How to Beat Burnout by Taking Control of Your Calendar
If you’ve been working 6–7 days a week for the past two years and can’t remember the last time you had a full weekend off, you’re not alone. Exhaustion is real, and the pressure to avoid being seen as “lazy” or “not a team player” only makes it worse. So, how do you get your calendar under control?
First, let me say this: I’m so sorry you’re going through this. The pressure is intense, and of course you’re exhausted. The good news? You’re not alone. I’ve been in your shoes, and so have many of my clients. There are things you can do.
The bad news? It might take a little time to pay off. But bear with me—you can make your calendar match your priorities.
Start With a Long-Term Play (and a Short-Term Option)
Look at your calendar three to six months from now. Odds are, you have some free space. We’re going to start by adding time blocks one at a time, beginning with your ideal situation or most important commitments.
Step 1: Personal Commitments First
Block time for what matters most outside of work—gym sessions, family dinners, coaching little league, monthly happy hours with friends. Include travel time. These are non-negotiable.
Step 2: Your Ideal Work Schedule
Would you love one full day with no meetings each week? Put it on the calendar.
Need a few 90-minute windows for deep thinking? Schedule them.
Step 3: Critical Work Requirements
Add time for planning, follow-up, and recurring essentials:
- Timecards
- Urgent CEO requests
- Quality checks and preventative maintenance
- Performance evaluations
Plan for the Unplanned
You can’t predict every fire drill or urgent request, but you can make educated guesses. Build time into your calendar for when these are likely to occur. If they don’t happen, you’ve got bonus time to catch up on other work.
Once your priorities are locked in, every new request gets evaluated against this baseline. Will urgent issues still pop up? Yes. Will you sometimes move or cancel blocks? Yes. It won’t be perfect—but it will be better than now.
By having your priorities built in first, saying “no” or “not now” becomes much easier.
What About Right Now?
Here’s the short-term version: Pretend you had a life-shattering emergency and only 5–10 hours for work this week. What would you tackle? Start there. Clear out everything that isn’t urgent. Get your boss’s approval if needed.
Give Yourself Grace
This problem has been building for years—it won’t fix itself overnight. But you can chip away at it. I’ve created a worksheet to guide you through this process.
Try it out and let me know what you learn. What advice would you give someone facing a similar challenge? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear from you.
Watch the full video here: