By: Alex Cusido, MSIE, BAS, LBBP
When I set goals, I tend to obsess over them. I lock in so intensely on outcomes that other parts of my life can quietly begin to fade into the background. Over time, I’ve learned that when I start heading down that path, the most important thing I can do is make sure the people around me are aware of it and understand the signs.
Because when obsession takes hold, the warning signals don’t take long to appear. Less sleep. Changes in my workout routine. Even subtle shifts in how I see myself. Everything else starts taking a back seat, and if left unchecked, that pattern can quickly accelerate burnout.
You can’t run on empty
Burnout doesn’t always announce itself in dramatic ways. Oftentimes, it creeps in quietly until it becomes the background noise of everyday life. Learning how to recognize those early signals and knowing how to respond to them is critical.
Sometimes the issue isn’t a lack of motivation. You still care deeply about the work. You still believe in the outcome. But suddenly, you hit a wall and no amount of pushing seems to get you past. The energy that once carried you forward simply isn’t there in the same way. Tasks that used to feel routine grow heavier. Progress slows, no matter how hard you try to power through.
It’s a strange and frustrating place to be. The desire to succeed hasn’t disappeared but your capacity has shifted. Recognizing that moment for what it is, instead of forcing your way through it, can make the difference between total burnout and finding your way back to balance.
why self-care can’t wait
Self-care isn’t something you pause when work gets busy. In reality, that’s exactly when it matters most.
Recently, I had to ask myself a difficult question: How can my team trust and support me if I’m not taking care of myself first?
In Transition and Activation work, projects can span months or even years. Maintaining a healthy mind and body isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for long-term success. It’s easy to smile through the stress and convince yourself everything is fine, but ignoring your own signals slowly drains the tank. And once the tank is empty, it feels impossible to refill. New tasks emerge. Deadlines continue to approach. New projects are awarded. Onsite events are always on the horizon. Recovery starts to feel like something you simply don’t have time for.
The result? Motivation stalls. Progress freezes.
SMALL SHIFTS THAT WORK
Meaningful change is what drives real progress. I’ve already made two adjustments and I’m actively working on a third.
The first change was surprisingly simple, though not always easy to implement consistently: building better habits. Organization has always been a challenge for me, and despite trying multiple digital tools, nothing truly stuck. Eventually, I went old-school.
I switched to paper. I created a physical, project-specific task board. I wrote tasks down and physically moved them as they progressed toward completion. That tangible sense of movement mattered. Completing a task felt like a small win again. And because everything lived in front of me, nothing slipped through the cracks.
Sometimes, success doesn’t come from pushing harder. Sometimes, it comes from changing the system.
At the same time, I began honoring my own limitations. I stopped automatically saying “yes” to everything. Instead, I’ve learned to say, “Let me take a look at my bandwidth and current deadlines and get back to you.” That pause gives me space to be realistic with what I can take on and how to do it well.
After making these two changes, things started to feel manageable again. I also leaned more on my support system – friends, colleagues, and trusted teammates. Together, those shifts made a real difference.
Instead of constantly running on empty, I finally felt like the gas tank was full again. Building in recovery time allowed me to reset, refocus, and reconnect with the part of the work that made me care so deeply in the first place.
Protecting the reset
A happy, healthy person makes a phenomenal teammate. Strong teams don’t just support one another during the grind. They recognize the importance of recovery, too. When individuals take care of themselves, the entire team is stronger for it.
So, if you’ve been thinking about taking a trip, plan it. Put it on the calendar. Make time for yourself.