Beyond the To-Do List: Finding Balance in a Busy Business

The last time I was in Melbourne my Dad told me that he knew I would amount to something. I asked him why and he simply said, because you never stopped. When you were a baby to a toddler to your teens, you were always doing and building something. Call it Eldest Daughter Syndrome, the TikTok trend where eldest daughters are overachieving, overcompensating, and often over functioning.

You might think I’m a classic Type A personality, and that’s the funny part. At my core, I’m an actor, so I can juggle many roles. When it comes to my art, done is better than perfect, but in business, I take action and aim for high standards.

Given my personality traits, I used to think inefficiency was a character flaw, a sign I wasn’t trying hard enough. After starting my own business I filled every hour, said yes to every request, and polished every detail until I couldn’t tell the difference between dedication and self-destruction. Then, I hit a wall. A full-on burnout that left me unable to move forward and, ironically, too depleted to even be inefficient.

It took a very overwhelmed and stressed Nataleigh to finally stop and realise that my burnout wasn’t the result of inefficiency, it was the cause. Taking a few days to step back and realign myself and my company, taught me lessons that I didn’t necessarily want but desperately needed. 

I learned how to slow down, how to accept help, and how to reframe what “being organised” and “being professional” really meant. Spoiler Alert: it’s not about colour-coded to-do lists and 5 a.m. morning routines! 

So, let me share with you the ground rules I established for myself, and the policies I put in place in my business to prevent burnout and achieve success. 

Burnout Doesn’t Always Look Like Exhaustion

When I think of burnout, I picture a version of myself, for the purpose of this blog let's call her Analeigh. She's exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and running on autopilot. She's the one nodding off at her desk, struggling to engage in conversation, and lacking the energy to tackle even the simplest tasks.

And here's the twist. Analeigh isn't the result of ambition, she's the byproduct of inefficiency.

In my journey as a business owner, I discovered that burnout doesn't always look like exhaustion. It has sneaky ways of showing up through different personalities, yes, my life sometimes feels like another version of Inside Out. For me, it manifested as procrastination, difficulty in organising, numbness, and irritability. It was like I was driving at high speed but no one was behind the wheel. I used to mislabel these traits as laziness or incompetence, self-criticising further, which didn't help at all.

So, how do we avoid becoming an Analeigh? It starts with creating an environment where ambition can thrive, without leading to burnout. Recognising the early signs helped me take a step back and look at things with a little more compassion and a lot less pressure.

By prioritising efficiency, improving communication, and refining the way I worked, I slowly began to reclaim my energy and actually enjoy what I was doing again. At the end of the day, it’s about balance, setting boundaries, and making sure your work supports you, not the other way around.

When I pivoted from my original brand to Pinch Studios, I realigned my business with my true purpose. I soon found that when you're aligned, you thrive. Suddenly, getting up every day felt more purposeful, and I began to enjoy what I was doing again. It’s about creating balance, setting boundaries, and ensuring your business supports you, rather than draining you. 

The Productivity Trap: Why Doing Everything All the Time Doesn't Work

I remember the scene in Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts finds herself in a barber shop in Rome, talking with two Italian men about the pressure of trying to figure out life. One of them says, “il dolce far niente,” which means "the sweetness of doing nothing." At the time, she was struggling to find her purpose, and those words really resonated with me. I realised that, like her, I’d spent so much time chasing the idea that being constantly busy equates to success. But that moment in the film reminded me that slowing down, finding balance, and just being can be just as important as the hustle.

The discomfort of doing nothing isn't just in our heads, it's become a cultural norm. We've been taught that if we're not constantly doing, we're falling behind. But here's the harsh reality, coming from lived experience: overworking often becomes an anxious habit, not a path to meaningful achievement. It's like running with shoes without soles, unnecessary, painful, and you can only go so far before your feet start to hurt.

So, what's the solution? For me, I started simple. In my calendar, usually blocked out from morning until noon in red with meetings, I began carving out intentional moments of stillness. Now, by stillness, I don't mean sitting there and being silent, that doesn't work for me or most people. I mean having those "me" moments. So now, some of those red blocks are filled with Pilates, a coffee catch-up with a friend, or taking the time to sit down and have lunch instead of grabbing takeaway and scoffing it down on my way back to my desk.

It's about taking those moments that help make the world feel bigger. This shift allowed me to prioritise what truly mattered and let go of the constant pressure to be "always on." By setting clear boundaries and expectations, I reclaimed my time and energy, fostering a more sustainable and fulfilling approach to both work and life.

Conducting a Friction Audit: Turning Chaos into Clarity

After realising that I was running on empty, fueled by a tonne of caffeine, I decided to dive deeper into the chaos and figure out exactly what was causing unnecessary stress and work. So, I conducted a “Friction Audit”, a fancy term I learned from a New York Times article, for identifying all the things that were slowing me down or making me want to scream into a pillow.

For me this was a game changer. I stopped scheduling meetings just to schedule meetings (because who doesn't love a good meeting about a meeting). I learned to say no to tasks that were more favours than actual work, and I stopped overextending myself to be everywhere for everyone. Most importantly, I gave myself permission to decompress and breathe, something I hadn't done in a very long time. 

By identifying these friction points and implementing changes, I was able to streamline my processes, set clearer boundaries, and, most importantly, take back control of my time. It wasn't about doing more; it was about doing what truly mattered and letting go of the rest.

Implementing My 'No Urgency' Policy: A Game Changer

In my quest to combat burnout, I introduced a "No Urgency" policy, not just for my clients, but for myself. This wasn't about stepping back, it was about stepping forward, with more purpose and clarity.

I stopped treating every email, every message, every task as an emergency. Instead, I learned to pause, assess, and respond thoughtfully. This shift allowed me to prioritise what truly mattered and let go of the constant pressure to be "always on." By setting clear boundaries and expectations, I began fostering a more sustainable and fulfilling approach to both my business and life.

Redefining Professionalism: What Really Counts

It's time to challenge the myth that being "professional" means being perfect. In my experience, the details that truly matter aren't the ones that look good on paper, but the ones that keep you sane and productive. For me, it was about recognising that overworking wasn't a badge of honour, it was a fast track to burnout. So, I made a conscious decision to embrace stillness, set boundaries, and prioritise what truly mattered.

This shift wasn’t about doing less, it was about doing what mattered most, more effectively. By carving out intentional moments for myself, I found that I could accomplish tasks more efficiently and with greater creativity. It was like giving my brain a chance to breathe. 

So, what small shifts changed everything for me? Embracing imperfection, setting clear boundaries, and allowing myself to pause. These aren't just feel-good mantras, they're strategies that have transformed my approach to work and life.  I realised the importance of understanding my zone of genius and focusing on that, rather than trying to fit into every mould. That’s when I knew I needed help to take things to the next level. 

I’m not promising some overnight transformation, only a promise that by implementing these small changes, things will become clearer both personally and professionally, and you will become happier. 

So, if you're tired of the hustle culture and want to work smarter, not harder, let’s chat! Together, we can create a strategy that aligns with your values and leads to sustainable success. Reach out today, then get in touch here.