Prevent Burnout By Balancing Priorities: How to Take Back Control
If you’re like me, you often don’t realize you need to prevent burnout until it’s too late. One moment, life feels busy but manageable, and the next you’re ready to cry, snap at everyone, or curl up in a ball and do nothing. And then the panic sets in—because you still have to keep going. And maybe you don’t like the person you become when you’re overstretched. Maybe it feels like a failure on your journey toward reclaiming the meaning of homemaking for you and your family.
The truth is, overwhelm doesn’t come out of nowhere. It creeps in when our days are packed with tasks, expectations, and responsibilities that don’t actually align with what matters most to us. But here’s the good news: you can step out of the cycle. The first step is simple, though it takes some honest reflection—start living according to your real priorities.
Why Burnout Happens
I’ve always been an anxious, routine-driven person. I loved creating schedules, budgets, and rhythms because they made me feel in control. But when my daughter was born, she didn’t get the memo that I had a “perfect” way of doing things.
Suddenly, my days felt like a constant juggling act. Missed nap times, toys everywhere, and the impossible choice between showering, cooking dinner, or bonding with her in the two hours after work—it was exhausting. I constantly felt like I was failing at everything, and that sinking feeling is what eventually spiraled into another failed attempt to prevent burnout. Over. And over. Again.
Through trial and error, I realized that the core issue wasn’t just being busy. It was that my actions didn’t always match my priorities. I wanted to be present as a mom, but I was too focused on “getting it all done” to actually enjoy anything. Whether it was spending time with her or cooking or bonding with my husband, I felt like I should be doing something else.
The Power of Reflection
Here’s the thing: you probably won’t prevent by downloading another app or buying a new fuzzy throw blanket. It starts with reflection.
If you’ve ever heard the saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” this is exactly what we do when we’re taking on too much. We keep pushing, hoping life will magically feel easier, but nothing changes because we haven’t paused to ask why we’re living this way in the first place.
Take some quiet time to ask yourself:
- What matters most to me right now?
- Are my daily choices reflecting that?
- What can I let go of to make space for what really matters?
Often, burnout is the result of living out of alignment with your values. When we try to do it all, we end up saying yes to things that drain us and no—without realizing it—to the things that truly bring life.
Every “Yes” Is Also a “No”
Shonda Rhimes shares a powerful reflection in her book Year of Yes. She realized that every choice she made was a form of saying “yes” to something—even choices she wasn’t proud of.
She wrote:
“I have been saying yes to being fat. Which is WHY I’m now so fat. I’m not a failure; I’m successfully fat. I didn’t let go of the wheel; I just turned the car down the fat road.”
Whether it’s health, motherhood, or our homes, every yes is also a no to something else. When we overcommit, overextend, and overdo, we often say yes to things that don’t even matter to us—and no to rest, family, and joy.
The truth is, our time and mental energy are finite. We can’t do it all. We can never prevent burnout if we do it all.
Your Priorities Will Change—And That’s Okay
One of the most freeing lessons I’ve learned is that balance looks different in every season. What worked before kids might not work after. What worked in summer might not work in the middle of the school year.
Instead of fighting that change, embrace it. When a routine stops working, it’s not a failure—it’s an invitation to reevaluate and make room for something better. Life is rarely permanent. Most changes can be temporary experiments, and if they don’t work, you can always adjust again.
Start Small to Prevent Burnout
If you’re at the edge of burnout, you don’t need a five-hour course or a 50-step plan. You need small, meaningful steps that help you breathe again.
Here’s where to start:
- Reflect on what matters most.
Decide on your top priorities for this season of life. - Compare your daily actions to your values.
Are you living in alignment with what matters—or just running on autopilot? - Cut what doesn’t fit.
Free up mental and physical space for the things that actually fuel you. - Give yourself grace.
Even Oprah can’t do it all without help. Recognize your limits and focus on doing the right things, not all the things.
When your days are shaped by your true priorities, everything feels lighter. You may not get more hours in the day, but the hours you do have will feel more meaningful—and far less draining.
