takes energy even though I love it.
THE MONEY VS CAPACITY TRADE-OFF
Is the extra $800 worth sliding into burnout?
The math:
Each contract session pays $100
But if I burn out, I can't work at all
Each month in burnout recovery is $2300+ of lost income
Plus the cost of rebuilding after burnout is massive
That $800 was actually a terrible deal if it pushed me over the edge.
THE PROJECT LOAD MANAGEMENT
Something counterintuitive: Sometimes moving projects forward helps prevent burnout.
Why? Open loops drain energy constantly. Unfinished projects create background mental load that eats spoons all day.
The key is distinguishing between:
Projects that drain: New complex things requiring lots of decisions
Projects that restore: Finishing small things that have been hanging over you
WHEN EVERYTHING IS "TOO MUCH" - THE HIERARCHY
When even one task feels impossible, here's my hierarchy:
Tier 1 (Non-negotiable survival):
Existing client commitments (necessary income)
Basic self-care (eating, sleeping, meds)
Whatever keeps the lights on
Tier 2 (Pause these first):
New commitments or projects
Social obligations
"Should do" tasks
Creative work even if I love it
Appointments for myself (unless vital to burnout recovery)
Tier 3 (Only once I have capacity):
House projects (unless they give energy back by closing loops)
Optimization and improvement
Anything requiring sustained executive function
THE KEY INSIGHT
Early stage burnout is emergency management and looks like bailing water from a sinking boat.