Productivity & Performance Myths: Why Trying Harder Is Making You Worse
The productivity, self-help, and motivation industries tell you:
Plan. Persist. Push.
When that doesnât work, the message shifts:
Conform. Perform. Suppress.
And when that fails too⌠the inner story becomes:
Obey. Endure. Numb.
Hereâs whyâŚ
Plan â Persist â Push
(The Surface Layer: The Hustle Illusion)
It starts with structure and good intentions.
Youâre told:
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Make a plan
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Stick to it
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Push through resistance
On paper, this sounds reasonable.
But hereâs what this advice ignores:
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Your Tower Block level
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Your nervous system capacity
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Your current state of Direction, Rhythm, and Fuel
When youâre in survival mode, even making a plan can feel overwhelming.
Persistence feels like friction.
And pushing becomes self-overridingânot self-discipline.
This is the first crackâwhere productivity stops feeling empowering and starts feeling like punishment.
Conform â Perform â Suppress
(The Middle Collapse: Role Pressure and Emotional Repression)
When planning and pushing donât deliver, the next layer of pressure kicks in:
âDo whatâs expected.â
You begin to:
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Conform:
You shape yourself to external expectations.
You meet deadlines. Show up on time. Smile when you donât feel like smiling. -
Perform:
You over-deliver.
You become âthe reliable one,â âthe strong one,â or âthe one who holds it all together.â
Even joy becomes strategic.
Connection becomes curated. -
Suppress:
You push your own needs aside.
Tiredness is hidden.
Sadness is buried.
Anger is silenced.
This is where Parts of Self fusion often appears.
Your Protective Self fuses with your Ideal/Future SelfâŚ
Driving you to keep performingâeven when the system is already breaking down.
The external world sees productivity.
Inside, youâre already collapsing.
Obey â Endure â Numb
(The Deep Collapse: Emotional Shutdown)
When conformity and performance still arenât enoughâŚ
You drop into full survival mode.
Now the internal narrative becomes:
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Obey:
âFollow the rules.â
âKeep going.â
âDonât stop. Donât fail. Be good.â -
Endure:
You white-knuckle your way through each day.
Tasks get doneâbut only just.
You count down the hours⌠then the days⌠then the weeks. -
Numb:
Joy disappears.
Creativity shuts down.
Even fatigue feels distantâbecause youâre too shut off to notice it anymore.
This is where nervous system collapse takes hold.
Tower Block levels drop into the Basement, Dungeon, or even the Void.
Youâre no longer performing out of choice.
Youâre running on fumes⌠then running on nothing at all.
The Mind Works Response: Rhythm Before Output
We donât teach you how to âhustle smarter.â
We help you exit the productivity-collapse cycle altogether.
Hereâs how:
Direction: Clarity Before Control (Thinking)
Youâll learn how to:
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Recognise your real Tower Block level
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Observe internal Parts of Self conflict (Ideal vs Protective vs Actual Self)
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Let go of productivity as a self-worth metric
This isnât about abandoning plansâitâs about building plans that match your capacity.
Rhythm: Pacing Before Performance (Meaning)
We help you:
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Rebuild your nervous system rhythm
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Use SSRG nutrition and HRV tracking to support energy regulation
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Pace tasks according to your current level of readinessânot arbitrary deadlines
This is about reconnecting with internal signalsânot external pressure.
Fuel: Restore Before You Perform (Feeling)
We help you:
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Sleep properly
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Eat for energy, not just output
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Rebuild your physiological and emotional reserves
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Exit the burnout spiral
This is about biological readinessânot mental willpower.
Next Step: Letâs Stop Overriding Your System
If youâre caught in cycles of overworking, burnout, emotional suppression, and collapse,
this is your invitation to rebuild differently.
đ Join the Online Course
đ Book a 1:1 Call
You donât need another productivity hack.
You need Direction. Rhythm. Fuel.
And a system that works with your mind, your body, and your emotional truth.