Guard Rest Like a Resource

Burnout is not a badge of honor.
It is a slow leak in the engine you are relying on to get anywhere.

A few years ago, I worked with a client who wanted a major launch to land right in the middle of the holiday season. The request was not malicious, they simply had their own pressures and timelines. But I could see my team already running at full capacity, and I knew the ask would mean missed time with family, late nights, and the kind of exhaustion that lingers long after the project ends.

So I pushed back. We negotiated a later deadline. The result was better work and a stronger relationship with the client. They saw that our team delivered excellence without sacrificing our humanity, and they respected us for it.

Deadlines should stretch people’s skills, not their sanity.
High performance is only sustainable if the pace is too.

If you lead people, their rest is part of your job description. It is not a nice to have or something you allow only after a crisis passes. It is fuel. Without it, you burn through your best people.

Three ways to protect your team’s recovery time:

1. Push back early on unrealistic timelines before they are locked in. It is much harder to renegotiate once the work has already started.
2. Build in buffer time for every project. Plans without slack are brittle, and one hiccup can topple everything.
3. Protect vacations and personal time as fiercely as you protect deliverables. If you would escalate to defend a missed deadline, bring the same energy to defending someone’s right to rest.

And if you are reading this thinking, “That sounds great, but I am already running on fumes” this part is for you.

Burnout Rescue Kit: 7 Moves for When Rest Feels Out of Reach

1. Call it what it is. You are drained, stop pretending you are fine.
2. Count your hours. Seeing the numbers makes the problem harder to ignore.
3. Speak up. Tell your manager you are at risk of burning out. Frame it as a performance issue, not a personal flaw.
4. Draw a line. Pick a shutdown time and stick to it, no matter what is left on the list.
5. Take small breaks. A walk, a real lunch, ten quiet minutes, micro rest is still rest.
6. Cut something. Say no to one extra task this week. Space creates recovery.
7. Use your days. Take the time off you have earned, even if it is a staycation.

Rest is not a reward for surviving the week, it is the thing that keeps you sharp enough to deliver week after week.

Protect it for your team. Protect it for yourself.
Because the truth is, no one else is going to guard your recovery time unless you do, and the sooner you start, the longer you will last.