How to Prioritize When You’re Overwhelmed at Work
- jessicapullig5
- Sep 15
- 7 min read
How I Built a Burnout Triage System (And Why You’re Reading It Instead of Watching the Mastermind)
Every month, I teach a live mastermind usually with a Zoom room full of realtors, operations pros, and business owners trying to fix systems stretched too thin. But this month? You’re reading a blog instead.
Because even a systems strategist (hi, it's me) gets maxed out sometimes.
Prefer to listen?
Maxed out now? Skip straight to the most important part!
Just need to download the Traffic Light Triage Card?
Now back to the story, here’s what happened.
I picked up my phone last week and was immediately hit with a sea of red. Not emotion. Not urgency. Literal red notification bubbles. On every app I use daily. The kind that shout, you’re behind - you missed something - you failed.
If you know anything about Enneagram types, I’m a textbook 1. Order, structure, and excellence are my default. So when my phone lock screen showed 84 red notification bubbles and I didn’t flinch? That wasn’t distraction, it was apathy. And for someone wired like me, a major gut check. I knew I was approaching the edge of burnout, and I hadn’t taken my own advice: pause, monitor, and protect what matters.
So I did the uncomfortable thing. I cancelled the live mastermind to protect my peace. But I didn’t want to let go of the lesson. Because if I’m here, chances are you might be, too.
This blog post is Mastermind 13: When the Wheels Fall Off: A System for When the System Breaks. No Zoom room. No replay link. Just you, me, and a method I had to use in real life these past few weeks.
We’re going to walk through:
How to recognize when you're headed toward burnout (before you spiral)
How to use the Traffic Light Triage Card to regain clarity fast
How to stay afloat using people, systems, and tools when your capacity is gone
And yes, you can absolutely download the free Traffic Light Triage Card and use the worksheet side whenever things feel out of control. It's evergreen. It's flexible. It's simple. And right now, it’s the system I’m leaning on, too.
Recognizing Burnout Before It Takes Over
Burnout doesn’t start loud. Mostly it hums in the background—missed texts, foggy focus, that one task you keep skipping. You write it off as a busy week, pour another cup of coffee, and tell yourself you’ll catch up soon. But that low hum gets louder when you ignore it. By the time it turns into a full-blown siren, you’re already in survival mode.
Here’s what to watch for before that happens:
You stop checking messages… and stop caring that they’re piling up
The thought of one more showing, email, or task makes you want to crawl under your desk
Your calendar feels like a trap, not a tool
You’ve got 12 browser tabs open, but no brain space to finish even one
Even wins don’t feel like wins—just relief it’s over
You push pause on the personal stuff: workouts, lunch, sleep, joy
These are the quiet signs that you’re creeping into survival mode. That your capacity is tapped and your energy account is overdrawn. You don’t have to wait for a full crash to get clarity. When everything feels heavy and you’re not sure what to do first, learning how to prioritize when overwhelmed becomes the difference between staying stuck and starting again.
The Burnout Tool I Actually Reach For
Triage is the process of sorting or prioritizing tasks, problems, or patients based on their level of urgency or importance, especially when time or resources are limited. In real life, that means looking at the whole messy pile and choosing what gets your energy now, what gets delayed, and what gets dropped. That’s the heart of the Traffic Light Triage Card. It isn’t about big-picture planning. It’s about protecting your bandwidth before burnout takes the wheel.
🔴 RED — STRATEGIC PAUSE
Red doesn’t mean failure—it means not right now. This is the space for tasks that need a full stop. Not because they aren’t important, but because they require time, energy, or emotional availability that you simply don’t have today. Think: long-range planning, backburner ideas, wish list upgrades, or even well-meaning goals that don’t pay your bills or protect your peace this week. Red gives you permission to pause without guilt—because stopping strategically is smarter than spiraling.
🟡 YELLOW — INTENTIONAL MONITOR
Yellow is your decision zone. These tasks aren’t mission-critical, but they still matter. They might have loose deadlines, moving parts, or depend on someone else to move forward. Some examples? Internal admin projects, that email reply you’re avoiding, or prepping for an event that’s still weeks away. These go on a watch list. Check in weekly: Is this still relevant? Can I delegate it? Does it need to move to red or green? This zone keeps your brain from spinning while giving you space to reevaluate as you recover.
