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Hey coach,
Over these last few weeks, I had a lot of coaches schedule calls with me to talk through how they were feeling burned out. I imagine there are more of you out there feeling this way so I wanted to share what I did to get past it.
I’ve shared with you before that I became a first-time mom and a first-time Division I head soccer coach within 10 days of each other.
I was trying my best to build a program, recruit at a high level, and still be present at home. Honestly, most of the time I felt like I was failing at all of it.
I was busy all day, but I wasn’t moving forward the way I wanted. I constantly felt behind, burned out, and guilty that I was never fully “off” when I was with my family.
Recently, I watched a training from Matt Gray, and it reminded me that the things that eventually pulled me out of that season were actually very simple.
I learned all of these strategies years ago from various sources, but hearing him explain them reminded me that these were the exact shifts that slowly changed how I operated as a coach.
Here are the five that made the biggest difference for me.
First, I started doing what Matt called a “mental cleanse.” Every morning, I wrote down everything creating mental noise. Every unfinished task, every conversation replaying in my head, every “don’t forget this.” It cleared my brain enough to focus. Then I’d take the smallest possible action to get moving. Draft one recruiting message. Open the spreadsheet I was avoiding. Outline practice. Momentum started replacing anxiety.
Second, I stopped trying to win the entire week in one day. Instead, I focused on one small win daily. Move one recruit forward. Lock in one visit. Clean up one part of my system. Matt used Jerry Seinfeld writing one joke a day as an example. Small wins stacked over time create massive results. That applies to coaching too.
Third, I stopped waiting until I “felt ready.” Hard conversations, follow-ups, decisions… I used to delay them because I wanted the perfect approach first. Matt referenced the 5-second rule from Mel Robbins: 5-4-3-2-1… then go. It wasn’t perfect. But I just got started. Most of the time, my procrastination was creating more stress than the action itself.
Fourth, I stopped trying to make everything perfect before using it. Recruiting emails, camp flyers, systems, staff organization. Matt said, “If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you launched too late.” That one hit me hard. I started using things when they were 70% ready and improved them as I went. I then used the data and feedback to help me make better and faster improvements.
Finally, I started asking one question every morning:
“What is the one thing I can do today that makes everything else easier?”
Matt calls it the “One Domino.” I have also called it keystone habits/goals. One for me I have talked about is doing my recruiting Tuesday morning at a different location. I created a work stop time. Planning my week became a domino for me because I could do all of my decisions at the same time and then the rest of the week was for execution. I started booked workouts at the gym I got to 4x a week.
One domino. It was 1 action that solved a lot of other things.
Those decisions were simple but changed everything for me.
When I started doing these things consistently, I didn’t have to work as long or put in as much effort. I stopped feeling like I was chasing the day. I became more present at home. More focused at work. Less reactive. Less overwhelmed.
Not because my job got easier.
Because I finally had a better way to operate.
So tomorrow, try this:
Clear your head. Pick one small win. Lean into one thing you’ve been avoiding. Ship something before it feels perfect. And identify your one domino.
That’s how you start winning the day again.
To your success,
Mandy
P.S. Most coaches don’t need a complete overhaul. They need a few better habits that create momentum and help them feel back in control again.
If you would like help getting more done without working longer hours, I would love to help. I spend a lot of time helping coaches create simple systems that keep them organized, protect their time, follow up more consistently, and focus on the work that actually moves their program forward. If you want to talk through what that could look like for you and your staff, you can book a free consultation here.
Here’s how Busy Coach can help you leverage your time and resources:
To leverage your time: High Performance Coach and Recruiter
To leverage your staff: The Assistant Coach Accelerator
To leverage your recruiting system: Recruiting Made Simple
To stay consistent on social media: Social Story Recruiting
To plan with clarity and focus: The Busy Coach Planner — grab one here and start 2025 fresh, organized, and dialed in.
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