How to Break the Low Energy Go-Go-Go and Crash Cycle
Most high-achieving women 55+ were trained to push through fatigue, catch up when energy returns, then crash and start over. This post breaks down four practical strategies for working with unpredictable energy: buffering your calendar around one main task, catching the "just try harder" thoughts before they lead to a crash, building in micro-recovery breaks, and stopping at "good enough" instead of "finished".
You'll walk away with a realistic way to keep building your business or goals without waiting for your energy to become predictable first. Get the Free guide at the end 7 Ways to Stop Putting Your Life on Hold.
"If you want to grow your business, you need more energy."
That was the opening line of a popular podcast by a well-known female entrepreneur. I'd never listened to her before. Those were the first words I heard.
"You need more energy." And there it was.
I remember a time when I would have responded: I'm on it. I've got this. And maybe most of you would have responded in the same way.
The thing is, we can't manufacture more energy. We can conserve it and use it strategically. But we can't make more of it.
Yet we can still get caught up thinking we have an unlimited, predictable supply. When our energy finally shows up, we think: “Yes. Finally, I can catch up.”
So we answer emails, work on the project, and make plans. We might even start to feel like our old selves again.
And then we crash.
The body goes heavy. The brain fogs over. Tasks that felt manageable an hour ago feel impossible now.
If you're a high-achieving woman, this cycle can feel personal. Your ideas and ambitions haven't changed. The only thing that changed is your energy.
The podcaster's advice wasn't wrong for her audience. She was talking to people who can count on their energy. You can't. Pushing harder, batching more, time-blocking your calendar down to the minute. Those strategies assume consistent energy. Without it, they produce frustration and inconsistent results.
How does this show up? Unfinished projects. Stalled goals. Decision paralysis. Anxiety about commitments. Good windows where you overcommit, followed by days when you can barely keep up with the basics.
You don't have to dream smaller or give up on your goals. You need a realistic plan, a way forward that works with the energy you actually have.
Below are four strategies I use myself. I use them because they work. They form an essential part of my toolkit for living and working with fatigue. Try each one for a few days or a week and see what happens.
1: Decide What the Main Thing Is and Buffer Time Around it
When your energy is unpredictable, shift from a results-oriented perspective to an energy-oriented one.
Here's the difference. When I worked in my own business, and later in corporate, I had a set amount of work to complete every month. I divided it into weeks and tracked the results. If I stayed on track each week, by the end of the month all the work was completed. Energy was never a consideration because I had enough of it.
If I needed more time, I created more time. I could start earlier, work longer, or work faster. That may be how you used to operate. But if your real-life energy no longer works that way, your calendar needs to reflect that.
A better strategy: assess the energy you have available and adjust your workload to fit.
Each morning, choose just one business or project task that will move the needle most. This might be drafting one email, outlining one offer, recording one short video, or completing one section of a bigger project. Block time for it, then add at least 30 to 60 minutes of buffer before and after.
High-achieving women consistently underestimate how much energy transitions take. Getting set up, finding the notes, making decisions, switching gears, recovering afterward — it all draws from the same supply. Budget extra time and you'll have it when the one-hour task turns into three.
Larger tasks can easily require more time and energy than expected, especially if they involve creative thinking or visibility.
On days when you have energy left after your main thing, work that requires less energy, like email or admin tasks can follow.
This moves you away from all-or-nothing productivity. A realistic pace makes it more likely you can finish what you start.
2: Catch the Thoughts That Say, “I just need to try harder” or “I just want to get this done”.
These thoughts are automatic for ambitious women. They show up when you're tired but still have work to do. When you compare yourself to who you used to be. When you feel the momentum and want to ride it all the way to the end.
More effort is not necessarily bad. It's just not always the right thing to do at that time. When your body is already reaching the end of its energy, pressure to keep going makes the crash that follows worse. You may get a little more done right now and spend the next three days recovering.
When that thought shows up, catch it. Say to yourself: “Pacing is a smarter skill that I can learn.”
You don't have to believe it fully yet. But catching the thought creates a window to make a different choice.
