🔥 Burn, Baby Burn🔥

Happy Friday Eve, Legends!

It’s Mental Health Month, and we’re calling out the unpaid side hustle we all know too well…burnout. You’re running on empty, pretending to be "on" like a robot, and it’s only a matter of time before you explode. But here’s the kicker, burnout doesn’t have to be your fate. Let’s douse those flames and keep charging forward before you’re nothing but a pile of burnout dust.

🧨 THE RANT: They Care About Mental Health As Long As You Don’t Inconvenience Them

Burnout isn’t rare.
It’s not mysterious.
It’s not some unsolved HR crime scene.

It’s ignored because once you stop acting like a tireless little productivity Roomba, leadership has no idea what to do with you.

You show signs of being human?

Congratulations. You’re no longer a “high performer.”

You’re now a "risk factor" they quietly hope will either magically recover... or quietly resign before ruining Q3 metrics.

The system wasn’t built to fix burnout.
It was built to replace you when you break.

But don’t worry, they’ll still offer you a mindfulness webinar while they’re drafting your replacement job post.

Namaste and get back to work.

📊 REALITY CHECK

This is no surprise, right?

When a corporate system thrives on overwork and performative appreciation, burnout is just the inevitable outcome.

😀 QUICK POLL

🍕 ^{FYI - Last week’s poll showed an alarming amount of pizzas were handed out for Admin Appreciation Day. Apparently, pizza is the company’s solution to everything.}

🛠️ TACTICAL TIPS: Real Strategies to Combat Burnout

Here’s the deal… these tips aren’t some band-aid solution to get you through your day.

Nah, we’re talking about building mental sustainability for the long haul.

You’ve got a career to manage, not a constant fire drill of burnout.

🔹🔹🔹 Mission: Reclaim Mental Sustainability 🔹🔹🔹

1. Task Chunking

Situation:
You’re staring at a massive project that feels like a monster on your to-do list, and it’s paralyzing you.

The sheer scale of it has you stuck, unsure of where to even begin. Every time you try to break it down, it only feels more overwhelming, like you’re buried under a pile of tasks you can’t get a grip on.

You’re overloaded, stressed, and every step forward feels like you’re treading water making zero progress.

Steal This Line:
“I’m going to break this project into smaller, more manageable tasks. First, I’ll focus on completing one part at a time and give myself a break in between each chunk.”

Why It Works:
Task Chunking helps you take a massive task or project and break it into smaller, more achievable steps.

Instead of looking at it and feeling defeated, you’re focusing on one step at a time. This method reduces feelings of overwhelm, increases focus, and helps you track progress in real-time.

It’s about managing your workload without feeling paralyzed by its size.

👇️ Pro Tip:
Take your biggest task and chop it into smaller, less terrifying pieces. If it’s a project, break it down into steps or milestones that don’t make you question your life choices.

Set a timer to focus only on that chunk, and when you finish it, take a well-deserved break. This trick turns a monster task into something you can actually handle, plus it gives you a reason to celebrate every little win because you deserve it.

2. 52/17 Rule Productivity Method

Situation:
You're in back-to-back meetings and a flood of tasks. You're exhausted, but you feel the pressure to power through, even though you know it’ll only make things worse.

Steal This Line:
“I’m going to focus deeply for 52 minutes, then take a full 17-minute break to recharge. I’ll be back fresh to hit the next sprint.”

Why It Works:
Focus + recovery = productivity.

The 52/17 Rule helps you work smarter, not harder, by giving your brain the necessary breaks to maintain peak performance.

Overworking doesn’t make you more productive, it just burns you out.

👇️ Pro Tip:
Set a timer. Work your ass off for 52 minutes, then take that 17-minute break like it’s a sacred ritual.

Grab a snack, stretch, or just step outside, do anything that gets your mind off the grind. 

The point? Reclaim your energy so you can come back to the chaos sharper and ready to crush it, instead of burning out before lunch.

3. Change Your Environment (Even Temporarily)

Situation:
You’re mentally drained, stuck in a rut, and your workspace feels like a constant reminder of your overwhelmed state.

Steal This Line:
“I’m going to change things up today. I’ll work outside for a while or rearrange my desk to refresh my focus.”

Why It Works:
Environment shapes energy. A simple change of scenery can break the monotony and shift your mindset.

You don’t need to take a day off to recharge (even though a day off would be nice), a small shift in your physical environment can reset your mental state.

👇️ Pro Tip:
When you're stuck or running on empty, the easiest way to reset is by messing with your environment.

Get outside, move your desk, or just change the view. That shift in scenery can kickstart your focus and give your brain the reboot it needs.

TRUST ME, it’s the quickest way to trick your brain into thinking it’s on vacation without the without the overpriced plane ticket.

😬 FROM THE FRONT LINES - Subscriber Story

The Start-Up From Hell

After years of busting my ass, working almost 7 days a week at a startup, I kept telling myself, "Once we scale, it'll all get better. Things will finally click." Yeah, right. The more people they hired, the worse it got. Burnout wasn’t just a buzzword, it was the damn company culture. The “always-on” mentality? It seeped into every corner like cheap cologne in a sweaty elevator. Sure, there were occasional moments of relief, like getting a breath of air underwater but I was barreling straight into the red zone of burnout. Every time I thought I could take a second to exhale, something else got dumped on my plate, followed by that sweet, gut-punching line: “We really appreciate you. You're the best.”

I kept telling myself it would be worth it. That eventually, I’d reach the promised land of success. But after years of this sick joke, my hope was as thin as the coffee they handed out in the breakroom. Long story short: it wasn’t worth it. The company’s new motto? Profits over people, and turnover was through the roof. I knew it was only a matter of time before the whole thing collapsed, so I started looking for the next soul-sucking corporate beast to sink my teeth into. Maybe at a bigger company, I wouldn’t have to wear every hat while doing the job of 3 others.

Then came the lowest point. I reached out to HR, thinking maybe I could get some relief from the demands that were slowly turning me into a human shell. But HR? Don’t make me laugh. They’re not your friend. Anything you say to them is basically a confession that’ll be used to hang you. Still, I was desperate, like a criminal who had been on the run so long I just wanted to get caught so the whole nightmare would end. And, of course, HR didn’t disappoint. A month after I voiced my concerns about the rampant deterioration of company culture, I was "relieved of my duties."

But in the aftermath, I learned something crucial: The system will keep taking from you until there's nothing left and if you don’t set boundaries, no one else will. I realized that true change doesn’t come from the top down, it starts with you, with knowing when to say “enough.”

Today, I specialize in career transitions, helping people navigate the same corporate hellscape I escaped from. I cut them off before they hit the same dead end and guide them to a path that doesn't suck the life out of them. It’s more rewarding than I ever imagined.

Want to share your own story?

We’ll feature the bold, the bizarre, and the downright absurd - all anonymously, always. You can change the names. Or don’t. We don’t narc.

📬 That’s a wrap for now. But next week?

We’re coming for performance reviews… bring wine. 🍷 

Later, workplace warriors.

📝 P.S.

If nobody’s told you today -You’re doing better than the system deserves.

It’s proof you’re stronger than the machine that runs on your exhaustion.

Keep going. Smarter this time.

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