S. W. Raine

I didn’t expect one course to completely change how I looked at my work.

Back in December, I enrolled in the HB90 planning course because I knew something wasn’t working. I always felt busy but somehow never felt caught up. No matter how much I crossed off my to-do list, there was always something else waiting for me. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and having regular mental breakdowns every other day.

I knew something had to change. I just didn’t know what.

The Wake-Up Call

On the third day of the course, we were asked to do something deceptively simple: take an honest look at how we actually spend our time. Not how much time we thought we had or wanted to have, but how much time was already committed every single week.

So I opened my calendar, started adding everything together, and stared at the final number.

58.5 hours.

That wasn’t counting the late nights when I’d work until 9 p.m. or even 11. It wasn’t counting all the little moments when I’d squeeze in “just one more thing.” That was just what I’d already committed to in my Google Calendar.

When I saw that number, I cried. For the first time, everything made sense. The exhaustion. The constant feeling of falling behind. And especially the mental breakdowns. I wasn’t failing… I was burned out. And I had been for a very, very long time.

I’d spent years taking breaks whenever the burnout became too much. Vacations. Days off. Quiet weekends whenever I didn’t have a book event. But every time the break ended, I walked right back into the same schedule that had exhausted me in the first place. So I wasn’t really recovering—I was simply hitting pause.

I never even finished the course. It’s not that I gave up… I just couldn’t move forward until I dealt with what I’d just discovered.

Learning to Slow Down

So I stripped my schedule down to the bare minimum. If something wasn’t essential, it came off the calendar. My workweek dropped from more than 58 hours to just about 32. And, oddly enough, that was one of the hardest adjustments I’ve made in years. Because after spending years believing every spare moment should be productive, I suddenly had… space.

I constantly felt like I needed to keep busy. Like I needed to be doing something. Like I was supposed to be doing something, even when there wasn’t anything that actually needed my attention.

So instead of working, I’d reach for my phone. I’d scroll Instagram, switch over to Facebook, then back to Instagram again. Not because there was anything I actually wanted to see, but because I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. My body wanted to fill the space. And my brain knew it couldn’t be with work.

I was deliberately avoiding work while slowly relearning what rest actually felt like. Social media wasn’t the healthiest solution, but it became a bridge between constantly working and finally allowing myself to slow down.

It took me the entire first half of the year to adjust. Six whole months. Recovering from years of burnout wasn’t something that was ever going to happen overnight, especially when burnout had become my normal. My brain had forgotten what an unhurried day felt like, so when life finally slowed down, I almost didn’t know what to do with myself. But little by little, things started to change. The constant feeling of being behind began to fade. The mental breakdowns that had become an every-other-day occurrence became fewer and farther between. I felt calmer.

I was changing the life that had caused my burnout instead of simply taking a break from it.

Looking Ahead

If you looked only at my completed projects, the first half of 2026 wouldn’t look particularly impressive. But that’s not what these past six months were really about. They were about building a foundation I can actually sustain.

It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t productive in the traditional sense. But it may have been the most important work I’ve done all year.

Now that I’m settling into the second half of 2026, I’m finally putting that healthier foundation to the test. My new HB90 schedule is already underway, and for the first time in a long time, it feels sustainable. Instead of trying to do everything at once, I’m focusing on just three goals:

– Build more long-term assets for my author business
– Grow my newsletter so I can connect with more readers
– Continue exploring screenwriting and writing short scripts for contests

Two weeks ago, I also spent a week in Canada visiting my mum. Before I left, I made one promise to myself: no work. And I actually kept that promise (though I did go through a hyperfixation rabbit hole of KDP keywords, but that had nothing to do with my work goals).

There are plenty of exciting adventures ahead, both on and off the page. But this time, I want to build them on a foundation that leaves room to enjoy them too.

Maybe your first half of the year looked nothing like you expected, too. If so, know that you’re not alone. I’d love to hear what you’re carrying with you into the second half of the year. Feel free to share in the comments.

Raine