You’ve followed every piece of productivity advice out there. Workspace? Optimised. Calendar? Time blocked and colour coded. Notifications? Off. There’s no advice you haven’t taken. Followed to the letter, in fact. You’ve got a standing desk. You take walks. Shine a natural light lamp on your face. The Pomodoro method rules your day.
So, why are you exhausted? Completely depleted. You don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense.
There’s a niggling voice in the back of your head asking if planning your plans at the start of every day is really the best use of your time. It wants to know why you need seventeen productivity apps when your headphones do the same job. But you can’t listen. All these super successful people with their morning routines and their optimised everything – they can’t all be wrong, right?
You think you’re just missing something. Surely there must be something you’re getting wrong.
So, you go back to Instagram (or your social platform of choice) to scour for more ideas. This isn’t doom scrolling, it’s research.
Stop.
Seriously. Just stop.
Stop the optimisation. Stop the tools. Stop the tactics. Stop searching for more solutions.
Instead, take a breath. Close your eyes.
Ask yourself: Is all this advice helping you? Do you even want to be the person spouting all the generic, cliched advice?
The real problem? You’re following someone else’s definition of success. You don’t even know if they use the methods they preach. You’re chasing something that, at worst, isn’t real and, at best, just isn’t right for you.
When you stop and really look at it? It’s generic bullshit designed to work for everyone, which means it works for no one.
However, you aren’t everyone. Your life isn’t theirs. You’re chasing someone else’s version of success and exhausting yourself in the process.
Last week’s Exhaustion Test showed you that you’re chasing someone else’s version of success. This week? Your environment is keeping you stuck there.
You already know what works. You just aren’t doing it.
I focus better with headphones in. In-ear, not over ear. And, I don’t need to have music playing. I know this. But, some days I forget. Other days I’m scrolling and I can’t even stop long enough to put them in. Those days are frustrating. I get very little done. I’m tired and irritable. On the days I remember, I fly. I tick off tasks that have been on my list for weeks. Finally write the difficult email. Work through the tricky task that’s been sitting there, staring at me. I love those days. You know the ones I mean.
So how do you actually change this? Start here. Take these points and make them yours.
1. Your morning routine
Generic advice says: Wake at 5am. Meditate. Journal. Cold shower. Green smoothie. All of it. In that order. Every day.
You tried it. Dragged yourself out of bed at 5am, forced yourself to sit still and meditate when your brain was still foggy, journalled things you didn’t mean, stood under freezing water questioning your life choices, then choked down a smoothie that tasted vile and left you feeling hungry 10 minutes later.
You lasted a week. Maybe two. Then you gave up and decided you’re just not a morning person.
But you never stopped to ask what actually wasn’t working.
Was it the 5am? Or was it the meditation when your brain wasn’t ready? The cold shower? The disgusting smoothie? The fact that you tried to do ALL of it at once?
Why you’re not doing it: Because you swallowed the entire package without questioning which bits actually work for you. So you tried all of it, failed, and decided the whole thing isn’t for you.
You’ve told yourself a story – ‘I’m not a morning person’ – based on one failed attempt at someone else’s complete system.
Try this: Stop trying to do it all. Take the bits that work, bin the rest.
I tried 4.30am. Too early. But 5am? That works. The meditation/journal/movement in the first hour? Awful. But quick admin tasks to clear my head? Perfect. Meditation later, at the start of my working day when I’m actually ready for it? That works too.
Your morning routine doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s. Test the individual pieces. Keep what serves you. Ignore the rest.
You might be a morning person after all. You just don’t want to be someone else’s version of one. That’s how you make productivity advice work – take what fits, ignore what doesn’t.
2. Your workspace setup
Generic advice says: Minimalist desk. Nothing but laptop and a single plant. Marie Kondo would approve. Instagram-ready. The kind of setup that screams ‘I’m very serious about my work.’
You set it all up. Cleared the clutter. Put everything away in drawers.
