Overwhelmed by Work? Here’s Why I Built Empowered Productivity

I’ll own it: I’m a control enthusiast.

I don’t just prefer to be in control — I expect it. And while I fully understand there are things in life I can’t control, my perspective is that, just because I can’t control everything, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to control anything. And there are some things that are just non-negotiable. 

For example, my attention. I refuse to give up control over that, despite a world full of businesses whose profits depend on taking it from me.

That belief is exactly why I called my workflow management program Empowered Productivity. We have far more power over our own work lives than we give ourselves credit for. 

The problem isn’t our workloads, our bosses, or our inboxes. The problem is the stories we tell ourselves about why we can’t take control. These stories, which I call “unconscious calculations,” drive automatic behaviors.

However, when we actually shine a light on those stories, they rarely hold up.

Overwhelmed by work? You’re not powerless.

So many professionals I work with feel overwhelmed by work and burned out, not because their situation is hopeless, but because they accept the stories that get instilled in us by the messages we receive, like “this is just how the world is now.” I speak with people every week who say they would prefer better work and life balance, or that they could better manage their attention during the day, or that they wish their boss would stop interrupting them all the time.

The support I offer always starts with the same advice: No one can give you these things. You have to take them.

Let’s break that down.

1. Work-life balance? No one is going to hand it to you. Not your employer, not your manager, not HR. You have to decide what balance looks like for you and take it.
   
2. Undistracted work time? No one will prevent interruptions for you. Also, waiting until you “have the time” is a doomed strategy. You have to create the environment that allows you to protect your attention so that you can make progress toward your most significant results.
   
3. The balance between reactive time and proactive time? You need to designate how much of your day you will allot to working from your own task list (proactive) versus answering email, Teams or Slack messages, and attending meetings (reactive). Otherwise, the reactive beats out the proactive every time.
   

Yes, you can even control your workload.

This one surprises many people, because their belief in their own mind seems to be, “My boss keeps loading me up with work. There’s nothing I can do about it.” This “unconscious calculation” is: “I can’t push back, so I just have to do it all.” 

They don’t stop and question the story they’re telling themselves. Is it really true? Is there really nothing you can do about it?

In reality, most leaders want their team members to speak up. If you’re a team member managing ten open priorities and someone adds an eleventh, a good leader wants to hear you ask for help: “These are the things I’m working on, and they can’t all get done tomorrow. Can you help me prioritize?“

Of course, you can’t have that conversation if you don’t have a clear picture of your own workload. That requires strong workflow management skills, and that’s exactly what Empowered Productivity teaches.

If you lead, this part is on you.

If you want your team to have sustainable work- life balance, you can’t just wish it for them. A 2024 SHRM survey found that 52% of workers feel pressured to prioritize organizational well-being over their own — and that pressure flows directly from leadership behavior.

When employees make the unconscious calculation that career advancement requires 24/7 availability, no policy will fix it. Only your example will.

That starts with avoiding what I call “the boss prerogative” — the unconscious calculation that whatever you need is more important than what your team member is doing.

Leaders who fall into this trap will interrupt deep work without a second thought, even when the door is closed or some other “please don’t interrupt me” signal is showing. They’ll also unconsciously reward the employee who’s most visible or works the longest hours — regardless of actual results, such as saying, “You didn’t need to be on email last night, but thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”

To improve team productivity and build a culture where balance is real, here’s what leadership looks like in practice:

• Respect “Do Not Disturb” signals, and actively encourage your team to have them. A closed door or monitor flag means something. Agree on how to use these tools and then honor them.
• Disconnect after hours. Your team won’t feel like it’s an option for them unless you do it first.

Evaluate on results, not face time. Make it clear that availability and performance are not the same thing.

Why Empowered Productivity Is Based on Attention Management

You’ve probably heard the term “time management” your whole career. I realized more than 15 years ago that this concept is no longer helpful. It originated with Benjamin Franklin and worked fine until internet-connected devices became widely used. Managing time means “scheduling your day,” and with the constant interruptions that define most business environments, schedules no longer go according to plan. That’s exactly why time management training solves the wrong problem.

The problem today is not time scarcity, it’s distraction abundance. The antidote to distraction is not more time; it’s better managed attention. And our attention is absolutely something we can control. In fact, no one else but us has that power.

As I wrote in the Harvard Business Review, to truly control your life, you have to control what you pay attention to. This shift — from time management to attention management — is one of the most important levers for maximizing productivity and business growth. When you take control of your attention, everything else starts to follow. And that’s why attention management is the foundational component of Empowered Productivity.

The “Empowered” in Empowered Productivity

“Empowered” means “making someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life.” This is exactly the point.

We are not powerless. Not over our attention, our workloads, our boundaries, or our work habits. We just tell ourselves we are — unconsciously, out of habit, or fear, or years of conditioning. These are the stories that keep so many people perpetually overwhelmed by work, stuck in reactive mode, and unable to achieve the work-life balance they’re craving.

Here’s what I know after years of working with thousands of professionals and teams: when you really examine these stories, they don’t hold up. 

The control you think has been out of your hands? You’ve had it all along. You  just have to take it. Empowered Productivity teaches you exactly how to do this.