Why are we all burnt out already?

Lemon, it's February

We’ve barely hit Day 50 of the new year and yet somehow everybody is already exhausted.

Isn’t this supposed to be the time of year when we are all recharged and optimistic?

Instead we’re running on fumes. And not even the premium kind you clean your VCR with.

I said to my boyfriend the other week, “I think I’m burnt out,” like I had just confessed to a war crime.

Like it was my fault.

That’s because we’ve been conditioned to believe that burnout is a “me” problem. I am not strong enough. I didn’t manage my time properly. I just need to try harder – which funnily enough, is exactly what got me here in the first place.

Burnout is sold to us as an individual failing. If only we meditated, meal-prepped, cold-plunged more. We need to be more disciplined.

Sauna and cold plunges do have fun hats though

This is a cute little lie cooked up by the same system that has convinced us that a 40-hour-workweek should really be 60. That our worth is tied to how much we can produce. That if we really cared about success, we would sleep when we’re dead – which at this rate, could be next Thursday.

We live in a culture that glorifies exhaustion. And this obsession with output isn’t just professional – it’s everywhere.

We don’t just work out anymore – we need to track our macros. We don’t just have hobbies – we need to monetise them. We can’t even rest without tracking our REM cycles for maximum efficiency.

We are burning our energy on lots of different things. We’re juggling one hundred grapes, leaving no room to carry the watermelons. And then we try and we wonder why we’re overwhelmed.

Dirty Dancing with the productivity hacks

Burnout isn’t just a result of working too hard. It’s waking up to the fact that maybe you’ve been working hard on the wrong things.

So what’s the solution? Surely not another journal or productivity app.

No, it’s figuring out what actually matters to you.

Author Sahil Bloom calls this your life razor – a single guiding principle that helps you cut through the bullshit. Something that defines who you are.

For him, it’s coaching his son’s sports team. That one choice ripples through everything else, – it means prioritising his family, making career decisions that allow him to show up for them, and never sacrificing his integrity in pursuit of something that doesn’t align.

In his book, The 5 Types of Wealth, Bloom refers to that scene in Apollo 13, where they have to do a manual burn to re-enter the atmosphere. If they come in too steep, they burn up. If they come in too shallow, they drift off into space. With no working instruments, Tom Hanks locks onto one fixed point – the Earth in a tiny triangular window. As long as he keeps that in sight, he knows he’s on the right trajectory.

Sorry for the spoilers for a 1995 film, but if you’re feeling burnt out, that’s what you need – a fixed point in the chaos.

What is your true north? What do you want your ideal day to look like at 80-years-old? Who’s sitting with you? What are you doing? What are you thinking about? Now ask yourself – are your current actions actually leading to that future? Or are you just chasing bullshit?

Sure, your life has seasons and what you prioritise or focus on during any one season can and should change. And as a result, your life razor will change across these different seasons of your life.

But by getting clear on what actually matters to you and making decisions that align is the first step to beating burnout.

Because burnout isn’t a badge of honour. Exhaustion isn’t proof of success. And running faster in the wrong direction isn’t progress.

Even if your Fitbit says you’re crushing it.