Making a change can feel impossible if you’re already feeling tapped out. 

But after helping pursue career goals and land new jobs for 8 years, I can confidently tell you that I still think that it’s possible to create change in professional life – even if you’re feeling burned out or overwhelmed.

Here are four ways that we help clients regain control over their time and energy – so that they can reclaim their career goals, too!

Clock out

One thing that gets in the way of client goals? Their current job. 

If you’re constantly putting in long hours, it can be really difficult to break free from that to focus on yourself.

Start by giving yourself one evening a week to call it quits at a reasonable time and don’t be afraid to experiment with small pockets of time.

Even 20 minutes can make a difference, especially if you’re consistent with it!

Pay attention to what refuels you

You can just drain your tank – you need to think about what fills you up, too.

Long walks, journaling, chats with friends, a good Netflix binge, whatever it is that allows you to rest and restore is important.

It may take up time but it should give back energy and focus to your best work when you need it.

Tell people what you’re working towards

When we pursue new things or big things, it’s easy to want to keep it to ourselves.

And while that may help us conceal any rejection or fear, it doesn’t really help us reach our goals!

By sharing what you’re working towards, you create so many potential opportunities for yourself including encouragement, accountability, brainstorming support, and potential connections. 

Not to mention you get to inspire everyone who hears from you!

Get clear on your priorities

Make sure that you’re not spread too thin to put in the work. If you do have lots of competing priorities and you know you have limited time, give yourself a long enough timeline to take action consistently, so you don’t give up too quickly.

Some of our clients come in super focused and some really take their time while they balance multiple other obligations.

To the degree that we can focus our priorities, we can often move more quickly.

It’s okay to start slowly 

Don’t be afraid to use small chunks of time to start chipping away at your tasks – brainstorming, networking emails, workshops/webinars, updating your resume, or LinkedIn. 

(Of course, if you do have a bit more time, we love Retreat Days around here!)

Ultimately, you get to set your pace, but having priorities and reasonable expectations can help prevent overwhelm and burnout.