How to Make a Career Pivot When You’re Already Busy (and Overwhelmed)
You can shift your career at your own pace — here’s how.
Practical tips to start your career change - designed to fit your schedule.
The Reality of Wanting More While Already Juggling Too Much
You have a lot going on.
A full-time job where you feel you can't be yourself. Your endless family events, plans, and projects. Processing and resisting what's happening in our country. And now you feel like you need to throw a career shift into this cluster.
Maybe you've already convinced yourself it's impossible. "I don't have time for this." "I'm too old." "I'm too young." "I don't have the energy to start over." These limiting beliefs whisper loudly when you're already stretched thin, balancing your everyday schedule with the emotional weight of knowing something needs to change.
But here's the truth: you don't need to quit your job tomorrow, go back to school full-time, or add a second full-time job to your life to make a meaningful career pivot. What if you could make this transition without burning out—on your own terms, at your own pace?
That's exactly what we're exploring today, including a self-study track designed for busy women who need flexibility without sacrificing support.
Why Career Pivots Feel Impossible When You're Busy
Let's be honest about the career transition challenges you're facing. It's not just about finding a new job—it's about finding the mental space to even think about what you want while managing everything else on your plate.
The biggest career change struggles aren't always practical. Sure, updating your resume and networking take time. But the real barriers? Mental exhaustion after a draining workday. Competing responsibilities that leave you with maybe thirty minutes of free time before bed. The guilt of prioritizing yourself when others need you. The fear that you'll invest all this energy and still end up stuck.
These aren't excuses. They're legitimate obstacles that make career transitions feel like climbing a mountain when you're already carrying a heavy backpack. The good news? You don't have to climb it all at once.
Mindset Shifts That Make Room for Change
Before we talk tactics, let's address the career change mindset that makes everything else possible.
Progress matters more than perfection. You don't need a perfectly polished LinkedIn profile before you start exploring. You don't need to have it all figured out before you take the first step. Small, consistent steps—even imperfect ones—can lead to big change.
Don't believe all your thoughts. Some of them are responsible for keeping you stuck, lost, and daydreaming about escaping to Italy. "I don't have time for this" and "I'm too old, young, or [insert any damn adjective]" are two common limiting beliefs that hold people back from making a shift. When you hear these thoughts in your head, try calming them with something neutral: "I'm just exploring" or "I'm curious about what I actually want."
Let me share a quick example. One of my clients, a marketing manager in her late thirties, kept telling herself she was "too established" to switch industries. She had a mortgage, a reputation, a comfortable salary. But she was miserable. Instead of making a drastic leap, she gave herself permission to just explore for three months—fifteen minutes a day of journaling about what energized her and what drained her. That simple shift in mindset (from "I need to figure this out NOW" to "I'm just getting curious") opened the door to a career path she'd never considered before. Six months later, she made a lateral move into a nonprofit role that aligned with her values—without starting from scratch.
Practical tip for busy women: Carve out just 15 minutes a day for reflection. Ask yourself: What parts of my work do I actually enjoy? What tasks make time fly? What do I dread? This isn't about finding the "perfect" answer—it's about building self-awareness, which is the foundation of any successful career change.
Tactical Ways to Pivot During Your Busy Schedule
Now let's talk about the career pivot tips that actually work when your schedule is already full.
Prioritize micro-actions over massive overhauls. You don't need hours of free time to make progress on a flexible career transition. Instead, focus on small, manageable actions that move the needle:
Journal for 10 minutes about what you want in your next role (not what you think you should want, what you actually want)
Schedule one virtual coffee chat per month with someone in a field you're curious about
Update your LinkedIn headline to reflect the direction you're exploring, not just where you've been
Research one company or role that intrigues you during your lunch break
These micro-actions might feel insignificant in the moment, but they compound over time. You're building momentum without adding a second full-time job to your life.
Leverage your existing routines. You don't need to create new time—you need to maximize the time you already have:
Listen to career development podcasts during your commute or while doing household chores
Block 30 minutes during lunch twice a week for career-focused activities (updating your resume, reaching out to contacts, or taking an online course)
Use Sunday evenings to plan your career action steps for the week ahead—just like you'd plan your meals or workouts
The key is integration, not addition. Weave your career exploration into the life you're already living.
Build accountability through structure and community. One of the most powerful career pivot tips? Don't do this alone. When you have structure and community, you're far more likely to follow through—even when you're tired, overwhelmed, or doubting yourself.
This could look like partnering with a friend who's also exploring a career change and checking in weekly. Or joining a group of people working through the same process so you have built-in accountability and encouragement. When you're surrounded by others who understand the journey, those limiting beliefs lose their power.
Introducing Career Change on Your Terms: Online Course
If you're ready for more guidance without sacrificing your busy schedule, I have something that might be perfect for you.
For some women, 1:1 coaching is the right move - but others want something they can start today, at their own pace, without adding another weekly appointment to their calendar. That's exactly why I created Career Change on Your Terms: Online Course, so you can access the same proven framework, on your own schedule, while still having community and accountability built in.
Here's what you get with this self-paced career course:
✅ My proven career pathing process broken into digestible learning modules you can work through on your own time
✅ Practical tools and exercises to help you clarify what you want, identify your transferable skills, and create a strategic action plan
✅ Weekly virtual support calls with a group of inspiring and compassionate humans who are also working through the career shift process (hello, new hype crew!)
✅ Lifetime access to all course materials so you can revisit them whenever you need
✅ A framework designed for busy women - no burnout required
This isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about giving you the right tools so your career exploration feels manageable, not overwhelming. It's a self-study online course that meets you where you are.
Success is Possible, Even When You're Busy
Making a career shift while managing everything else in your life is not easy. There will be days when you doubt yourself, when you're too tired to think about your future, when it feels like nothing is happening fast enough.
But here's what I know to be true: small, consistent steps over 3-6 months can get you to a thoughtful career change that checks all of your boxes. You don't need to make a 180-degree turn in a month. Quick and drastic changes often lead to career regrets. What you need is a sustainable approach that honors your real life - your responsibilities, your energy levels, your need for support.
A career shift does not need to be a second full-time job. It's something you can fit into your already full life when you have the right tools and you're not the one getting in your own way.
You've got this. And you don't have to do it alone.
Here for you and your slow and steady shift.