Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Welcome to the Happy Stack Podcast, where we explore the science and strategies behind creating a happier, more fulfilling life. I'm Teriann Richards and I partner with organizations to address the root causes of burnout, disengagement, and stress. Equipping leaders and teams with the tools they need to thrive, both organizationally and personally. Each episode we dive into practical habits, insights, and strategies to help high performers like you level up from the inside out. Let's get stacking.
[00:00:34] You ever finish a workday and feel like your brain's been run over by a truck, but you didn't actually do anything meaningful? Like you were busy, you were in meetings, you replied to messages, you checked things off a list, but nothing that actually mattered? Move forward.
[00:00:54] You. You're not alone, my friends. And no, before you say it in your head, you're not lazy. You're likely not even burned out in the classic sense, but you are cognitively fried.
[00:01:07] Today's episode is about something I'm calling focus fatigue. The real reason so many high performers feel overwhelmed, under inspired and stuck in reactive mode.
[00:01:21] So let's unpack it.
[00:01:22] We are used to talking about burnout like it's this dramatic collapse, exhaustion, cynicism, full blown disengagement.
[00:01:35] But there's a quieter, sneakier version, and that's focus fatigue.
[00:01:41] Here's what it looks like. You read the same sentence three times.
[00:01:46] You start eight tasks, but you finish frickin none. You default to reactive work, email slack motion text instead of doing strategic work, and you avoid deep work because you don't have the time.
[00:02:06] Now here's the truth.
[00:02:08] This is not a willpower issue.
[00:02:10] It's about brain bandwidth.
[00:02:14] And most of us are leaking it all day, every day and twice on Sundays. In fact, studies show that task switching reduces productivity by up to 40%.
[00:02:29] So just seeing a notification without even opening it can derail your focus for up to 23 minutes.
[00:02:40] And I know that you know this. We are literally doing this to ourselves hundreds of freaking times. I don't have my phone with me right now, but if I did, I would show you all those stupid notifications that show up at the top. Now mind you, a few years ago I put that darn thing on mute so I don't see it or hear it anymore.
[00:03:01] I want to talk about brain science.
[00:03:04] When you switch tasks, your brain literally has to reorient itself.
[00:03:10] This switch cost burns glucose and increases cortisol, even if you think this is minor.
[00:03:19] So that means that every time you get a slack ping, every calendar check, every time you pick up your phone and you just do a quick scroll.
[00:03:29] You do an email refresh to see if something new has come in.
[00:03:32] It actually is taxing your executive function. And over time, this constant context switching shrinks your working memory. It reduces cognitive control, it increases impulsivity, and it kills your creativity.
[00:03:51] So it's no wonder you can't just focus.
[00:03:55] Your brain is not broke, it's not stuck, it's overload it.
[00:04:01] And let's not forget about the dopamine loop. Apps are literally engineered to reward partial attention.
[00:04:10] So every ping equals a micro hit of novelty.
[00:04:15] But dopamine without completion, well for most of us it equals dissatisfaction. Which means you're wired but not fulfilled.
[00:04:25] Okay? And so this doesn't just cost us our time, it cost us our trust in ourselves and in our leadership.
[00:04:33] When you're in a constant reactive state, you lose strategic vision. You start avoiding decisions. You over commit because your brain can't track priorities.
[00:04:45] You feel busy but behind, which leads to shame, right?
[00:04:50] And that shame, well, it's dangerous because now instead of adjusting your systems, you start questioning yourself, why can't I just keep up? Why can't I focus like I used to?
[00:05:05] Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.
[00:05:08] And my answer to that is just no.
[00:05:10] This is not you being broken. This is not you having an ick. This is your system being broken.
[00:05:20] And the world was not built for your brain to thrive, it was built to hijack it.
[00:05:28] I want to go even deeper on this, right?
[00:05:31] When your brain is constantly fragmented, the nervous system can't settle. You live in this low grade state of fight or flight and this affects your digestion, your sleep quality, your ability to emotionally regulate.
[00:05:50] The question is why?
[00:05:52] Well, because the vagus nerve, which is your body's brake pedal, can't do its job when you are in a hyper reactivity mode.
[00:06:03] So stillness is not a luxury, right? It's a reset button.
[00:06:09] And without it, you'll confuse overwhelm with urgency and you're going to burn energy on the wrong things.
[00:06:17] So here's what I teach my high performance clients when they're spinning in the scatter, if you will. So number one, time block for cognitive clean tasks.
[00:06:29] So group similar types of thinking together.
[00:06:33] So don't mix coaching calls with finance spreadsheets or email replies. The brain needs some sort of a rhythm, a pattern if you will, to follow.
[00:06:46] Number two, create a no switch zone. So all that means is pick one hour a day. No phone, no email, no notifications, no slack. Put your brain on airplane mode. And this is what I would call your deep work window. So protect it.
[00:07:07] No looking at anything. Do the deep work. Right.
[00:07:11] Number three, use the two tab rule. This one's going to freaking freak y' all out, because I know right now as I'm recording this, I've got eight open, so this one's hard. But number three is use the two tab rule.
[00:07:27] You get to have two tabs open at a time.
[00:07:33] Now, I know this is not something that's feasible all the time, but what it does is it. The force constraints, though, they improve your overall clarity and your ability to focus. And sometimes that's necessary for the work that we're doing. So not all the time, but sometimes.
[00:07:50] Number four, default to paper when overstimulated. This is huge.
[00:07:55] When your brain feels noisy, when there's a lot going on, go analog brain. Dump all that crap on paper.
[00:08:03] Outline your top three priorities for the day.
[00:08:07] Write down your accomplishments. At the end of the day, write down the notes from the conference because it reduces the cognitive load by half.
[00:08:16] Number five, end your day with a closure ritual. It doesn't need to be what I do. It doesn't need to be what everybody else does. Just find something that you can build a rhythm and that you do on a daily basis. So this could be writing tomorrow's top priority in your journal or in your day planner. Sorry. It could be a two minute breath reset. It could be a tech shutdown.
[00:08:40] It could be, you know, reading 10 pages in a book. The point is to signal safety to your nervous system, because when your brain actually feels safe, it can start to focus.
[00:08:53] So let's wrap with this.
[00:08:55] Focus is a byproduct of safety, clarity, and intention.
[00:09:00] So if your system feels like it's leaking, your focus is going to follow suit.
[00:09:07] So if you're judging yourself for not doing more, staying on task, I just want you to pause.
[00:09:15] Because most of us do not need another productivity hack. We just need fewer distractions. The world has gotten a little busy, and we do not need to push harder, grind harder. Just do the damn thing. We need to slow it down, take a beat, and think slower.
[00:09:36] Because this is what real high performance looks like. A calm brain, a very clear target, a clear priority, and a quiet, calm, chill nervous system.
[00:09:52] If this episode hit home, your challenge today is simple. Track your distraction loops.
[00:10:00] Where are you leaking focus?
[00:10:02] What tiny interruptions are draining your energy?
[00:10:07] And then pick one, shift just one. That's it from this episode, and just try it for the next three days. That is how you build happiness. That is how you build clarity. And that, my friends, is how you start stacking. This is me, Terry M. And I will see you in the next episode.
[00:10:27] Peace.
[00:10:29] Hey, thanks for listening to the Happy Stack Podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little extra happiness in their life. Let's keep stacking those wins together. See you next time.
