If you've ever experienced burnout before, you know that you don't want to experience it again—
the feelings of constant exhaustion, defeat, failure, lack of motivation, irritability. And my favorite—cue the sarcasm—feeling like you're standing on the edge pretty much all the time. It's awful.
So, at the end of 2023, when this thought, I want to take some more action again, popped into my head, after spending 11 months healing from burnout, I was excited and terrified!
On the one hand, I felt great! Ready, even. Because I was rested and restored and the thought of working a little more directly and diligently on my goals sounded great. But... on the other hand, the idea of getting back to work also made me feel a tad hesitant and anxious. And I got a little stuck in that riptide of feeling excitement and fear all at the same time. Because two things, even if they seem contradictory, can be true at the same time.
So, after sitting with those feelings for a while, I decided to stop worrying about burning out, and asked myself this question instead: what sort of action would feel good and be manageable?
Here is one of the things I came up with and started to implement in my life:
Embrace a “Less is More” Mentality
One of the things that I know burned me out—and maybe it’s the case for you too—is having this more more more moreeee mentality. When I was in the thick of hustling my face off, I would constantly and consistently overload ‘to do’ lists— like we talked about in episode 196 of The Power Within Her podcast— with 90 million tasks that I'd expect myself to do in one day.
Because we have it in out heads that more is better. More is successful. More is productive. And if you're not doing more, you're not going to get ahead. Obviously, that mentality is textbook hustle culture. It's toxic AF and it's entirely untrue that more more moreeeee is always the answer.
When we're in the thick of hustle culture, we don't realize that the more more moreeeee mentality leads to impossible mountains of things to do, which then forces us to be in constant motion... and constant motion is what leads to burnout... and burnout is what makes us feel exhausted and defeated and worthless... which makes us feel like if we just do moreeee, then we'll be successful or feel good... which loops us back into creating mountains of things to do... and the cycle continues.

The point is: we do NOT have to be so overextended and overbooked and oversaturated with so much to do all the time to move the needle forward on our goals. Of course, we still have to put in the work and we have to work hard.
But... when we show up with a less is more mentality, we empower ourselves to move that needle forward in a way that maintains our mental, emotional, and physical health because the action is purposeful and sustainable and fun.
For example, since the start of 2024, I have been able to make A LOT of progress on my second personal development book by showing up to write on it once a week for an hour with a friend on zoom. As of today, I have 66 pages written, and we're 12 days into 2024.
Even though I'm showing up less to write than I have in the past, I feel like I'm able to create more AND I feel like I'm enjoying the creation process more than when I expected myself to write every single day like I used to. I also notice that I enjoy the times when I do write more because I'm doing it less.
I know that sounds so weird! But I promise the math is mathing!
When we embrace the "less is more" mentality, the actions we're taking aren't going to drain us. Because there aren't 90 million things to do and we're not functioning under a series of crushing, unrealistic expectations.
When I show up to work on my second personal development book for an hour a week, I truly feel rejuvenated when I write, rather than drained. We think we have to work for hours and hours, and overload our 'to do' lists to get anywhere, but we're two weeks into 2024, and I've got 66 pages to show for it.
Don't underestimate the power of "less is more." It's a wonderfully sustainable way to take action after burnout.
And now, it's your turn! Take a moment and reflect:
How and where can you embrace the less is more mentality?
What does less is more look like in your life with your goals?
Journal that out and then try it out because it truly is transformative! Remember, more doesn’t always equal better.
If this article was helpful for you, please share it with a friend or family member or on social media!
And if you want an even deeper dive into this topic— and to hear about a second way I'm taking action after burnout—check out my podcast episode that expands on this topic: Episode 197-Taking Action After Burnout.
Thanks for being here with me!
XO
Meggy
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