Dear Fairygodmentor®,
I’m Burned Out, Checked Out, and Counting Down to Vacation — How Do I Keep Going Until Break?
–Counting Down
Dear Counting Down,
You may be counting down, but you’re not down for the count. You can still make it out of this pre- burnout that you’re feeling creep up on you. Asking for help is the first sign of turning this negative “situationship” with work around.
Vacation shouldn’t be the only thing keeping you alive at work.
Stop Treating Vacation Like a Life Raft
The problem isn’t just needing rest. It’s where you’re building a life where you’re only recovering once or twice a year. This isn’t sustainable; it’s working in constant survival mode. The reason why burnout shows up right on cue before vacation is that your body finally sees an “escape route.” And that’s no way to live your best life.
Action Plan #1: Create a “Minimum Workable Workday”
I invite you to identify:
• Three things that actually have to get done daily
• What can wait
• What you’re over-functioning on unnecessarily
Everything can’t be top priority at the same time. Burnout happens in workplaces where urgency becomes part of the culture rather than the exception. “Emotional Support Human for the entire organization” was not in your job description. Don’t make it a reality.
Borrow Energy Instead of Creating It
When you’re burned out, you often think you need motivation to keep going. What you really need is conservation.
You’ve heard it time and again, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Stop expecting “high-performance energy” from your exhausted nervous system. This is your season for simplification, not optimization. Give yourself grace. It’s OK that your hustle and flow ain’t flowin’ no mo. Having temporary survival strategies is OK.
Action Plan #2: Use the “Reduce, Delegate, Delay” Filter
For every task you have to complete this week, ask:
• “Can I reduce this scope?”
• “Can I delegate part of it?”
• “Can this wait until after my vacation?”
Examples:
• Reduce= shorter meetings
• Delegate = asking for support instead of suffering in silence
• Delay= perfectionist-driven tasks that aren’t urgent
In the heat of the moment, you may not recall these three steps easily. Post them on your laptop or in your office where you can refer to them quickly. My wall is peppered with post-its keeping me in my lane of reducing overwork.
Give Yourself Something To Return To, Not Just Escape From
Sometimes work burnout feels worse before PTO because folks dread returning to the same unsustainable reality.
Remember that the vacation you’re taking is recovery, not repair. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Burnout will return quickly if you don’t change what’s causing it in the first place. Pay attention to the physical red flags like exhaustion, insomnia, high blood pressure, and see them as data. This is feedback that something needs to change.
Action Plan #3: Schedule One Boundary Before Vacation Begins
Commit to ONE concrete change before taking time off:
• No meetings during lunch
• Logging off at a certain hour
• Taking PTO days quarterly
• Saying no to unnecessary stretch work
• Blocking focus time
Your vacation shouldn’t be a temporary CPR machine for a lifestyle that keeps knocking the wind out of you.
Rest is important. Vacation is beautiful. But the real goal isn’t just making it to your time off. It’s about creating a career and life where you don’t have to constantly escape from. And that starts by listening to yourself before burnout forces you to.
Enjoy your vacation!
You got this!
Yours truly,
Your Fairygodmentor®
About Joyel Crawford:
Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that empowers results-driven leaders through coaching, training, and facilitation. She’s the best-selling author of Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.
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