Hey Friend,

This one's close to my heart. I don't think we talk enough about the mental health of project managers. It's one of the most underserved conversations in our profession, and I want to change that.

Think about what the role actually asks of you. You manage budgets, timelines, risks, people, and expectations. You absorb pressure so your team doesn't have to. You stay calm when stakeholders lose confidence. You bring clarity when everyone else is confused. And you do all of this while carrying the responsibility of delivery on your shoulders.

Now do that week after week, project after project, and something starts to happen. You still show up. You still deliver. You still appear engaged. But behind the scenes, you're running on empty. And because everything looks fine on the outside, nobody thinks to ask if you're alright.

I call it quiet burnout. And I think most of us have experienced it at some point, even if we didn't have a name for it.

The good news is, you can do something about it.

And it starts simpler than you think. Before you assume you're burning out, check the foundations. Have you slept properly this week? Have you eaten well? Have you moved your body? When things get busy, these are the first things to go. And when they go, everything feels heavier than it actually is. I've lost count of the number of times I thought I was hitting a wall, only to realise I'd skipped lunch three days running and hadn't left my desk since Monday. Mind has some genuinely practical guidance on looking after yourself at work, and it's worth a read if you haven't already.

The next thing, and this is the one most of us skip, is talking to someone who actually gets it. Not a status update. Not a vent. A real conversation with someone who knows what it's like to manage stakeholders pulling in one direction and a team pulling in another. Another PM. A mentor. A friend in a similar role. Even an online community where people are honest about the messy side of delivery. You don't need to solve anything. Sometimes just saying "this week was heavy" to someone who nods and says "yeah, mine too" is enough to take the edge off. If you're not sure where to start, Mind's guidance on burnout is a good first step.

LinkedIn connections are great for your career. But what actually helps on a rough Wednesday afternoon is knowing there's someone you can message and say "I need ten minutes." If you don't have that yet, start small. One person. One honest conversation. Ask a PM you respect how they're really doing. Not the polished answer. The real one. You'll be surprised how quickly that opens things up. Most of us are carrying similar weight. We just don't talk about it.

And then there's your energy. You'd never let a risk sit on the register without a response. So don't let your own energy run down without a plan either. Look at your week. Which meetings drain you? Which conversations fill you back up? You can't control everything, but you can restructure enough to give yourself breathing room. Set one boundary this week. Just one. That meeting you don't need to attend. That report nobody reads. Protecting your time isn't selfish. It's how you stay effective long enough to finish what matters.

The role will always be demanding. That's part of what makes it meaningful. But the PMs who last, the ones who keep delivering year after year, aren't the ones who push hardest. They're the ones who learned when to stop pushing and start looking after themselves. And that includes knowing how to actually switch off at the end of the day, because most of us don't.

MAKING IT HAPPEN - Your Weekly Strategy

I do this daily and it works. At the end of my workday, I take five minutes before I close my laptop. I write down anything that's still floating around my head. Unfinished tasks, decisions waiting, things I'm carrying into tomorrow. Get it out of your brain and into a list. Then close the laptop. That's it. Research shows that people who mentally detach from work in the evening have lower exhaustion, less stress, and better sleep. But your brain won't let go of open loops unless it trusts they're captured somewhere. That five-minute habit builds that trust. Try it for a week and you'll notice the difference. Your evenings stop being an extension of your workday and start being actual recovery time. And recovery is what keeps you sharp enough to do this job well, week after week, without burning out.

How do you look after yourself in your role? Hit reply. I read every response and will feature reader insights in future newsletters.

A Quick Word

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have heard the echoes of AI in every space, whether it's work or life. It's moving at an exponentially fast pace, and the conversations I'm having with peers are full of anxiety, fear, confusion, and genuine uncertainty about what it all means. Will it replace parts of our role? How do we use it? What should we be learning? What can we safely ignore? The questions are real and most people don't know where to start. So from next week, I'm going to include a dedicated section in this newsletter covering any significant AI developments and what they actually mean for us, in a way that's easy to understand. The project management profession is evolving rapidly, and staying in the loop is one of the best ways to stay on top of it. I'll start with the basics and build from there.

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Take care and speak soon, 

Bilal