🟢 GREEN — ESSENTIAL PROTECT
This is the smallest zone—and that’s on purpose. It’s your non-negotiable list. These are the few tasks that must happen for your business, your commitments, or your own well-being to stay afloat. They move the needle, protect your promises, and anchor your energy. Think: revenue-generating deliverables with deadlines, client actions you’ve already committed to, or essential personal tasks like therapy, health appointments, or even sleep. If it’s the difference between spiraling and steady—it belongs in green.
Click to download the Traffic Light Triage Card and use it like a burnout first aid kit. One side offers a reminder of each color’s purpose. The other side is a worksheet you can fill in whenever everything feels like too much. Use it digitally. Print it and slap it on a clipboard. Scribble on it during a vent session. It’s yours, and it’s here to help you come back to center when the noise gets loud.
And if you’re thinking one more worksheet sounds like more to do, you’re not wrong. But this one helps because it gives your brain a place to land. When you're overwhelmed, the hardest part is deciding where to start. For a lot of people, burnout doesn’t stop with fatigue—it tangles up your self-worth. You feel behind, and then you feel bad about feeling behind. Triage interrupts that loop. It gives you a simple, structured way to sort what matters and what can wait.
Writing it down pulls the weight out of your head and onto paper—that’s for the tactile and kinesthetic folks. Saying it out loud or walking through it with a friend brings clarity for auditory processors. The layout of the card sparks visual learners. The written prompts help readers get traction too. It works because it meets you where you are. It opens up the stuck parts of your brain and gives them permission to move. Sometimes, one small step toward clarity is enough to pivot everything else.
What Carries You When You Can’t Carry It All
Burnout doesn’t just deplete your energy. It warps your perception of what’s possible. Things that once took 15 minutes suddenly feel like mountains. Your best ideas lose momentum. Your day fills with friction. That’s why recovery can’t rest solely on your shoulders. You need a structure that catches what you can’t carry.
Let’s start with tools. Simple ones. The Notes app on your phone. A Google Doc where you brain-dump thoughts. A sticky note on your desk. The Slack message you send to remind yourself later. These aren’t just hacks—they're bridges. Tools are extensions of your brain when your mind needs a break. And when used intentionally, they become part of the system that helps you bounce back.
And yes, systems matter. But don’t let that word scare you off. You already have systems. You brush your teeth daily. You check your calendar. You reply to texts. You likely use the same grocery store, park in the same spot, and default to the same three dinner recipes on busy nights. The systems you need right now aren’t complicated. They’re basic, easily remembered, repeatable, and help life run smoother. When burnout hits, the “hack” is to return to the systems that already exist. Start where you feel steady, even if that’s just your morning routine or your phone reminders. Let those small anchors stabilize you while you rebuild.
People matter here, too. Not everyone needs a coach or therapist, but everyone needs someone. An admin who holds the line. A TC who closes the loop. A mentor who asks the hard questions. A friend who listens without fixing. An accountability partner who reminds you what matters. Your partner who hands you your favorite treat. Letting others support you doesn’t make you weaker—it keeps your business from crumbling when your capacity is tapped. Delegation is a resilience skill. Supported IS a Badge of Honor.
You don’t need to go it alone. Systems, tools, and people are meant to protect you when life gets heavy. And once you’ve stabilized a bit, you remember what it feels like to breathe again. To make decisions without spinning. To feel like yourself at work. That moment matters—because you earned it.
So when the Wheels Fall Off, Fix the Road First
When everything crashes at once, most people scramble to fix the vehicle. But systems thinkers know: you fix the road first. You triage what’s in your path, clear the hazards, and build just enough structure to get yourself safely back in motion.
That’s where the Traffic Light Triage Card shines.
It won’t solve every problem. It’s not pretending to. But it will help you see what to do first, what can wait, and what doesn’t belong on your plate at all.
Red means stop. Yellow means check in. Green means go—but only on the stuff that keeps the lights on.
Approaching burnout is inevitable at some point. But staying buried in it? That’s optional. You don’t need perfect clarity. You just need enough to move. This card gives you that. It’s what I reach for when I’m overloaded, and it works. Use it, adjust it, throw it in your notebook or tape it to your wall.
📍This Blog Was the Mastermind
If it helped you, bookmark the blog and come back when things get heavy again
Download the Traffic Light Triage Card and keep it where you’ll actually see it
If you’re still feeling foggy, sit down and fill out the card—it works because it’s simple
Share this with someone else who’s carrying too much and needs a system that can carry them
Join us for the next mastermind and keep building systems that support you
You don’t have to crash before you course-correct. Use the card. Use the blog. Keep going.
SP Rest Area
The highway signs are there to guide. You still have to choose your lane.
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