I don’t want you to be more productive
"Oh my god, Katee, you're amazing! How do you get so much done? You're so efficient, I wish I could punch out that much work".
I hear variations of this regularly, and each time, something inside me cringes a little harder. I never wanted to be the poster child for productivity. Or for having it all together. (I promise, I don't, and my clients tell me that's why they like working with me).
Here's what people see: someone who appears naturally productive and organised, with all the i's dotted and t's crossed. What they don't see is the massive cost behind this output and diligence, that my apparent "natural efficiency" actually stems from years of nervous system dysregulation. Years of pushing my body and mind in ways they weren't designed to go.
I found a to-do list from my 7 year old self and it helped me see how far back this goes. (So if you're finding yourself programmed in overdrive, I see you.) It went something like this;
6:25 - get out of bed get dressed
6:28 - make bed
6:30 - have breakfast
6:40 - pack bag
and so on.
I've done burnout twice. Properly. Both times before I turned 30. Each episode dented my career, my relationships, my health, my fitness, my finances, my longevity, my brain - everything was impacted.
So when someone tells me they wish they could be more productive, my heart breaks a little. Because what they're actually asking for is the dysregulated state that nearly broke me. Traditional productivity ignores your natural state and what your body is truly craving.
Kobi literally eating my productivity notes!
I let go of wanting productivity a long while ago. And I definitely don't want you to be more productive.
Maybe you've felt this too, that pressure to optimise every minute, to have frameworks for everything, to prove your worth through your output. If so, we're about to explore something together that might shift a few things for you.
Let's design a different approach: Effectiveness over productivity. Always.
Rather than asking "How can I do more?" we might explore: "What actually creates impact?"
Instead of measuring output, we can focus on outcomes that matter.
Rather than pushing through exhaustion, we can build systems that honour our nervous system's natural rhythms.
This isn't just a language shift, it's a reframe of how we approach our work and energy. When we chase productivity, we're essentially agreeing to optimise ourselves like machines. When we choose effectiveness, we're designing our businesses around our humanity. Our uniqueness. Our essence.
WHY IT MATTERS
Think of your energy like a financial portfolio with a daily investment capacity. The productivity approach is like day-trading, constantly moving, high-stress, hoping to squeeze out every possible gain. But your nervous system operates more like a strategic investment fund that compounds over time.
When we're always in "day-trading mode," we're operating from a depleted state that impacts everything: decision-making suffers, creativity stagnates, relationships become transactional. We might be getting more done, but we're not building the sustainable impact we're capable of.
Effectiveness is like being a strategic portfolio manager with your energy. You make fewer, more intentional investments, but you design them to compound—not just in your business metrics, but in your overall life satisfaction and long-term capacity.
BRAIN SPACE PROMPT
What could you discover about you or your business if you measured success by effectiveness rather than productivity? Where sustainable growth meets protected energy.
Until next time,
Katee
P.S. If you've been waiting for permission to slow down, work smarter, or say no to the "productivity trap" this might be your moment to explore what effectiveness looks like for you. Your nervous system (and your long-term impact) will thank you.
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