The Evidence is Overwhelming.

All signs point to the calendar. With the holiday season as the main accomplice.

Case closed. Right?

Not so fast.

Every romantic suspense reader knows this moment. The obvious suspect looks guilty. But the real mastermind hides in plain sight.

Let’s step into the crime scene. The usual suspects line up without a fight.

The deadlines.

Everyone wanting a piece of you.

Holiday prep.

The year hurtles to a close.

With five weeks left in 2025, time suddenly feels precious and thin.

Compelling evidence.

Look again.

These are red herrings.

Summer freedom ends. Our angst shoots up like Labour Day fireworks. Back-to-school rhythms and regular work hours snap into place. The colourful leaves put on a show, then drop, while the stress climbs. We can already see the end of the year before the calendar flips.

We love our external villains. They’re convenient. They keep us busy, useful, in the know. And who doesn’t want to be needed?

But what if the calendar isn’t guilty?

Under investigation, the questions surface:

Where has the time gone?

Who benefits from our burnout?

Follow the Motive

Your exhaustion serves you. Lean in for this one.

The inner critic lifts her matted head. “If you’re too tired to try, you can’t fail.” She calls it protection.

Some relationships only work when you’re depleted. Some people prefer you exhausted. You’re easier to… manipulate.

Oh. Did I say that out loud?

I meant… manage.

Then there are the dreams you’re “too busy” to chase. You can’t fail at something you never start. Burnout makes a beautiful alibi.

The hard conversation you keep postponing? “I’m just so overwhelmed right now.”

Convenient, isn’t it? Until you run straight into the uncomfortable twist.

Here’s where it gets dark. Stay with me.

Sometimes we benefit from our own burnout. It becomes the perfect alibi.
🔥 I would pursue that project, but I’m exhausted.
🔥 I’d tell that other person what really needs to be said, but another time.
🔥 I’d take the time to invest in me, but I’m barely surviving.

Burnout keeps you in the safe zone. It shields you from the possibility of failing.

What would you face if you weren’t exhausted?
❤️ Truth?
❤️ Longing?
❤️ Choice?

If burnout has been writing your story, you’re not stuck with that script. Let’s look at the clues for an alternate ending.

Clues, Not Homework

Three Tiny Clues to Exit Burnout

You’re standing in the middle of the crime scene. The burnout alibi lies on the floor between your feet.

Now what?

Not a life overhaul. Not a twelve-week program. Just three small moves that quietly ruin burnout’s cover story.

Clue 🕵🏾‍♀️ 1 — Name the Real Suspect

Pick one place where you keep saying, “I’m too tired.”

Not ten.

One.

• The project you keep circling.
• The conversation you keep dodging.
• The moments of rest you never quite let yourself take.

Action ➡️ Write this sentence, word for word, and fill in the blank:

“I say I’m exhausted, but what I’m really avoiding is ________.”

No one has to see it.

But once it’s on the page, your alibi starts to crack. You’re no longer wrestling “life is too much.” You’re dealing with this one thing.

Clue 🕵🏾‍♀️ 2 — Shrink the Scene

Burnout loves big, vague projects:
🛠️ Fix my life.
🏋️‍♀️ Get healthy.
📝 Write the book.

Too big. Too blurry. Perfect cover.

Take the one thing you just named and shrink it until it almost feels silly.

• Instead of “work on the project,” go for “a five-minute brain dump.”
• Instead of “have the conversation,” stand in front of the mirror and say one honest sentence.
• Instead of “rest more,” try closing your eyes while you listen to your favourite swoon song.

Ask yourself: What’s the smallest, least dramatic move I can make in ten minutes or less?

That’s your next step. Not the whole staircase. Just that one, tiny, almost-ridiculous action.

Clue 🕵🏾‍♀️ 3 — Flip the Motive

Before you take that tiny step, your inner critic elbows in:
“This won’t matter,” she says. “You need a full weekend off. You’re too behind. Why bother?”

She’s protecting her power with every taunt. “Why expend energy on something you’d quit anyway?”

Ouch!

I heard the best response to disarm the safety critic. It works in every situation. Here is your comeback for this one: “You take the weekend off. I’ll get started on my project.”

Then do the little thing. Not perfectly. Not impressively. Just… do it.

By Sunday night, notice the reduced angst.

• Maybe your breathing slows.
• Maybe a little excitement hums in the background, and you start looking forward to another half-hour with your side project on Monday. Tuesday even starts to look promising.
• Maybe you feel tired and a tiny bit proud.

You’ve found a new pattern. Your evidence.

Burnout says the story is already written. You’re too late.

If you buy that, if you give in, you let the villain win.

But you’re still here. Reading. Breathing. Scrolling the page. Which means one very important thing:

The ending is still being revised.

Your Turn: Name the Suspect

Every good mystery needs a reveal.

Comment below and tell me your Clue #1:

“I say I’m exhausted, but what I’m really avoiding is ________.”

You don’t have to give details. Just name the “suspect” in a word or two if that feels safer.

I read every response.

No judgement. No cross-examination.

Just one author on the other side of the page, cheering as you take your story back from the villain.

Manuscript Update

My next romantic suspense/thriller is making the rounds with proofreaders and soon it will be off to beta readers. Exhausting and exciting at the same time.

The story is a pinch of real life, and my imagination gone wild. I started writing this novel in 2021, then put it on hold at the beginning of 2022 when I enrolled in

Story Grid’s three-year Editor-Mentorship Writing Program.

Once I completed the program, I returned to the manuscript.

And oh my!

The knowledge I gained from SG grounded me in storytelling in a way I’d never experience, even though I already had a four-year University degree in writing.

But that was me, wrestling with the villain intent on sabotaging my goals.

That’s it from me. Catch up soon 👋🏾

P.S.: Just finished reading: R.F. Kuang’s Magical Fantasy novel, Babel, because even detectives need a break. It’s an intriguing account of an alternate history, set in 1828, Oxford University, Britain.

From the Amazon page: Babel is the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

P.P.S.: 📚 Recently, I caught myself giving in too easily, my will power scraping the floor, especially at the end of the day. Reaching for those sweets too often as cover for comfort. I knew I had to nip that thing in the bud. My remedy. Cold water showers. Takes more than one of course, gradual but obvious.

Reply below to share your Clue #1.