Hi Friend,
When your days are full, your brain starts treating âmoreâ like the solution. When you just canât get everything done then that must mean you need to put in more effort, more hours, and more pushing to get through.
However, being âbehindâ or feeling like you need to get more done isnât always a sign that you need to actually do the more that your mind may think it needs to do. Sometimes itâs just your nervous system that has been in reaction mode all week; context switching, holding on to your to-doâs (and other peopleâs 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 donât need to finish everything (because thatâs literally quite impossible).
So instead of asking the question, âHow can I fit more into my day to finish it all?â Try this reframe and ask, âWhat 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?â
Rachel

đ Know
Thereâs actually research behind why âdoing moreâ can start to feel like youâre 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 youâre exhausted and still feeling âbehindâ, it might not be because youâre not trying hard enough or you have a productivity problem, it could be that your system is just on overload.

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

â°ïž Explore
If youâre feeling stuck in âmore mode,â this weekâs 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 â 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.

âš Reflect
âBeware the barrenness of a busy life.â â Socrates
Where in my life am I using âbusyâ as proof that Iâm doing enough?

đ CurrentlyâŠ
On May 8 at 12pm ET, Iâll be moderating a discussion with The UltraWellness Center on Zoom, on brain health as we age. Hope to see you there!
Refocus and realign your life with purpose
How to boost your metabolism.
I just got my labs done and this is a good reminder for what you should be testing for.
Speaking of labs, I use Function Health and you can get $25 off with RACHELRHEE đ

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