This will be the last column I pen as a 31-year-old. Saturday, my age will turn the page to 32.

I think many of us would agree that time is moving far too quickly. Thirty-one was a whirlwind, but when I sit and think back on the last 365 days, there was quite a bit stuffed in there.

I traveled to Michigan, California and Texas, had day trips on the Kankakee River and spent some weekends up north with friends. I went to concerts, fundraisers and other local events.

Keegan and I got a new puppy and said goodbye to our senior boy. With the help of loved ones, we navigated joy and sorrow.

I worked, went to meetings and appointments, and continued my involvement with several local organizations. I had jury duty, spent quality time with my nieces and wrote a number of articles.

And between all of this, I still found time for all 30-plus episodes of “Love Island: USA” and read each book for my monthly book club.

This isn’t a “Hey, look at all I can do!” This is a cautionary tale.

Around February, I was exhausted. Typically, in the winter, there is some time of post-holiday quiet that didn’t come to fruition this year. I felt like I was constantly running in every direction.

And while a lot of what was on my plate was positive, it was still overwhelming. I found myself starting to forget things – conversations I had, emails that needed responses, moving the laundry from the wash to the dryer.

I was facing a burnout of my own creation, because I was looking at life through the lens of “that could fit on my calendar” rather than what I actually had the bandwidth for.

I’m very much a person who likes to say “yes” to things, and the tendency toward the agreeable was coming home to roost. I finally had to stop and look at what could be taken off the plate.

If you were to look at my current calendar, you’d think I had learned nothing. Every weekend is still stacked with event after event. But I’m starting smaller just to take a little weight off my shoulders.

I’ve leaned more into audiobooks so I can “read” while driving. I’ve started using more alarms as reminders and getting back into the “if it takes less than five minutes, just do it” mentality. I’m turning more meetings into emails.

I hit the point of “something needs to change,” and I’ve been keeping that front of mind. I’ve noticed the difference that my mind is quieter and my stress levels are lower.

As time continues to fly by and I move into a new age, my goal is to continue finding ways to work smarter and not harder. Wish me luck!

· Taylor Leddin-McMaster can be contacted at taylorleddin@gmail.com.