Burnout doesn’t hit like a lightning bolt. It sneaks in through the tiny overwhelming moments you’ve been powering through for way too long.

And the cost is bigger than most leaders realize. A 2025 study in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that burnout drains U.S. companies anywhere from $4,000 to $21,000 per employee each year, adding up to nearly $5 million annually for a 1,000-person organization.

In a mind-blowing example of what’s possible, a high-school student used AI to analyze NASA’s massive data sets and uncovered 1.5 million previously-unknown space objects. If AI can help map the invisible in the vastness of space, imagine what it can do for the invisible weight of burnout in your day-to-day work.

You don’t have to white-knuckle your way to the weekend anymore. AI is finally stepping up as the colleague who takes the busywork off your plate without eating your snacks from the break room.

Why Burnout Is a Workload Problem NOT a People Problem

Burnout rarely shows up because someone is doing too much. It shows up because someone is doing too much of the wrong things, like those repetitive, draining, cognitively heavy tasks that chip away at energy and engagement.

This is exactly where AI steps in as the teammate you didn’t know you needed. Not the sci-fi robot who takes your job. The practical ally who gives you back your margin.

Here’s how AI like ChatGPT or Copilot relieves burnout:

• Trims mental clutter. Administrative tasks, scheduling, reminders, reports, and routine follow-ups can easily steal hours. AI handles these without complaint.
• Reduces decision fatigue. AI sorts, summarizes, and analyzes information fast thus removing the mental fog leaders wade through before they even get to the real work.
• Frees leaders to do what only humans can do. Empathy. Creativity. Collaboration. Innovation. Coaching. AI can’t replicate these but it can clear the runway so you actually have time for them. This is the subject of the message I’ve been promoting for the last couple of years. Click here to read “How can technology humanize culture?”
• Keeps communication clean and consistent. Drafting emails, updating clients, preparing meeting notes... AI maintains clarity and tone so leaders don’t burn cycles rewriting the same messages again and again.
• Helps prioritize the right things. AI can sift through tasks and surface the highest-impact work so you stop treating everything like top priority and finally get breathing room.
• Identifies patterns you’re too tired to see. From team sentiment cues to workflow bottlenecks, AI highlights trouble spots early so burnout doesn’t quietly build in the background.
• Accelerates learning. Instead of getting stuck in research rabbit holes, leaders can use AI to get quick briefings, comparisons, and explanations, shrinking learning curves and giving back time.
• Creates buffer space in your day. By taking on the repetitive and predictable, AI opens pockets of margin. Leaders need this mental rest to stay sharp and avoid sliding into exhaustion.

Busy UP or Busy DOWN with AI

In my last blog post, I posted material about the difference between being busy down or busy up. This theme came out of a coaching conversation with my friend and colleague Diane Abbonizioof United Bay Community Credit Union®.

Many leaders are exhausted not because they’re lazy or disengaged but because they’re stuck doing work that keeps them reactive instead of strategic. They’re solving every problem, answering every question, and carrying responsibilities their teams could (and should) own. That’s the Busy Trap. It feels productive. It feels important. But it often leads straight to burnout.

Here’s where the dots connect.

AI gives leaders the breathing room to shift out of busy down. By clearing the repetitive, heavy, or time-intensive tasks, it opens the margin needed to focus on coaching, developing, and thinking ahead... The exact practices that define being busy up.

And now things just got even more exciting!

The Cohesive Sales Approach has taken a massive leap forward utilizing AI.

Meet S.A.L.L.E. Your personal Sales Assistant for Learning, Leading, and Engaging.

She’s designed to help you think clearer, sell smarter, and lead with confidence, without drowning in the grind.

If you’re curious how AI can become your burnout buffer, your clarity partner, and your sales accelerator, you’re going to want this sneak peek.

Click here to get your exclusive sneak peak.

Burnout may be common, but it doesn’t have to be inevitable. With the right tools and the right support leaders can reclaim the margin they’ve been missing and build cohesive teams without the burnout.

Who else is ready for a workday that feels a whole lot lighter?

 Click here to try out our AI-powered book bot and Ask C.A.R.L. your most pressing leadership questions. He’s ready to stimulate your thinking and provide insights that help you lead with confidence.

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To learn more, click here to purchase your very own copy of my book Becoming a Cohesive Leader: The POWERup Guide to Grow, Develop, and Advance Your Career.

For more insight on this topic, please refer to these blog posts:

• BUILD INSTEAD OF TEARING DOWN: A Better Way to Lead
• You can’t AI your way out of a toxic culture.
• The New Rules of Team Cohesion and Innovation

Interested in reading more from Dr. Troy Hall? Check out my books available for purchase on Amazon.