Over the past month, I've struggled massively to complete tasks and work efficiently.

I thought that to do more, I had to work more.

I've always had this mindset since I was a kid, having to work 10x harder than my peers to get the same grades.

In a 9-5 working efficiently isn't so obvious because there's always a cut-off time.

In entrepreneurship, the game is completely different.

You need to work efficiently or you literally won't have time to do anything.

Work-life balance is always something I've struggled with massively.

I only realized this was an issue when I saw friends building businesses.

They seemed to have so much free time.

It made me wonder..."What if I don't need to work this much?"

I avoided going to coffee shops because walking there would be a "waste of time".

I deprioritized going to the gym to "work more".

I would wake up at 6 am and sleep at 11 pm so that I can squeeze in as much as humanly possible.

I took minimal breaks because time away from work is also a "waste of time".

But that makes no sense to me.

In those 12+ hours of working, I barely completed any of the tasks I wanted to get done.

Instead, I procrastinated as soon as I felt friction.

The work was never-ending.

There's always more to do.

That's when I fully internalized that it's not about working long hours.

It's about how you manage work to encapsulate multiple variables:

• Make work enjoyable
• Recharge time to operate at 100% within each work block
• Understanding flow states and productivity optimization
• Blocking out time to work on other areas of life (namely health & relationships which ultimately make the work more fun)

When there's no end point to work, it will feel like hell.

Anxiety and stress rush through your body.

You'll come to hate everything you do and become the antithesis of the person you strive to become.

So how can you work productively whilst taking into account the variables?

Here's how I'm tackling these (use them only if they work for you).

To make work enjoyable:

• Go for a walk first thing in the morning
• Do 1 hour of morning writing for my personal enjoyment every day (for example, this newsletter)
• Go to coffee shops more
• Save an exciting podcast I want to listen to in the evening
• Reading books at the end of my day (something to look forward to)

To recharge:

• Be disciplined with the Pomodoro technique and have shorter work times (25mins on, 5 mins off). Because of my dyslexia, I need to factor in more rest to operate efficiently (advice I completely threw out the window)
• When resting, DO NOTHING. Literally, do nothing but stare at a wall for 5-10mins
• Make sure I know exactly what I will do when I enter my next work block

Flow and productivity optimization

• Every 2 hours, change position or environment (staying in one place will keep you stuck in habitual loops)
• In the afternoon, walk 20mins to the coffee shop to do 2 hours of work
• Break tasks down as small as possible and get crystal clear on what I need to do

Make time for other areas:

• Go to the gym 4x a week
• Spend more time with friends who give me energy
• Read an interesting book and level up my knowledge

Satisfying these areas will help me build a life that I look forward to living everyday.

Sprinkling in enjoyable things will give me something to look forward to.

Making focus blocks shorter will level up my focus.

Keeping my health and relationships up will reduce my anxiety and stress.

These are what work for me right now.

I'll keep you updated down the line.

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I appreciate you taking the time to read this as always.

See ya next week.
- Fernando

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