How to Find Joy When You're Drowning in Your To-Do List

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I don’t even have time to think about joy right now”. You are NOT alone. I hear this from my clients all the time, especially when they’re in that intense season of feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like they’re just trying to stay afloat. 

Here’s the truth: if you’re in survival mode, joy can feel like a luxury you can’t afford. You’re juggling the never-ending to-do list, your energy is low, and everything feels urgent. Taking time for yourself? It sounds impossible.

But what if I told you joy isn’t the reward at the end of all this? What if it’s actually the way through?

Why Joy is the Answer

When you're a business owner, educator, caregiver, or high-achiever, your leadership starts with you. And when you are running on fumes, everything around you, your team, your clients, your family, feels that. Your nervous system is taxed, your clarity is clouded, and even the simplest tasks feel heavy.

BUT when you start to prioritize yourself, even in the smallest ways, you create a shift.

You become more anchored.You breathe deeper.You see things more clearly.And that massive to-do list? It starts to feel a little more manageable. Not because it disappeared, but because you’re no longer drowning.

How to Start: The 10% Rule

One of my favorite tools for clients in the moment to help them take a small step and see immediate evidence  is simple and powerful: the 10% rule.

Pick something you’ve been putting off or dreading. Something that feels like a mountain right now and ask yourself:

“How can I make this 10% more enjoyable?”

This doesn’t require a full day off or a fancy vacation. It’s about micro-moments that help you reconnect with yourself:

• Light a candle you love.

• Put on music that lifts your energy.

• Change your environment and work from a cozy coffee shop or step outside.

• Find a co-working buddy (in person or virtual) to body double with. 

• Turn the task into a game or challenge.

You are not erasing or avoiding the task. You are softening the resistance around it.

And when you make one thing 10% more joyful, it’s easier to make the next thing a little lighter too. Over time, this becomes a practice. A rhythm. A new way of moving through your work and life that actually sustains you instead of draining you.

Joy is a Leadership Strategy

This isn’t just about feeling better (though that matters, too). It’s about creating a foundation for sustainable growth, decision-making, and leadership. When you lead from a grounded place, everything changes: how you show up, how you make decisions, and how others experience you.

So, if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like joy is far away. I want to invite you to flip the script.

Joy isn’t optional. It’s essential . And it starts with just 10%.

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