01.09.25
Let 2025 Be the Year That We Stop Glorifying Exhaustion
The surprising productivity tip you probably haven't tried: slowing the eff down.
If your social media feeds are anything like mine, you’re currently seeing a whole lot of New Year, New You propaganda encouraging you to hustle harder: Join the 5 a.m. club to meditate, or exercise, or start a new hobby. Wake up early so you can get ahead of everyone else at work—and stay up late to do the same. This year can be your year if you just stay focused—eyes on the prize.
Year after year, it’s the same message. But what if we rewrote the narrative? What if we decided it’s cooler (and honestly more efficient) to give yourself a damn break every once in a while? Could we stop feeling guilty for sleeping in, canceling plans, or going to bed early?
If we did, we might find that prioritizing rest is more productive than pushing through exhaustion to complete your to-do list. You wouldn’t lend your car to someone too tired to drive, so why let yourself move through life exhausted?
For overachievers or people with big goals, this concept might feel uncomfortable. Maybe you’re used to wearing your fatigue like a sign of virtue, evidence of your work ethic. If that’s the case, here’s a gentle reminder that placing rest last on your list never ends well. As a life coach who works with entrepreneurs and other successful people, this is something I see all the time.
Here’s why exhaustion and fatigue aren’t something to push through (or an inherent byproduct of a successful life), plus some very good reasons to make time for rest this month.
Fatigue is just feedback.
Have you ever spent time with an over-tired child? The crying, the kicking, the, “No, I don’t want that!!!!!” *screeeechhhhhh* You know adults function the same way, right? Just a tad more restrained.
I’ll never fail to marvel at how snappy and even a little depressed I get when I’m tired.
I feel the need to move to another continent or overhaul my entire life. But, after a good, long nap and a glass of water, I feel like a brand-new, content, peaceful woman.
Fatigue acts like a foggy lens that obscures what’s real and what’s good. I therefore owe rest to myself and anyone within a few feet of me. (My husband no longer wants to entertain the idea of packing it all up and moving to a remote Scottish island.)
Our bodies are incredible. They often tell us exactly what they need when they need it. But we don’t always listen. We think we know better, right? I’m a badass *I say as I stifle a yawn and try to hide the fact that my eye is twitching*. The truth is, you can’t hack fatigue. When your body is tired, it’s telling you to slow down.
A friend of mine was once traveling the world opening up a new chain of retail stores. With the deadlines, jetlag, and her refusal to pause even for a day, after a few weeks she ended up in the hospital with exhaustion. Her body was essentially saying, Enough. It forced her to stop, drop, and rest because she wouldn’t do it herself.
This is an extreme example, I know. Still, I’ve never forgotten it. I think about her and urge anyone to recognize the early stages of their fatigue as a sign that it’s time to take a break. When we don’t make time to rest our bodies, sometimes our bodies choose a time for us. And why lose control of our calendar if we don’t have to?
Rest drives success.
Recently, I spoke to a client about her intention for 2025. She’s a highly driven entrepreneur who always comes up with new ideas and executes them fast. She started telling me about a new “power move” she wanted to make. She was yawning as she spoke. “Susie, I just feel like I need to go big…” she shared, enthusiasm-less.
“I understand that a power move matters to you,” I answered, “But maybe we start with a power rest!” She sat up straighter. So did I. I was kind of surprised by my own words (life coaches are all about action, baby), but they felt true.
When we’re tired, we don’t have as much to give—even if our aspirations are super high. But when we take a break, we might move faster than we ever could have without doing so.
It’s sort of like the agricultural concept of a “fallow year.” This is a year in which fields are intentionally left unplanted so the soil can replenish itself. That can fuel its future productivity and prepare the ground for long-term abundance. What I’m saying is a deliberate pause helps everything regenerate. A break isn’t an indulgence, it’s an investment.
Sounds good in theory, but I’ve seen this play out in real life too. For example, one of my clients, an attorney with crazy hours, started implementing a 10 p.m. bedtime—and it completely changed the game for her.
Her focus was sharper during the day, it was easier for her to solve problems at work, and she felt more energized about her life as a whole. She even started reading fiction again, something she loved but felt too lethargic after work to bother with.
Sleep has the power to reveal the real, full you. What might fatigue be blotting out in your life? We owe it to ourselves to find out.
Saying no is a sign of self-respect.
When I was a new, side-hustling life coach, I juggled clients and kept up a busy full-time day job that required lots of travel. That made rest even more essential. To chill out, I’d joyfully skip weekend social plans and end-of-day happy hours. “Sorry, can’t!” was all I’d say—and the right people understood.
I’d also give myself one whole day per week to do absolutely nothing (no cooking, no spin class, no laundry, no mani-pedi, nothing). I knew I needed time to decompress to keep doing it all. I also knew that no one else would—or could—institute a rest day for me.
These boundaries created a sense of respect for myself, and I noticed that the world responded in kind. When I showed up to events I was appreciated (nothing like a little scarcity to boost demand), my people knew I wanted to be there, I was in a great mood, and I was present. What better way to build a life coaching business and promote my skillset than coming as my best self?
If you have lofty goals, respecting your own boundaries helps you prioritize rest. Plus, the act of putting your needs (see: sleep, downtime, doing nothing) at the top of the to-do list might even help you reach those goals faster.
Craving rest is a reason to take it.
I’ll never forget a text I received from a friend after news broke about a celebrity being placed on house arrest. “I envy her!” it read, “think of all the sleep she’ll get!”
I laughed out loud then immediately felt a little…sad? I felt similarly when my friend’s super-energetic mum had knee surgery and said, “Susie, this is the first time I did nothing for years! Who knew surgery could be nice?” It was fascinating how, even in a jokey sense, we need some dramatic circumstance to help us slow down.
If you’ve ever secretly wished for the flu so you could take a mental break or felt jealous of someone taking time off (of their own volition or not), that’s your sign to do the same.
There are plenty of pro-productivity reasons to rest—and we’ve talked about a lot of them already. However, wanting to take a break is reason enough to just take one. You don’t have to emerge slaying your KPIs to justify time off.
To me, a lack of rest is often a manifestation of a lack of self-love. Imagine if your partner or best friend only took a break when something extreme happened. If they were feeling burned out, I’m pretty sure you’d tell them to take a beat and rest up—not to push through until they have a more legit excuse. That’s so mean! So why do we say that to ourselves?
I say, stop the madness! If we need a minute, let’s put ourselves under a metaphorical house arrest. *No ankle monitor necessary!
Susie Moore is host of the Let It Be Easy podcast.
Wondermind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a replacement for medical advice. Always consult a qualified health or mental health professional with any questions or concerns about your mental health.
