Let me guess… you’ve got a dozen ideas, a full calendar, and a to-do list longer than your coffee order at 7 a.m.
If that sounds familiar, pull up a chair. You my friend are not alone.
For season 3 on The Solo Grind, I wanted to go big. New theme music, updated videos, fresh visuals. I had a whole vision of inviting you into my home for cozy chats on the porch, coffee at my table, recording from the couch in my office. In my head? Pure magic. In real life? Total chaos.
I spent weeks recording, editing, testing out new tools… only to discover the video quality was awful. The new tech I bought? Nope. Didn’t work. And despite hours of editing, I had to scrap it all and start over.
Here’s what I realized mid-meltdown (okay, more like mid-power walk on the treadmill):
- I was doing too much.
- And all those extras? They weren’t necessary.
- They weren’t aligned with the reason I started this podcast in the first place.
This podcast exists to have real, unfiltered conversations about being a solo entrepreneur. No fancy camera needed.
Sound Familiar?
If you’re nodding along, you might be dealing with what I call The Curse of the Overachiever. It’s sneaky. It feels like drive and passion… until it doesn’t.
Here are 8 sure signs you might be doing too much:
- You’re constantly busy, but nothing feels truly done
- You start a lot of things, but finishing feels like a struggle
- You can’t remember the last time you took a full day off
- The thought of scaling back makes you feel guilty
- You’ve got multiple systems and tools, but still feel disorganized
- Your to-do list is running you (not the other way around)
- You’re chasing ideas faster than you can act on them
- The joy’s gone. Everything feels like a giant struggle
Can you relate? I thought so! Here’s the good news… we can work with this. You don’t have to change who you are. You just need a few tools to keep your ambition in check (and your sanity intact).
Your Overachiever Survival Guide
Here are a few things I’ve learned the hard way that might just help you, too:
1. Pick one big thing at a time
You can dream big and still move with intention. Focus isn’t playing small. It’s honoring the ideas you actually want to bring to life.
2. Set “enough” goals
What’s enough for today, this week, this season? Not ideal. Not maximum. Just… enough.
3. Create a pause point
Before adding anything new, ask:
– Is this solving a problem or creating one?
– Do I really have the bandwidth (and desire) to do this well?
4. Do a weekly review
And I don’t just mean tasks. Ask yourself: What drained me? What energized me? Adjust from there.
5. Practice digital boundaries
Close the tabs. Pick one tool. Give your brain a break.
6. Celebrate the tiny wins
Don’t wait for the launch, the sale, or the big goal. Celebrate sending the email. Hitting publish. Recording the episode. Forward is forward.
You don’t need to scale back your dreams. You just need to make space for them.
Let’s make this summer one where you don’t burn out trying to do it all. Let’s make it about doing what matters, with more joy and less stress.
