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Hi Friend,

When your days are full, your brain starts treating “more” like the solution. When you just can’t get everything done then that must mean you need to put in more effort, more hours, and more pushing to get through.

However, being “behind” or feeling like you need to get more done isn’t always a sign that you need to actually do the more that your mind may think it needs to do. Sometimes it’s just your nervous system that has been in reaction mode all week; context switching, holding on to your to-do’s (and other people’s too!), and not allowing for enough space to settle between what you need to get done and what your body and mind actually need.

Before adding in anything more, take a pause and tell your mind: You are safe. You don’t need to finish everything (because that’s literally quite impossible).

So instead of asking the question, “How can I fit more into my day to finish it all?” Try this reframe and ask, “What would it look like to design a little more room, so my time can actually support me instead of chase me down and exhaust me?”

Rachel

📖 Know

There’s actually research behind why “doing more” can start to feel like you’re getting less done.

A Stanford economist found that once people work past about 50 hours a week, productivity per hour drops sharply. And after ~55 hours, the extra time can become so inefficient it barely adds output.

In other words: if you’re exhausted and still feeling “behind”, it might not be because you’re not trying hard enough or you have a productivity problem, it could be that your system is just on overload.

đŸŒ± Begin

Open your calendar and create one protected block for tomorrow (even just 30 minutes!). Title it: Breathing Room. During that time, you’re not allowed to catch up or fit a task in. It’s space for you to breathe, think, and come back to yourself. đŸ’«

⛰ Explore

If you’re feeling stuck in “more mode,” this week’s YouTube video is a reframe on why working longer can actually create less and the 4 small shifts that help you find Breathing Room again.

Stay in flow state. Dictate everything else.

Context switching kills your focus. Every time you stop coding to type a Slack reply, write a ticket, or draft a PR description, it takes 23 minutes to get back in the zone.

Wispr Flow lets you dictate all of it without leaving your editor. Speak your response, your ticket, your commit message — Flow formats it and you're back to coding. Works system-wide inside Cursor, VS Code, Warp, Slack, Linear, and every app.

4x faster than typing. 89% of messages sent with zero edits. Used by engineering teams at OpenAI, Vercel, and Clay.

✹ Reflect

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” — Socrates

Where in my life am I using “busy” as proof that I’m doing enough?

📍 Currently


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