Before September eats your calendar

Published 9 days ago • 4 min read

For me, this time of year is like approaching an unavoidable dark tunnel that is the chaos of back-to-school and holiday season. I know I can’t turn around because I’m on the conveyor belt that is time, so I’m just trying to suit up as best as I can and hope I still have some black hairs on my head when I emerge in 2027.

OK, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.

But anticipatory anxiety is a real thing, and one of the most effective ways to manage it is to develop a behavioral plan in advance. It’s much harder to recover after you’re burned out because you’re already running on a deficit at that point.

The Burnout Prevention Plan

I’ve been working on this resource for a few weeks now, and I’m excited for you to be the first to get it!

The Burnout Prevention Plan is based on universal principles of behavior modification that work, and you can do it in a few sittings. In fact, the act of working on it alone counts as a win because it means you’re choosing an effective action that can materially make your future better.

The plan has 3 steps and it’s best if you go in order because we’ll start at a monthly level, and then move to weekly. [There’s nothing you need to commit to doing every single day - we're trying to be realistic here!]

If you want to do this in your own doc, you can download the template.

Before we get into it, if you know another woman who could use this info, would you take a moment to share The Debrief with her?

Yup, take me to the link

STEP 1: BOOK THE FUN FIRST

Look at your calendar for the next 4 months (September through December) and plan ONE thing each month that is just for you and brings you joy. It doesn’t matter how long or where; it only matters that it’s purely enjoyable for you.

If you wanna go to the spa with your besties, great. If the only way you can survive the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving is sitting in a dark room of silence all alone for 3 hours, have at it.

Here’s what I’ve got lined up so far for myself:

September: I’m hosting a dance party where I control the entire playlist
October: A solo trip to Color Me Mine to paint a pot
November: Another kind of crafting class, TBD
December: TBD

It’s OK if you don’t have all the details ironed out. Plan as much as you can, and confirm as you go along.

STEP 2: DRAW THE LINE EARLY

Now that you’re feeling giddy about the 4 fun things you’re going to do for yourself, it’s time to plan what you will NOT do.

If you skip this step, you'll find yourself overwhelmed in the middle of October and already in survival mode, so it will be difficult to find the mental resources to think through everything carefully.

Last August, I made a commitment to myself that I would say no to any new committee assignments at work, and when those invitations started coming in, it was still difficult to resist the reflex. By making the commitment ahead of time and asking my husband to hold me accountable, I said yes to only one of those invitations, and I don't regret it.

Now, it's your turn.

Decide now what you'll say no to, before the requests come in.

(You always have the right to change your mind, just make sure you give yourself at least 24 hours to make a final decision.

Here’s my list so far in case you need some inspo:

I will not volunteer for more than 1 school holiday event between now and the end of 2026
I will not agree to be on any new committees this year at work
I will not finish reorganizing the office closet

STEP 3: SET UP YOUR FUTURE SELF FOR SUCCESS

Part of effective behavior change is planning for obstacles. Since at this moment you don't know what exact obstacles are going to pop up, Step 3 is scheduling buffer time each week to give you some flex when things get nutty.

For example, this summer, I’ve been doing “No-Meeting Mondays” and I plan to continue it for the rest of 2026. I go to sleep on Sunday knowing I don’t need to double check my calendar to see who I’m meeting with in the morning, and if Monday drop-off is a disaster, I have some time afterwards to regroup before the week begins in earnest.

I’m lucky to have a job where I can take a whole day without meetings, but even just 1 hour every week is a great start.

Set a specific time, like Mondays from 10-11 am, and commit to honoring it. If an emergency comes up and it takes that 1 hour, reschedule it as soon as humanly possible.

Think about your No-Meeting Time like free money. You are paying yourself back with breathing room for all the extra mental load you carry every other hour of the week and weekend.

And That's The Plan

That's it: one thing for you, a few firm no's, and some breathing room each week. None of it requires overhauling your life - just making a handful of decisions now, while you still have the bandwidth.

If you need the link to the template again, here it is.

Fill it out, keep it somewhere you'll actually see again, and let me know how it goes! I read and respond to all your emails myself so don't be a stranger.