By Aditi Govitrikar

Burnout isn’t a time problem. It’s a feeling problem.

If I had a dollar for every time a high-performing exec blamed burnout on “time management”…

I’d fund emotional literacy programs across India. Twice.

My counseling patients include CEOs, surgeons, and creators — people who’ve mastered discipline.

They’ve optimized their calendars. Their teams. Their lives.

But when burnout hits? They crash. Hard.

Not because they’re lazy.

Not because they lack ambition.

But because no one ever taught them the one thing that now matters most:

How to feel.

Here’s what I see, again and again:

They’re exhausted in ways sleep can’t fix.

They procrastinate, but don’t know why.

They lead others, but feel lost inside themselves.

They’re emotionally cut off from their teams, their loved ones, and worst of all… themselves.

And still, they try to optimize their way out. As if feelings are bugs in the system.

But here’s the truth: Your brain is the CEO. Your emotions are the board.

Ignore them?

You’re getting fired from your own life.

So what’s the fix?

Here are 3 emotional strategies I teach my clients:

Ground before you go. (Breathwork. Cold water. Movement.)

Track emotional KPIs. Check in daily. What am I feeling? Why? What do I need?

Micro-habits for presence. 1-minute pauses. Phone-free family time. Naming your emotions out loud.

Because the leaders who win this decade?

Won’t just be the smartest. They’ll be the ones who’ve mastered emotional presence.

Because plans don’t lead people.

Presence does.