This is a lesson that I've heard on a few productivity podcasts: Sometimes you have to say NO to possible opportunities that come along that are lower priorities, so you can say YES to your top priorities and live your life the way YOU want to. This prevents you from doing a zillion things that are "just ok" and getting burnt out, saving your energy for the BEST things.
I know this NO concept sounds weird, as we artists tend to say YES to everything, especially when first starting out in our careers. This is good up to a point, where you start to get a snowball effect of projects. It's like an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet where you see a smorgasbord of all these different delicious foods, and you pile your plate really high. But then after you eat for awhile you realize there's no possible way to stuff everything into your stomach in one sitting! The same thing happens with art projects, gigs, and etc: you literally cannot do every single thing on Earth that seems like a good opportunity, or has a slight chance of opportunity/doing something just for "the exposure" (we've all heard that load of crap before). You have to take a good hard look at everything on your plate and turn some things down for your sanity and health.
For example, when I first started exhibiting in comic conventions, I'd travel sometimes 2.5 hours away for a whole day trip to very small conventions or shows with low attendance, where I didn't end up making much profit - sometimes I'd lose $. But as I've progressed in my career, and now that I have a solid 3 ongoing projects with consistent pay, I realize I don't need to exhibit in every single convention. After much consideration, I've prioritized either doing regular freelance work on the weekends, doing something fun, or just relaxing! I've learned the hard way that I need to make R&R a priority, otherwise I catch colds from being worn down. New Yorkers especially may think there is no time for R&R, but you have to MAKE time by using the power of NO.
Here's proof of the power of saying NO! Whenever I hear multiple people I respect saying similar things, I take it into consideration. From Julie Sheranosher http://www.imjulie.com/saying-no/ and Michael Hyatt http://michaelhyatt.com/027-how-to-say-no-without-feeling-guilty-podcast.html
By the way, don't worry about missing me at the large conventions like NYCC, Boston CC, Baltimore CC, C2E2, Motor City (coming up in May!) - I still intend to exhibit at those!