Offload to Onload: What My Coaching Client Reminded Me About Burnout Prevention

This week, during a coaching session with a brilliant (and very fried) client, we hit a moment that was so real I nearly said, “Hold up, let me record this for a TED Talk.” She looked at me, eyes glassy from the 47 tabs open in her brain, and said, “I don’t think I can take on another thing without dropping something I’m already holding.”

Bingo. That’s it. That’s the whole leadership lesson.

It’s what I call, “offload to onload.” In the land of workplace overwhelm—where saying yes is often seen as loyalty, hustle, or ambition—we forget one very simple principle: You can’t keep piling on without something eventually collapsing. This client of mine, a high-performer with a resume that reads like a career climber’s dream, was running on fumes because she’d forgotten to offload before she onloaded.

This article is part of “pulling back the coaching curtain.” I share different perspectives and lessons learned from coaching work with clients. So let’s talk about this concept of offloading before downloading to prevent burnout.

What It Means to “Offload to Onload”

The idea is simple: Before you take on something new—a project, a task, a team, a re-org that came out of nowhere on a Tuesday—you need to intentionally remove something. Think of your workload like a backpack. Every task, responsibility, or meeting is a brick. And sure, you can carry a heavy load for a while. But eventually? Your back’s going to give out, and no amount of inspirational water bottle stickers is going to fix that.

Burnout doesn’t usually come from one giant ask. It’s the slow accumulation of stuff we never made space for.

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now classified as an occupational phenomenon, not a personal failure. It stems from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed, which is precisely why “offload to onload” isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Real Workplace Challenges + Actionable Offload Strategies

Let’s break this down with real-life scenarios that probably feel a little too familiar:

1. Challenge: “I’m leading this new cross-functional project—on top of everything else.”

Action: Negotiate bandwidth before agreeing.
Have a conversation with your manager: “I’m excited to lead this, and I want to do it well. Let’s look at my current responsibilities and see what I can delegate, delay, or drop to make space.”
Want to back it up with some data? Harvard Business Review has your back with this article on project overload.

2. Challenge: “My calendar is a wall-to-wall meeting mural.”

Action: Audit and eliminate.
Block an hour to review your calendar. Ask: Do I need to be in this meeting? Can I send a delegate? Is this an email disguised as a Zoom call? Cancel what you can. Push back on the rest. For more on pushback, check out another I wrote as part of my pulling back the coaching curtain series, on the topic of workplace boundaries and polite pushback.
Check out Atlassian’s guide to effective meetings for smart strategies.

3. Challenge: “I’m constantly pulled into fire drills that aren’t really my job.”

Action: Set expectations, clearly and kindly.
Try: “I want to be helpful, but I’m focused on [priority project] this week. Can we loop in [insert better-fit person] instead?”
If you need a script, this guide on boundary-setting from TED’s Ideas blog is gold.

4. Challenge: “I’m managing people, projects, and processes—but I’m not doing any of it well.”

Action: Define your primary role for this season.
Maybe this quarter you’re more people-focused. Maybe next it’s project execution. You can do it all, just not all at once. Pick your lane. Drive in it. Signal when you’re changing.
Leadership expert Michael Hyatt shares a great breakdown on priority setting.

5. Challenge: “I’m saying yes out of guilt—not capacity.”

Action: Practice your polite pushback phrases.
Use: “I’d love to support that, but I’m at capacity right now. Can we revisit this later?” Guilt doesn’t pay your burnout bill.
Contact me for a downloadable Emergency Polite Pushback Phrase Guide.

Why This Matters

When you constantly add without offloading, you’re not being a hero—you’re building a fast track to mediocrity. Overcommitment leads to underperformance, every single time. You’re not doing your best work when your mental RAM is maxed out. And you’re certainly not being the kind of leader people want to follow when you’re running around like a headless productivity chicken.

McKinsey’s research on burnout agrees: burnout is less about the individual and more about the systems they’re navigating. Fix the system, not just the symptoms.

Offloading isn’t lazy. It’s strategic.

It’s knowing that clarity creates capacity. That focus is a form of leadership. And that protecting your energy isn’t selfish—it’s smart.

Coach’s Quick Tips to Build an Offload Habit

Do a Weekly Task Purge
Friday afternoon or Monday morning: ask yourself, “What can go, what can wait, and what’s just busywork disguised as value?” Try this task detox worksheet from Asana if you need a tool.
Create a “Someday Stack”
Have a parking lot for great ideas or projects you could do, just not now. This helps your brain feel less like you’re abandoning ideas and more like you’re prioritizing with purpose.
Use Visual Cues
Color-code your calendar. Red = Overload. Yellow = Manageable. Green = Focus time. You’ll spot trouble before it starts. Google Calendar has smart suggestions on how to do this.
Have the Hard Conversations Early
That “I need help” convo? It doesn’t get easier the longer you wait. Speak up before your plate turns into a buffet line of burnout.

So the next time you feel the urge to say yes without hesitation, pause. Ask yourself: “What am I offloading to make space for this?” If the answer is “nothing,” then you already know what to do.

Offload first. Onload second. Stay sane (almost) always.

Want help figuring out a process that works for you to offload and how to make it stick? That’s what I’m here for. Let’s chat. tolerosolutions.com

About Scott Span, MSOD, CSM, ACC: is CEO at Tolero Solutions. As a people strategist, leadership coach, and change and transformation specialist, his work is focused on people. Through his consulting and training work, he supports clients to survive and thrive through change and transition and create people-focused cultures and a great employee experience. Through his coaching work, he supports people willing to dig deeper to identify and overcome what’s holding them back, change behaviors, accelerate performance, and achieve their goals.

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