Inquisitive.me

As a physiotherapist, I know how real burnout can be — and how dangerous it is when left unchecked.

I recently came across an article about the construction of the Boom XB-1, a retired trijet supersonic demonstrator designed by Boom Technology. The project team had been working flat out for months — twelve-hour days, six or seven days a week. When the aircraft finally rolled out, Blake Scholl, the company’s founder, rewarded his exhausted team with a well-deserved week off before preparing for the maiden flight.

But when everyone returned, morale was down. Instead of feeling recharged, the team complained about burnout and overwork.

Scholl was confused. He’d given them rest and recognition — why were they still drained? When he started listening more closely, he realized what was really going on. The goal of seeing the XB-1 take flight still felt so far away that people began to question whether their effort even mattered.

That’s when he learned something profound:

Burnout is not what it presents: it’s not about working too hard for too long, burnout is about working in the face of a goal that seems too far out, too unattainable, too abstract.

He also discovered the concept of a “gratification window” — the time span in which a reward or milestone must feel real and achievable for motivation to stay alive.

You might remember the famous Marshmallow Test: children were told they could eat one marshmallow immediately or wait a few minutes to earn a second one. It’s a simple yet powerful illustration of how our brains handle delayed gratification.

Of course, adults have a longer gratification window than children, but the principle remains the same. As Scholl put it:

So long as there’s something tangible, believable and motivating within their gratification window, great people will happily work long, smart, and hard—often with remarkably little rest. When there’s nothing in the gratification window, even great people feel burned out. And they will feel that burnout even when working not that hard—even when coming straight off a break.

This means no amount of rest or vacation can fix burnout if the underlying goal feels unreachable. What we truly need are meaningful, believable milestones that keep us moving forward — step by step.

That’s why celebrating small wins matters so much. It’s why “one step at a time” works wonders.

If you’re struggling to find structure in your goals, I can highly recommend The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. It’s built around a simple idea: break your year into 12-week blocks so your goals always feel within reach. Every week counts, and you always know where you’re heading.

That’s how I now structure both my training plan and my practice schedule. During busy seasons, like spring, I know I’ll work harder — but I also promise myself that after 12 weeks, I’ll slow down and recharge. This rhythm keeps me focused, motivated, and protected from burnout.

I’ve even started to structure my year this way, doing quarterly reflections inspired by Ali Abdaal’s LifeOS. Every three months, he hosts a free Reset Project, where you take two hours to reflect on your past quarter and set intentions for the next one. These sessions are like hitting a mental refresh button — they pull you out of autopilot and help you realign with what truly matters.

All of this reminded me that preventing burnout isn’t about doing less — it’s about finding rhythm and purpose in what we do. And like most things, it’s something we can practice and refine.

🧪 Let’s Experiment

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Burnout fades when progress feels real and achievable —
not distant and abstract.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, tired, or unmotivated despite taking breaks, it might not be exhaustion but distance — the gap between where you are and what feels within reach. Let’s close that gap.

🎯 Try This:

• Shrink your goal. Take one long-term goal and break it into a 12-week window. What could you realistically achieve in the next three months that moves you closer?
• Name your milestone. Define one small, visible win for each week — something you can clearly see or measure.
• Track your energy, not just your time. Notice when you feel most drained and when you feel most focused. Often, burnout starts where we stop feeling progress.
• Add a ritual of reflection. Once a week, take 10 minutes to ask: Did I move forward, even a little? If yes, celebrate. If not, adjust your focus — not your worth.

🧠 Final Thought:

You don’t need to overhaul your life to prevent burnout. You just need to make progress feel real again. When your next step feels close enough to see, motivation follows naturally — and the work becomes lighter.

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Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.

Take care,

Carina 🦊