Spinning My Wheels

On defining burnout and doing the work

Jun 27, 2025

Have you ever seen a race car driver burn out a car? Google says that “a burnout is the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary and spinning its wheels, the resultant friction causing the tires to heat up and smoke.”

Everyone is talking about burnout. The relentless pressure of work in the modern age can be crippling. “Oh, I’m just so burned out, I need a break.” Oftentimes, this is true.

But at the end of May, I was going to bed disappointed and restless. I felt like I had more gas left in the tank, yet I was exhausted at the same time. Was this burnout? And how do I solve it? This is when I started googling race car drivers.

I have spent a lot of my life preparing to create, planning to do something, or prepping a new plan for a new idea. Then, when I set out to start, I feel too “burnt out.” Thinking I need a break, I take one, but I lose all momentum.

I thought this stemmed from a lack of work capacity, but it’s actually due to thinking about what I was going to do instead of doing it. The mental gymnastics are what wear you out. Putting effort into creating something doesn’t.

Every month, my friend

Hayley Price White

and I sit down together and set some goals out loud. It’s a casual meeting that leads to serious results.

Last month, I shared some numbers. I reported that I wanted to reach 15,000 followers on Instagram by the end of the year, 1,000 followers on TikTok at some point, and double my affiliate earnings. These goals felt so lofty.

But for once, I just did the work. No more spinning my wheels. Within 15 days, I began to see significant traction. This was not the result of some strategy or trick. It was just from following through. I’m almost to 15K on Instagram. I’ve surpassed 1K on TikTok. I’ve 5x my affiliate earnings this month.

I am not sharing this to show off metrics, but rather to suggest that maybe we’re not as burnt out as we think. Maybe we’re just not working.

My funk, my disappointment, and my tiredness were due to a lack of momentum. Thinking about work is exhausting, and soon, the to-do list becomes haunting. But doing the work, putting yourself out there, trying, getting something done — that is energizing.

I’m ending June feeling so excited about creating again, and this stemmed from one tough love conversation with myself.

“You can have anything you work for. Start working.”

Love,

Caroline