You’re Not Broken—You’re Just Not Built for Burnout: Focus and Flow.
Most of the business advice we get is from people who treat their energy like a bottomless tank.
Wake up early. Grind until late. Outwork everyone.
Throw 3 hours of cold plunges, journaling, funnel testing, and sales calls into your day like it’s nothing.
I’m not wired like that. Maybe you're not either.
This is for those of us who crack under that pace.
Who burn bright and then flicker out.
Who love the work—but can’t sustain the grind.
This is for the ones whose nervous systems scream when calendars get crowded.
Who've woken up tired after a full night’s sleep.
Though you’ve got ideas, drive, potential—you don’t always feel like a match for your ambition.
You’re not lazy.
You’re not weak.
You're just wired for burnout differently.
I feel like the match. I burn bright, then exhaustion hits.
To me, everyone else feels like a zippo, sustaining full-fire energy.
For me, working too hard isn’t a flex.
It’s a shutdown trigger.
I don’t get that Gary Vee rush from waking up at 4:45 AM and grinding til I go to bed.
I deal with chronic fatigue syndrome - resulting in joint pain, muscle weakness, and exhaustion.
It is nervous system overload.
You may deal with similar: ADHD, neurodivergent, migraines…
And for people like us? The “outwork everyone” gospel isn’t just ineffective…
It’s destructive.
Because the harder you push, the closer you are to shutdown.
We are chasing the dream, but need a sustainable solution.
Enter Focus and Flow
In my 20s (39 at the time of writing this), I had built an agency.
I was making my own money, in control of my success, and completely wiped out.
I was sleeping 12 hours a night, and taking naps midday. All because of CFS.
The taste of freedom of owning an agency was sweet, but I didn't have the time or energy to succeed.
I tried cold plunges, cryotherapy, diets….most exacerbated the issues.
I felt like I was doomed to fail.
But I had a coach to guide me.
Yes, I pay for all sorts of coaching when I need it: life, business, surfing, Muay Thai, jiu jitsu…always learn from someone better than you.
I had clarity around what I wanted…
goals, business direction, relationships…
but no sustainable path to get there.
Everything was effort.
Everything was tension.
Every little decision felt like a hill.
I needed a north star. A reset button. A mantra.
I asked, “What can I hold onto when my brain is swimming and my body’s shutting down?”
Using surfing as a way to take business out of the equation, we talked through a scenario…
When I am standing on a surfboard…
looking down a wave…
and I see a spot (focus) I want to do a trick
- I can't just teleport there.
I must find the route.
There are power spots in a wave to take advantage of for speed,
but there are also obstacles like other surfers, rocks, flat spots that slow me down…
all must be navigated using the energy I have (flow).
That’s where “Focus & Flow” came from.
Focus = Where I’m going.
Flow = How I get there.
The Focus & Flow Framework
Set a Target (Focus)
It’s not just a goal, it’s a moment. What does “success” actually look like? Define the dot. Zoom in on the kind of rhythm, result, or connection you want. What will it it look like when you get there?
Inventory What You’ve Got
Tools, knowledge, network, ideas, energy levels, clarity, rest, time—this includes your limitations, too. Your truth is part of the strategy.
Path the Route (Flow)
What’s the step-by-step that respects your resources, your energy window, and how long it will realistically take? If you try to skip steps, nature takes over. Grind, and you risk exhaustion setting you back.
Flow Into Movement
Movement doesn't mean force. It means rhythm. Some days are active, some days are intentional rest. Sometimes you accelerate. Sometimes you slow down and reroute. But you keep tracking the wave.
Now, close your eyes (after reading the directions):
Put your “focus” on the far top right.
You are on the far bottom left.
You have your tools, knowledge, and all other resources with you.
Plot diversions, detours, and obstacles.
Now, when you hit those obstructing your path (low funds, exhaustion, etc), how will you flow past to get to your focus? How will your tools, knowledge, etc get you there?
This is how you build powerful momentum without wrecking yourself.
Because let me be clear:
Flow doesn’t mean passivity.
It means calculated, paced progression.
It means long-term wins without life-costing sacrifice.
Think of It Like This:
Focus is clarity
Flow is strategy
Forcing creates resistance. Flowing honors rhythm
Forcing may get fast wins. Flowing keeps you in the game long enough to win bigger.
Your Nervous System Is Part of the Plan
When I feel my teeth grinding, my thoughts spiraling, or that pressure in my chest building, I stop. I mutter the word “Flow” aloud. It’s small, but it resets me. I close my eyes and picture the wave.
From there I can ask:
Am I sprinting toward something... or trying to escape a feeling?
Am I honoring pacing... or treating my life like a productivity app?
Am I aligned... or just following noise?
That’s what “Focus and Flow” is for.
It slows down the urgency so I can see again.
If You’re Tired, This Might Be Your Way
You don’t have to be broken to be tired.
And just because you’re tired doesn’t mean you’re weak.
Some people are built for brute force.
I respect that grind—until it becomes shaming. Until it turns into the only model we're allowed to admire.
For people like me—with chronic fatigue, with limited energy, with nervous systems that can only take so much—there has to be another way. And this is it.
Know your direction.
Find your rhythm.
Let pressure go wherever it needs to and stay present within your pace.
Focus and Flow.
TL;DR cause you are tired:
You don’t need to hustle to have worth
You don’t need to grind to be successful
Not every achievement requires exhaustion
You just need consistent, aligned, finessed movement
Set a focus.
Find your flow.
That’s how some of us stay alive—mentally, physically, financially—and thrive on our terms.
Need help. I created a custom GPT that will give you clarity. Join my newsletter, and it will get sent directly to your inbox.
Having focus requires conviction. But focus alone isn’t always loud. For some of us, quiet conviction is enough.
Check out this breakdown on how confidence is actually built → Conviction and Confidence
Flow happens when you reduce friction. Often, that friction comes from unnecessary options and overwhelming inputs. If you want to move with intention, you need to declutter the map.
I explain how in → Reduce Variables