And yet, you still avoid your desk. It feels sterile. Like a productivity prison where you’re supposed to have deep thoughts but your brain just feels… flat.
You work better with things around you. Post-its on the wall. Notes scattered. A notebook. Pictures. Things to look at while you think. Visual chaos is how your brain processes.
But you’ve cleared it all away because that’s what productive people do.
Why you’re not doing it: Because minimalism equals discipline. Clutter equals lack of discipline.
And here’s where it gets ridiculous: apparently you’re not disciplined if you need a Post-it to remind yourself to do something important. Disciplined people just remember.
Bullshit.
You’re not undisciplined because you use visual reminders. You’re working with how your brain actually functions. The Post-it isn’t a crutch – it’s a tool. The notes on the wall aren’t mess – they’re your system.
But you’ve been told that needing these things means you lack discipline, so you’ve stripped them away and wonder why your brain feels disconnected.
Try this: Put the stuff back. Not everything – you don’t need 12 months of browser tabs still open. But the physical things that make your brain work? Use them.
Pin things to the wall. Keep your notebook out. Have multiple pens within reach. Surround yourself with the visual stimulation your brain actually needs.
Design a workspace that matches how you think, not what someone has told you it should look like.
3. Your focus tools
Generic advice says: Apps. Timers. Pomodoro. Website blockers. Gamify everything.
So you download them all. The time tracker. The focus app. The to-do list that syncs with your calendar that integrates with your project management tool. Now you’ve got apps to block websites and apps to track your app usage and apps to remind you to use your other apps. Sorted?
You spend more time managing your productivity system than actually being productive.
And every time you go on social media, there’s a new one. This is the app that’s going to fix everything. The one that finally makes it all work. You download it. Add it to the collection. Nothing changes.
Why you’re not doing it: Because you’re collecting solutions without defining the problem.
You’ve never stopped to ask: What do I actually need? A calendar? An appointments system? A to-do list? Something to track projects?
Instead, you’ve just been adding tools every time something feels hard, hoping the right app will make it easy.
Try this: Stop. Map out what you actually need. Write it down. One list.
Then find ONE solution for each need. One calendar app. One to-do list. One way to track appointments.
Challenge yourself: Is this the simplest option? Could something simpler do the job?
In fact, it might be an app. There might even be one app that handles multiple things on your list. Fine. Use it.
But you’re building a system for YOUR needs, not collecting every tool someone on Instagram swears by.
Define the problem first. Then find the simplest solution. Not the other way around. That’s the best way to make productivity tools and advice work for you.
4. Your calendar and time management
You hit the milestone. The recognition arrives. The thing you’ve been working towards for months finally happens.
Generic advice says: Time blocking. Every minute scheduled. Colour-coded calendar. Batch similar tasks. Protect your time.
Your calendar is now a Tetris game you lose daily. Rigid structure makes you want to rebel against your own schedule. You move blocks around. Reschedule. Feel guilty when you don’t stick to it.
The plan looks impressive. Following it feels impossible.
Why you’re not doing it: Because you’ve never stopped to ask yourself if you want to live like this.
Successful people time-block every minute. Everything is intentional. Planned. Optimised.
Really? How do you know? Have you seen their calendar, or just the curated version they post online?
And even if they do live like that – do you want to? Does controlling every minute of your day serve you, or does it just look like what productivity is supposed to be?
Try this: Chasing someone else’s version of success drains your energy – even when you follow all the ‘right’ advice. You need structure, but not rigidity.
I’m still refining this one myself. But here’s what works for me: A list of things I want to get done. I pick 3, have a rough idea of when in the day I’ll tackle them, and take a moment to make them matter – why are they on the list, why today, how will I feel when they’re done. Then I get on with it.
Time blocking is too rigid for me. But I need a plan. Tasks to focus on. Ways to avoid procrastinating about what to do next.
Find your version. Maybe it’s loose time windows instead of strict blocks. Maybe it’s energy-based scheduling (meetings in the afternoon when your brain’s foggy, focused work in the morning when you’re sharp). Maybe it’s just knowing your 3 things and trusting yourself to get them done.
