Fight End-of-Year Burnout

There’s a dangerous story that takes hold this time of year. It whispers that growth is a game of willpower. Effort can win the day, and sacrifice is totally normal. You’ll get there if you push a little harder, stretch a little further. And maybe you will. But at what cost?

Every year, I watch brilliant professionals slide into December running on fumes. Their calendars are packed, teams and agendas are stretched, and family expectations loom. And yet, the internal script goes: Just a few more weeks. Just a little more effort. Just finish strong. I often ask myself, “What’s so great about ‘finishing strong’ anyway?”

It’s Not (Just) You

You’re in great company, but is that comforting? IMHO, it’s kind of depressing to be joining ranks with other harried, worried December people, all asking, “How am I going to get it all done?”. 

A far more useful question is, “What the heck are we doing to ourselves?!” Or how about, “Why am I here? Again?” Or better yet, “What if it didn’t have to be this way?”

This isn’t about how you as an individual are doing everything wrong. I want to point out how this pressure is culturally and structurally systemic. We reward output and idolize grit. We are often on some conveyor belt when it comes to mindlessly entering social contracts. We’re sold a bag of promises about what the holidays are really supposed to be about, and yet there is no practical way we can get there unless we take radical, intentional action. How about that for a weird winter wonderland Catch 22?

Growth Necessitates Downtime

I was recently working with a client who was frustrated by his recent lack of energy and motivation. He wanted more for himself, more out of himself. And yet, my perspective was one of awe. He had just completed months of extremely hard work on himself and his career. He was seeing some amazing results and shifts in his home life and work opportunities. Not surprisingly, he was a little tired. 

I had the honor of reminding him of his hard work, reminding him of the extraordinary effort he had put into everything, and that it simply made sense that he felt depleted. What really resonated with him was the phrase, “Rest and downtime are a necessary part of the growth cycle.” It’s no wonder we feel less than 100% at this time of year!

Humans grow in seasons. We aren’t automatons. We are living, breathing beings and need rest. We also do our best work when we have space, downtime, reflection, support, recuperation, fun, and joy. Growth is sometimes about doing less.

I often think about my garden. (Yes, I’m a crazy plant lady.) There are winter crops I could be planting right now. But what I really think about is how the soil is resting and recharging for spring. It won’t be but a couple of months till I start planting again and expect growth and harvest. So it’s ok that right now, things are fallow, covered in compost and mulch, and resting.

Think of your professional and personal life like a field. You’ve spent the year planting, tending, and harvesting. Some efforts thrived. Others didn’t take. (A few goals may never have been yours to begin with.) All of this is ok and normal.

Give It (You) A Rest

Now, at year-end, you have a choice.

You can drain the soil with one last push, squeezing every drop of productivity out of the season in the name of finishing strong. Or you can pause. Let the ground breathe. Create the conditions for smarter, healthier growth in the season ahead. Because that’s what strategic pausing is: it’s not quitting. It’s cultivating.

It’s knowing that your best ideas, your clearest decisions, and your most powerful leadership don’t come from burnout - they come from clarity. From recalibration. From rest that’s earned not through exhaustion, but through intention.

Small Efforts Matter

Try taking one nap. Cancel one event. Say yes to a simpler meal. Outsource one thing or ask for help with something. Try moving a tiny bit slower for half a day. Trust your team with a bit more with one part of one process. Just like wear and tear add up, so do little, intentional actions that create ease and space.

I personally take courage from the fact that many ancient teachers talk about the how rest and downtime are natural, valuable, and wise. One of my favorites is Ovid’s, “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

What’s your favorite quote about rest, downtime, space, and grace?