How to Stop Burnout in the Age of AI

For years, burnout has been one of the biggest concerns I hear from high performers, especially high-achieving women. And in 2026, something else is rising right alongside it: AI pressure.

According to Indeed.com, AI adoption is now the top concern for job seekers. You might be thinking, "How do I stay relevant? How do I stay valuable?"

I've experienced burnout firsthand while working in high-pressure environments and juggling the demands of family. And what I've learned is this: burnout isn't a personal failure. It's often a strategy and misalignment problem.

So let's talk about five of the most common reasons leaders burn out in the age of AI and what to do about each one.

Reason #1 - You're trying harder

I've worked with so many leaders who believe that working harder is the answer to everything. And I completely understand. You don't get to senior levels without effort. 

But what I've noticed is that many high achievers are still operating with this one core belief: "If I work harder, I'll be okay." In 2026, that belief gets even louder because AI is changing the pace of work. When tools can speed things up, there's this new expectation: "If this is faster now, why aren't you faster?"

What I've learned is that at some point, "try harder" stops working. You're trying to solve a problem with sheer effort when what you actually need is a better strategy.

Here's what helps: Step back and ask yourself three questions. What's your desired outcome? What strategy actually matches that outcome? And what are you doing out of fear that you could stop doing entirely?

Reason #2 - You're overextending yourself

One thing I see often is overextension. It's what happens when "try harder" becomes your standard. You take on more because you can. You keep saying yes because you're capable.

And with AI, there's an added layer. Many leaders I work with are expected to produce more output AND learn new tools, adapt new processes and stay current. So your role expands, even if your title hasn't.

What I learned when I was a corporate executive and also a full-time working parent is that overextension isn't actually a time issue. It's a capacity issue. Your capacity includes your energy, your focus, your emotional bandwidth and your ability to think clearly.

When your capacity is compromised, everything feels heavier. Small decisions feel annoying, meetings feel draining and even minor requests feel like too much.

What worked for me was naming my real priorities, protecting them and making tradeoffs visible. Here's a script I teach my clients when they are communicating at senior levels : "I can deliver A and B at the quality we want. If C becomes the priority, what would you like me to deprioritize?"

That's leadership communication. It makes the tradeoff explicit instead of you absorbing all the cost.

Reason #3 - Your attention is fragmented

I hear this from clients often. When they're feeling scattered, they think they have a time problem, but what they actually have is an attention problem.

Today's work environment is relentless: emails, messages, Slack, meetings pings. And now AI courses, AI summaries, AI drafts, AI suggestions. More, more, more.

The hidden cost is context switching. Every time you jump from a project to a message to a meeting to another task, your brain has to reset. And that reset costs energy. You can be "on" all day and still feel like you did nothing that actually mattered.

What I recommend as a first step: Do not check your phone first thing in the morning. Do not let the outside world set your nervous system before you've grounded yourself.

Then create structure around communication. Choose specific times for email and messages, like 9:30 am, noon, and 4:00 pm. Next, create blocks of deep work time in between.

In 2026, attention is one of your most valuable assets so protect it.

Reason #3 - Your boundaries aren't clear

I see high achievers worry that boundaries will make them look less committed. But in my experience, boundaries are actually a leadership skill.

The tricky part is that boundaries are invisible. If you don't name them, people won't know where they are. And if you don't honor them, no one else will.

What it looks like when boundaries your boundaries are flimsy: You regret commitments after you make them. You're resentful about projects, meetings, or people. You feel overwhelmed and then blame yourself for not handling it better.

Before you agree to something, I encourage you to stop and ask: Is this okay for my priorities? Is this okay for my health? Is this okay for the quality of my work?

Here's a boundary sentence I share with my clients to use at work: "I am heads-down on the priority we agreed on. If something becomes urgent, text me."

You might think boundaries are about saying no. More importantly, they're about being clear up front because a lot of burnout comes from fuzzy expectations.

Reason #5 - You're people-pleasing

This one is especially common with women leaders I work with, and it's sneaky because you can think you're being a great leader. You want to be liked and you don't want to disappoint people. You step in to fix things and you take on what others could carry.

In 2026, I'm seeing people-pleasing show up as a safety strategy. When AI is impacting work environments, some leaders try to become indispensable by being endlessly available and endlessly helpful.

But what I've learned is that being endlessly helpful is not the same as being valuable. And it's not sustainable.

Leadership starts with leading yourself first. Protecting yourself is an act of self-respect. It means allowing other people to carry what belongs to them.

Here's a sentence I use: "I can't take that on, but I can suggest two options."

That keeps you generous without carrying what isn't yours.

The Shift:

AI is going to continue to impact our work environments and become an integral part of our work and lives. Used well, it can be your strategic partner and amplify your success so you can lead with clarity, not exhaustion.

But it doesn't replace your creativity, curiosity, or judgment. It doesn't replace your humanness or leadership. It doesn't replace your ability to set direction, make decisions, and influence outcomes.

And if you take one thing from this article, let it be this: Burnout isn't a personal failure. It's often a strategy and misalignment problem.

So take what you've learned here today and create a better strategy.

To support you, I created The Sustainable Leadership toolkit.Download your free toolkit here