Build the structure that supports you, not the one that looks good in a productivity Instagram post.
5. Your digital environment
Generic advice says: Delete social media. Turn off all notifications. Phone in another room. Digital minimalism.
You feel disconnected and anxious. You check your phone more because it’s forbidden. Restriction creates obsession.
And yet, everyone tells you the platforms are designed to keep you scrolling. They don’t want you to leave.
So you’re being told you can’t use your phone (by productivity people) and you can’t leave the platform (by the algorithms). Everyone’s trying to control what you do with your phone except you.
Why you’re not doing it: Because the advice is all-or-nothing. Because moderation isn’t extreme enough.
This is the most generic of all the generic advice. It’s impressively useless. It completely fails to account for how people actually live. Some people use their phone for work. You can’t just delete everything and pretend you don’t live in the real world. That’s ridiculous.
Try this: Stop trying to become a digital monk. Set boundaries that work for how you actually live.
You can have your phone AND focus. You just need to make the distracting stuff less convenient.
I removed the News app. Almost immediately, I felt better. I still read the news – I just have to remember to do it instead of mindlessly tapping on an app icon. I use social platforms for work, so I can’t delete them. But I removed them from my home screen. They’re still there, just a little harder to find.
That’s it. Small friction that makes the scrolling less automatic.
You could do the same: Phone face down during focused work. Notifications off for 90 minutes at a time. Apps moved off your home screen. Evening phone-free time. An appointment to scroll guilt-free at a time you choose. Just because you want to.
Similarly, the same goes for your computer. You don’t need website blockers or to turn off the internet. But maybe email doesn’t need to be open all day. Maybe Slack can wait 90 minutes. Maybe those 47 browser tabs you’ve had open for three months aren’t actually helping you – close them and trust that if something matters, you’ll remember it or find it again.
The goal isn’t to eliminate digital distractions. It’s to use them intentionally instead of automatically. You decide when you engage. Build digital boundaries that fit your life. That’s how you make digital productivity advice work – boundaries that fit you, not rules that fight you.
6. Your evening routine
Generic advice says: Side hustle after work. Second shift productivity. Optimise your evenings. No TV, only growth.
Evening advice is less specific than morning routines, but the pressure to ‘optimise’ every hour is just as exhausting. And if you’re an evening person? This matters more than your morning routine ever will.
You walk through the door already drained. The idea of ‘optimising’ your evening makes you want to collapse on the sofa.
Why you’re not doing it: Because you’ve spent all day earning the right to do whatever you want with your evening. You’re right. You have.
But if you want to spend your free time working on something that matters to you – not your manager – you need to change that story.
You haven’t earned the right to collapse. You’ve earned the right to work on your own thing.
Try this: Environmental design feels manipulative. You think you should just have willpower.
But willpower doesn’t work when you’re exhausted. Environment does.
Walk through the door and ask ‘what’s next?’ before you sit down. Have one small thing ready to do – laptop out, project visible. Set up your environment before you leave for work.
We got into the routine of watching boxsets every night. Sat down at 8pm to watch one episode, which became 7pm and two episodes.
It was nice. We told ourselves we were doing something together.
But we weren’t. Not really. We weren’t talking. My business wasn’t starting itself. My partner’s photography library wasn’t being built.
Now we only watch TV Friday to Sunday evenings. Some weeks we don’t watch it at all.
My business is launched. He’s started curating photography books. Now we talk about our work, still watch boxsets, and read more.
You don’t have to choose between relaxing and doing something that matters. You just have to be intentional about which one you’re doing when. (For more practical energy shifts like this, see Why Productivity Advice is Making You Exhausted). Making productivity advice work means being intentional, not being busy.
7. Your physical environment (beyond your desk)
Generic advice says: Organise your space properly and you’ll naturally do the things you want to do. Create zones. Declutter. Optimal layouts. A space for every activity.
