Why More Hustle Won’t Save You This September

It’s late-September. The pace is fast, the to-do list is endless, and the pressure is real.

If you’re already feeling tired, you’re not alone. The back-to-school adrenaline has worn off, the honeymoon period is over, and the weight of meetings, family obligations, staff needs, and student demands all pile on at once.

I know the feeling.When I was a principal, I thought the only way through was to push harder, hustle more, and somehow prove I could handle it all. In full transparency, I had to learn the hard way: hustle doesn’t fix exhaustion. It makes it worse.

You see, there is a cost to the constant hustle. Burnout doesn’t crash in overnight. It creeps in slowly.

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  Decision fatigue from trying to answer every question in the moment

• Boundaries that blur until your workday stretches endlessly

• The pressure to keep saying yes, even when your tank is empty

At first, it feels like you’re just keeping up. But by October, you’re running on fumes and your leadership no longer feels sustainable.

If you’re nodding your head right now or saying..."YES girl, I feel all of that," I challenge you to make a few shifts I wish I had made sooner. These three small changes aren’t about doing less — they’re about protecting your energy so you can lead with clarity.

1. Batch your decisions: Don’t let every email, text, or hallway request drain you. Set times to handle categories of decisions so you save your energy for what truly matters.

2. Define “enough” each day: Try this rhythm - one professional priority, one personal priority, and one relational priority. When those are met, you’ve done enough.

3. Say no at least once this week: Every “no” creates room for a stronger “yes.” Boundaries aren’t barriers — they’re guardrails that keep you steady for the long year ahead.

To be clear, Protecting your energy isn’t selfish. It’s leadership clarity. It doesn’t mean the work won’t get done; it means the most important work will get done, now and over time.

Because the rality is... the work will always be there. But if you burn out, your leadership won’t be.

That’s why I created the "Daily Dose of Oxygen Calendar." It's a free resource with simple, bite-sized habits to help you reset each day. Small actions build systems, and systems sustain you when things get hard. Click HERE to download this month's calendar.

I'll leave you with this... You don’t have to sprint into burnout this. You can create margin and sustain your leadership for the long haul. Your team doesn’t need a tired, overextended version of you. They need the calm, clear, focused leader only you can be.