Too Tired for Big Goals? Rest-First Resolutions for Clinicians Who Want to Stay in Practice
If January goal-setting already feels exhausting, you’re not doing it wrong—you’re listening to your body. For clinicians in solo private practice, the problem is rarely a lack of ambition. It’s that most “resolutions” require more time, energy, and emotional labor than you actually have.
This year, sustainability starts with rest. Not as a reward. Not as something you earn later. But as the strategy.
Below is a list of quick, realistic, rest-focused resolutions designed for clinicians who are already tired and still want to remain ethical, present, and in this field long-term.
Rest-Focused Resolutions That Don’t Require More From You
Protect one non-negotiable rest block each week—even 30 to 60 minutes—and treat it like a client appointment.
Lower your weekly session cap by just one client to create breathing room without overhauling your entire practice.
Stop “catching up” on admin at night. Choose one realistic admin window and let the rest wait.
Join the Women in Burnout Group by Lisa Strube to process exhaustion, reduce isolation, and begin recovering from burnout with structured support rather than pushing through alone.
Replace solo struggling with shared support by joining the T2T Membership, a space for clinicians who want to build practices that fit their lives instead of copying unsustainable models.
Choose supportive continuing education by joining the Therapist Institute for Continuing Education Cohort, so CE becomes grounding and community-based instead of another last-minute stressor.
Allow “good enough” to be good enough for notes, emails, and marketing—for at least one month.
Schedule one full day off each month with zero practice-related tasks and plan it in advance so it actually happens.
Unfollow or mute one account that fuels comparison or hustle pressure and replace it with something neutral or calming.
Name rest as an ethical necessity, not a luxury, and let that guide your clinical and business decisions this year.
Sustainable Practices Are Built Quietly
These resolutions won’t make you busier. They won’t impress hustle culture. And they won’t require a personality transplant.
What they will do is help you conserve energy, reduce burnout risk, and stay connected to the work in a way that’s actually possible.
If your only goal this year is to remain a clinician without losing yourself in the process, you’re already setting the right intention. Rest isn’t a failure of motivation—it’s the foundation of a sustainable practice.