Your home should have a creative zone where your projects live, beautifully laid out and Instagram-ready. A reading nook, a meditation corner, or a hobby station.
And everyone loves to say: make it visible. Leave it out where you can see it. You’ll naturally do it more.
Why you’re not doing it: Because “make it visible” is only half the story.
Visibility works when the barrier to actually doing the thing is low. But when the barrier is high, visibility just makes you feel guilty about not doing it.
You don’t have spare rooms for dedicated zones. The advice assumes unlimited space. And they never mention the setup and teardown time that stops you before you even start.
Try this: Make low-barrier activities visible and ready.
Trainers by the door if you want to run. Laptop on the worktop so you see it before you reach the sofa. Your guitar on a stand, not in its case. A half-read book open on the table. Knitting left out on the chair.
Visibility plus easy access. When you see it and can start immediately, you’re more likely to do it.
But some activities have high barriers no matter where you put them.
I don’t sew because I’d need to clear my desk, dig out my project, set up my machine, haul out the iron and ironing board. By the time I’ve set it all up, I’ll need to stop and put it away again. Unless I have 3 hours, I won’t bother.
So, making my sewing machine visible wouldn’t help. That’s because the barrier isn’t remembering it exists – it’s the setup cost.
So for high-barrier activities: either leave them set up if you have the space, batch your time into longer sessions that make the setup worth it, or accept that right now, with your current space and schedule, this hobby doesn’t fit.
Make the easy things easier, and be realistic about the hard things. Stop trying to force every tip to fit. This makes the advice work for your actual space and schedule, and improves your productivity.
8. Your social environment
Generic advice says: Network constantly. Join masterminds. Surround yourself with ambitious people. Cut out anyone not growing.
You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If they’re not adding value, they’re taking it. Your network is your net worth.
Why you’re not doing it: Because it doesn’t sit right with you.
You aren’t cut-throat or ruthless. You enjoy being surrounded by different types of people. And when you actually think about cutting someone loose, they’re not that bad. They’re just not optimising you.
But, people aren’t productivity tools. Some relationships serve purposes beyond making you grow or pushing you forward.
Your comfortable friend who never challenges you? That’s exactly what you need after a crap week. Your family member who doesn’t understand your business? You still love spending time with them. The colleague who drains you in meetings but makes you laugh at lunch? They’re not all bad.
You’re not a robot optimising inputs. You’re a human with complex relationships that matter for reasons beyond ‘growth’.
Try this: You don’t need to cut people out. Instead, you need to be intentional about when and how you engage.
Limit time with people who drain you without ghosting them. Meet for coffee instead of dinner. See them when you’re energised, not when you’re already depleted.
Be selective about what you share. Your family doesn’t need to hear about every business pivot. Your comfortable friend doesn’t need to become your accountability partner.
Recognise that different people serve different purposes. Some people challenge you while others comfort you. Some make you laugh and others help you think. You need all of them – just not all at once, and not for the same reasons.
Stop trying to optimise your social circle like it’s a business strategy. Build a life with people who matter to you, even if they don’t fit the ‘ambitious network’ mould.
Make it work for you
You’ve just read 8 things you probably already knew. And, none of it was ground-breaking or new. In fact, you’re sure you’ve heard most of it before. Many times. But, the difference here is that they show you how to make productivity advice work as a starting point, not a prescription. They’re designed to raise awareness for what’s going on in your life, what’s holding you back, and how you might do something to change it.
No one knows you or your life better than you. So you’re the only person who knows what might work, and you’re the only person who can test it. The power of these ideas isn’t their direction – it’s their flexibility.
Still can’t figure out how to make the productivity advice work? Still not seeing improvements?
You’re not alone. Most people follow all the right advice but can’t see what’s actually blocking them. That’s exactly what we work on together. We identify what’s keeping you stuck and redesign your environment, then you can work towards your version of success, not someone else’s.
Book a free discovery call. Let’s talk about what’s happening in your environment and how small shifts could help you improve your productivity.
