Why I Told My Client to Stop Being Productive
One of my clients recently told me she didn't feel very productive this last quarter.
My response? "What if that's not the goal?"
She'd fallen back into old programming - the belief that more doing equals more success. But here's the truth: if that formula worked, she'd be a billionaire by now. She's incredible at getting things done.
The problem wasn't her execution. It was her formula.
The Productivity Trap
The productivity trap says: DO more = SUCCEED more
And it keeps you on a treadmill - ticking boxes without thinking about what's actually in those boxes.
You do work that should be delegated. You stay buried in tasks that keep you working in your business instead of on it. You're so busy doing that you never step back into your zone of genius.
But my client doesn't want to be more productive. She wants to work less and hit her revenue goals.
The Shift
When we zoomed out and looked at her progress toward that destination, everything shifted.
She'd outsourced to a VA. Created and tested new offers that were ready to scale.
Stepped into CEO-level thinking about her business. The work she was doing was finally 100% aligned with building the business she actually wanted.
She had been less productive. And that was exactly right.
By the end of our call, she was laughing - recognising she was on the path to exactly what she wanted: a successful business that lets her work less, not more.
Maybe This Sounds Familiar
You look at your packed calendar and long task list and wonder why you're not further ahead. You're exhausted from all the doing but can't see a way out.
Here's what I know: you don't need to do more. You need to do different.
The goal isn't productivity. The goal is impact. The goal is building a business that works for you, not the other way around.
Where to Start
Look at your calendar from the past week and ask yourself: "How much of my time was spent on work only I can do as CEO?"
If the answer is less than 50%, you've found your problem.
You're not failing. You're just doing the wrong work.
The first step is awareness. Once you see where you're trading CEO work for busy work, you can start making different choices. You can start delegating, automating, or eliminating the tasks that keep you stuck in the productivity trap.
And you can start building the business you actually want—one where you work less and achieve more.
Ready to Make the Shift?
If you're stuck in the productivity trap and ready to work less while building a business that actually supports your life, let's talk.
I'm offering free Strategy Calls where we'll identify what's keeping you stuck in "doing" mode and map out your next step toward working in your zone of genius.
No pressure, no pitch—just clarity and a plan forward.