I've found myself feeling tired this week after five consecutive weekends of having something on and no end in sight with a hen's do, wedding and Christmas on the horizon.
I, and others, feel tired, a little less motivated than we were a few months ago and ready for a break.
So this week I'm taking the opportunity to prioritise my own recuperation.
That means sleep, food and keeping up a good routine.
I'm usually pretty good with a consistent bedtime but at this time of the year when I'm feeling more tired than usual, I might just go to bed even earlier.
Struggling to sleep is a tough one. Sometimes if I struggle to get to sleep I get annoyed I can't sleep, then I find it even harder to fall asleep. It's a cruel cycle.
If I get like that, I'll get out of bed, go to the bathroom, drink water, maybe read a chapter of a book. It's a chance to reset, stop thinking about how I can't sleep and actually do it.
Combating burnout for me also means routine.
Just because the year is almost over, it's no excuse not to keep the routine you've had all year.
For me that's going to the gym four to five times a week, trying to only have a bought lunch once a week, two coffees a day and regularly walking the dog.
I'm also practising saying "no".
As much as I hate missing out on things and always say yes to doing things with friends, that's a sure-fire way to hit the wall. So it's important to say "no" if you don't want to do something and know you don't need to give a reason other than you just don't feel like it.
We're having Christmas at our house this year and I'm working Christmas Eve so there's no time to prepare food in advance.
In order to alleviate the pressure, I'm delegating.
We're expecting about 10-12 people and one person is on salads, another on ham, someone else will do snacks, and others will bring dessert.
The end of 2020 is finally in sight. End-of-year burnout is real, but it's not too late to fight it.
