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Self-Development, Productivity

February 12, 2024

How to Work Less But Get More Results (5 Lessons from My First Burnout Experience)

Around mid-January,

I woke up at 4:30 AM, lying in bed for 30 minutes.

“I don’t want to write,” I thought.

I wanted to go straight to my desk, but my head refused. “Do I have to write again?” “Even if I do, nothing changes—two months of no growth. Skipping a day won’t make a difference.” “I’ve worked so hard; I don’t want to do it again.”

That’s when I realized I had started to hate writing.

“As the famous saying goes, ‘Writing can change your life.'”

But all I see it as is an obstacle to my progress, hindering my lever movement.

I don’t know why I have to write.

This is my first experience with burnout.

So, I took a step back to reflect on my mistakes.

For over three weeks, I disconnected from social media and focused on what I wanted to do:

Finished my website
Set new quarterly goals
Worked on marketing and outlined my course
Collaborated with my friend
Focused on my real life

Reflecting on my journey since starting my business, I realized I worked:

In the morning before my co-workers arrived
After workouts and returning home
Even on weekends

All of this led to one problem:

Feeling like I was working endlessly.

I no longer found it fun, and seeing no progression for two months made me feel like I was wasting my time.

That’s when I began to understand the feeling of an office worker who dedicates their energy, time, and resources to working on other people’s dreams, only to end up burned out.

This quote hit me hard.

Most things in life don’t happen in a linear curve but in “Diminishing Returns.”

Think of eating a lot of chocolate cake. The more you eat, the less you want.

I used to believe that working 4 hours would yield double the results of working 2 hours.

But I finally realized my mistake:

Toxic productivity
Fear of missing out

Then, after watching Mark Manson’s video on “The Invert Law,” I grasped the concept of “Work less but more.”

Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned from my reflection that can help you build your business sustainably and enjoy the journey:

1. Focused Work

It sounds like generic advice, but it’s true that you don’t need 12 hours to grind every day to see success. We all have responsibilities in life.

a 9-5 job
Take care of your children.
Cooking and cleaning the house
Buy groceries
Studying

And the list goes on.

You need only 2-4 hours of focus to move the lever.

For 9–5, I believe morning is the best time to move the lever for some reason.

The environment is suitable for focus.
Higher energy levels and cognitive function.
Getting work done before starting your 9–5 can reduce anxiety and stress.

But not everyone can do deep work in the morning due to their responsibilities.

So, it’s important to block a specific time and location for focused work.

Being specific about what you want and how you will achieve it helps you say no to things that derail progress, distract your attention, and pull you off course.

And the key to deep work is…

2. Prioritization

Yep, it’s not about your focus.

When your time is limited, prioritization is key.

Deep working is about moving the lever (I’ve discussed this concept in a previous issue).

The tip for prioritizing deep work is to prioritize tasks according to your energy levels. I found this prioritization method in Dan Koe’s letter:

Move the lever (non-negotiable).
High-leverage creative work
Less creative work
Maintenance tasks

These priorities are especially effective for content creators.

For Dan Koe, the second and third priorities are writing newsletters and social media content, respectively, while the last one is similar to administrative tasks.

Although you have good prioritization, you can still face this problem…

3. Disconnect From Your Work

This is my biggest mistake that led to burnout.

There are 2 reasons why you might struggle to disconnect from work:

You believe that working more will yield better results.—But the law of diminishing returns applies to productivity. The more effort you put in, the less reward you get. No matter if you work harder, the result is still the same. This concept addresses the fear of missing out, which can keep you working endlessly despite wanting to stop.
You may feel like you never finish your work, even though you do.—When you run your own business, you’re your own boss. If you don’t set boundaries, you’ll end up working endlessly and neglecting rest.

4. Don’t Forget to Rest

Set specific times for rest, both on a macro and micro level.

You may have heard of the Pomodoro Technique, which helps maintain focus while working or studying.

This principle applies in various aspects of life.

For example, in business, after sprinting for 90 days, take a 2-week rest period.

In relationships, follow the “rule of 2”:

Spend time together every 2 days.
Have dinner together at a restaurant every 2 weeks.
Travel to another city every 2 months.
Take a long vacation to another country together every 2 years.

During deep work sessions, take breaks for 5-15 minutes depending on your focus. Find a day each week to disconnect and spend time with your family or yourself.

And the last one is the most important.

5. Focus on System

When you focus on your goal, you are focusing on the result.

But when you focus on your system, you are focusing on input.

The key to enjoying the process is feeling progression.

This is how you can stick with a video game for hours —the experience system for your character keeps you engaged and wanting to improve.

But the problem is we don’t have any experience bar gauge to measure our progress in the real world.

The good news is you can make your progress visible easily.

A simple way is to use a calendar. By marking an “X” every day, you can track your progress and maintain momentum.

Personally, I use Notion to create my own status bar for habit tracking and project management.

To summarize what I’ve said so far

Burnout results from meaningless work and neglecting rest when possible. Key points include:

The importance of focused work
Prioritization to maximize productivity
Disconnecting from work to prevent burnout
Remembering to rest regularly
Focusing on building effective systems

Thanks for reading!

Have an awesome weekend, and let’s gear up for the next week.

See you then!

Bell

My name is Natchapon Promprasert, and I’m a nuclear scientist.

I help 9-5ers to building a personal brand business alongside their main job so that they can quit their job and live their dream life

My expertise lies in building workflows, digital marketing funnels, and content marketing.

"To inspire people to design their lifestyle
So that they can achieve their goals as their best selves."

People have the potential to achieve any goal, as the universe is abundant.

But “you’re not reaching your goal. you fall into your routine.”

What really matters to us is “How You Live.”

Become the best version of yourself.