Why Your Business Burnout Might Be a Seasons Problem (Not a You Problem)

In this episode of This Rad Life Unfiltered, I explore why that never-ending to-do list is burning you out and how thinking in business seasons can transform your productivity, energy, and actual enjoyment of entrepreneurship. Listen below or keep reading!

The Real Reason You're Overwhelmed (Hint: It's Not Your Work Ethic)

I didn't create a podcast episode for the last three weeks because honestly? I didn't have anything to say. The weather is warmer, Summer is here, and I always want to slow down during this time of year. And that's exactly what I want to talk about today—the concept that changed everything for me and my clients: business seasons.

Most entrepreneurs are stuck in a never-ending cycle of overwhelm, not because they're lazy or disorganized, but because they're trying to do ALL the things ALL the time. Sound familiar?

You've got this massive to-do list where everything feels urgent and important. You spend your days answering emails (because hey, it's like a little instruction manual right there in your inbox), checking off easy tasks, and wondering why you never seem to make real progress on the needle-moving projects that would actually scale your business.

Here's the truth: You're wasting your brilliance on busy work.

What I Learned from Traditional Chinese Medicine About Business

One of my first clients was an acupuncturist who owned several clinics. She said something that stopped me in my tracks: "Summer is actually a hibernation season."

I'd never thought of summer that way, but she explained the concept of yin and yang seasons—times when our energy naturally wants to go inward (yin) versus when we feel ready to take on the world (yang).

This got me thinking: What if we could apply these natural energy cycles to make our work life more enjoyable AND more profitable?

How Business Seasons Actually Work

For the last few years, I've been experimenting with this approach using a 12-month dry erase calendar behind my monitor. Here's how I break it down:

January-March: Yin season (hibernation/reflection) April-June: Yang season (action/growth)
July-September: Yin season (integration/backend work) October-December: Yang season (launching/client-facing)

The magic happens when you start thinking about:

• Backend vs. customer-facing seasons - When do you need to be "on" for people and marketing versus when can you focus on behind-the-scenes work like systems?

• Selling vs. delivering seasons - When are you pushing new offerings versus when are you perfecting delivery and learning from what you've launched?

Why Most Entrepreneurs Burn Out

When we don't think in seasons, we try to do everything simultaneously:

• Be extroverted and client-facing

• Do reflective, strategic thinking

• Launch new offerings

• Perfect existing systems

• Market consistently

• Deliver at the highest level

No wonder you're exhausted.

This approach leads to:

• Never-ending to-do lists that make you feel behind

• Productive procrastination (looking busy without real progress)

• Holding too tight to tasks because you're too overwhelmed to delegate

• Pushing off exercise, health, and relationships

• Waking up thinking "My life used to be more interesting"

A Real Example: Bethany's Candle Business

I'm working with a client, Bethany, who makes luxury beeswax candles. She teaches at a college in the fall, so her biggest selling season is summer when she does markets. We're currently building her online sales for more consistent year-round income.

Instead of trying to market intensively all year (hello, burnout), we're creating concentrated pushes: 1-2 weeks of focused marketing around specific product lines, followed by periods of evaluation and improvement.

This ebb and flow prevents audience fatigue, gives us data to work with, and keeps Bethany energized instead of depleted, built around the other factors of her life and work.

How to Design Your Business Seasons

Step 1: Look at Your Natural Rhythms

• When do you naturally feel more energetic vs. reflective?

• What are the seasons of your actual life? (Kids home for summer, busy work periods, etc.)

• When do your customers/clients naturally want to buy?

Step 2: Map Your Calendar I spend the last few days of each year looking at my 12-month calendar, asking:

• What worked this year in terms of energy and productivity?

• What felt forced or draining?

• Where can I align my business tasks with my natural energy?

Step 3: Assign the Right Tasks to the Right Seasons

Yin Seasons (Hibernation Energy):

• Backend business development

• Strategic planning and reflection

• Systems improvement and automation

• Content creation and course development

• Financial planning and analysis

Yang Seasons (Active Energy):

• Client-facing work and networking

• Marketing pushes and launches

• Sales conversations and follow-up

• Speaking engagements and workshops

• Community building and social media

The Results of Seasonal Business Planning

When you align your business with natural seasons, you'll experience:

More Calm - Even with a long to-do list, you'll feel peaceful knowing what season you're in

Better Clarity - You'll have bandwidth to actually think about WHEN tasks should happen, not just what needs to get done

Intentional Procrastination - When you put something off because "it's not the season for it," you can let go of perfectionism and guilt

Sustained Energy - No more pedal-to-the-metal exhaustion that inevitably leads to burnout

Your Business Doesn't Have to Run You

Here's what I want you to understand: You don't have to let your to-do list and business calendar drive the ship. You get to design the map based on your capacity, energy, and what actually matters to you.

This is at the heart of building a Life First business—where your business supports a big, beautiful, abundant life instead of trying to cram a decent life into the cracks of an overwhelming business.

Try This: Summer Solstice Planning

We just celebrated the summer solstice—the longest day of the year. This is the perfect time to explore business seasons for yourself, especially if you've been feeling burned out by that never-ending to-do list.

Ask yourself:

• What season is this for my business and energy?

• What tasks align with this season's natural rhythm?

• What can I intentionally put off until it's the right season?

• How can I honor my natural cycles while still moving my business forward?

Remember: Everything happens in cycles. When you honor your cycle, your business stays interesting, you keep learning and growing, and you maintain that spark that got you into entrepreneurship in the first place.

Ready to design your own business seasons? Start by downloading my free Life First Business Blueprint—it's a goldmine for creating a business that supports your life, not the other way around.

What season is your business in right now? I'd love to hear how this concept lands with you—hit reply and let me know what insights you had.

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This post is adapted from This Rad Life Unfiltered podcast. Subscribe to the weekly This Rad Life newsletter for more unfiltered business insights.