Ask yourself: What would pacing look like here? Could this be split into two smaller steps? What would be enough for today?
In my group program, After 55 Dream Builders, (join the waitlist here) we map your individual energy and personality. Knowing your pattern isn't just interesting. It's one of the most practical tools you have for protecting your energy and using it to work for you.
Your personality and energy profile will help you identify where and why you get stuck when you try to pace yourself.
Strategy 3: Build in Micro-Recovery Breaks
One of the biggest mistakes in the go-go-go phase is not stopping until you feel exhausted.
Micro-recovery breaks are small, planned resets that happen before you reach that point. They're not a reward for finishing. They become part of how you work every day. Even a short break interrupts the buildup of physical and mental tension before your system tips into a crash.
Every 30 to 60 minutes, step away and do a simple reset. Set a timer if you need to.
Drink water. Step outside. Lie down for 10 minutes. Stretch. Sit quietly without any input. Cup your hands over your eyes and let yourself enjoy the darkness for a moment.
For many women, the hard part is treating these breaks as non-negotiable. When you're in a good window, a break feels unnecessary. But this is when you need the mini-break the most.
Low-lift, body-based relaxation practices are built into the After 55 Dream Builders program (join the waitlist here, and be first to receive details and early bird pricing when it becomes available). You’ll learn accessible, fatigue-friendly ways to calm your body and mind, while and increasing focus, all without leaving your chair.
Strategy 4: Whatever I Do Today is Enough
Stopping at “good enough for today” means you pick a stopping point in advance, while you still have something left in the tank. Then you honor that stopping point even if you feel like you could keep going.
The energy that is leftover is what carries you into tomorrow.
Instead of saying, “I’ll work until this is finished,” try, “I’ll work for 45 minutes, then stop and reassess.”
Instead of saying, “I need to get this whole project done today,” try, “Today I’ll complete the outline and leave the drafting for tomorrow.”
Your real stopping line may be very different from where your old professional habits say it should be. Your old habits may tell you to stop when the work is done, the inbox is clear, or everyone else is taken care of.
But your body may need you to stop sooner. An affirmation you can use is this: “Whatever I do today is enough. I am enough”.
You Might Be Wondering: “Won’t I Get Even Less Done?”
This is such a common question.
When you already feel behind, adding buffers, breaks, and stopping points can feel frustrating. If you don’t keep going, how will anything ever get done?
But the go-go-go and crash cycle is already taking time away from your work.
It costs time through unfinished tasks, recovery days, brain fog, decision paralysis, resentment, and the additional weight of starting over again and again.
These strategies are not about taking more time away from work. They’re about losing less time to crashes.
If all this feels like too much to take on at once, start with one or two of the practices above. See what happens.
How does your body respond? What happens with your energy? What kind of thoughts arise? If you feel like it, keep a notebook and write down what you tried and what the result was.
Moving Forward Without Running Yourself into the Ground
You came here because the go-go-go and crash cycle keeps undoing your progress. But that cycle can change.
Start with these four strategies:
Use time buffers and “Focus on the Main Thing”
Catch the thoughts that tell you to “try harder” or “just get it done”. Tell yourself pacing is a skill that you can learn.
Build in micro-breaks every 30-60 minutes, or more often if your body needs it.
Stop at “good enough for today” and leave something for tomorrow.
Your work doesn’t need to feel like an unpredictable grind. Your work can light you up while you build a life you love, even with fatigue.
Your Next Step
Changing your relationship with ambition, energy, and self-trust allows you to dream differently, not smaller.
If you are ready to start now, I put together a free guide to help high-achieving women move forward with fatigue.
Inside, you’ll find 7 Ways to Stop Putting Your Life on Hold. It’s a set of fatigue-friendly strategies for women 55+ pursuing business or life goals without predictable energy.
Try a few of the tips in the guide for one week. Notice what happens. Modify them as needed so they fit your real life and your body.
And remember:
Your body is not the obstacle. It is the starting point.
This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine, starting any new supplement, diet, exercise program, or treatment, or if you have questions about a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking care because of something you have read here.
