Yes, you're right. You can’t concentrate like you used to. And it’s not because you’re lazy, or inherently flawed, or because you need a colour-coded planner.

But it could be your dopamine.

In this week's episode, I'm breaking down:

• What dopamine actually does for your brain (hint: it’s not just about feeling good)

• Why your phone is draining your brain juice

• Why your morning scroll tanks your ability to focus later (it's not why you think)

• Why you can’t just “discipline” your way out of feeling foggy

• And how understanding dopamine can help you work better without doing a total business overhaul or becoming a Pomodoro monk.

There’s a lemon analogy. There’s a deer-hunting metaphor. There’s unqualified science chat.

This one’s for you if:
✨ You keep asking “Why can’t I just do the thing?”
✨ You’ve noticed your brain feels foggier, more distracted, and weirdly resistant
✨ You want your focus (and motivation) back—without needing a digital detox retreat in the Alps

🎧 Hit play and don’t squeeze your lemons too hard.

Come DM me what you thought @theproductivityproject_ or join the dope chat (yes she did) in my stories.

Welcome to the very first episode of my new podcast series: Unsolicited Productivity Advice You Didn’t Ask For — aka me sliding (ew) uninvited into your ears with chaotic voice note energy and helpful strategies for navigating the season of life you’re in.

This week’s question came from a mum of two small kids, running a 1:1 client business, trying to build a group program, sleeping approximately four hours a night, and trying her little heart out to make her one big goal happen.

Here’s what we get into:

⏳ Traditional productivity advice and why it fails mums, creatives, and actual humans with actual lives
💡 Why reframing your year into 10-week blocks could be your burnout-proof business breakthrough
🌿 How to stop managing your time and start managing your energy🧠 The ONE question that can shift you from “maybe I’m not cut out for this” to “maybe I’m just chasing a goal that doesn’t fit my season”
🎨 And why you need to do one gloriously unmonetised, joyfully useless thing every week (and no, it’s not Canva)

If you’ve been feeling like your dreams are one nap-time away from extinction, this ep is a cosy, compassionate reminder that the problem isn’t you — it’s the expectations you’re trying to meet in a life that doesn’t fit them.

This week, I’m coming to you post-school-holidays, post-unplanned time off, post-realisation-that-I-mighta'-been-chasing-some-goals-I-don’t-actually-want.

So if you've ever:

• Rolled your big dream over from one year to the next (and next…)

• Found yourself burning out - not from working too hard - but from chasing a version of success that doesn’t even feel like yours

• Wondered if the problem is actually you (spoiler: it’s usually not)

…then this episode is for you, petal.

Listen and I'll voice note you:

✨ What happens when you stop forcing your life to fit your to-do list✨ How taking unplanned time off gave me the permission slip I didn’t know I needed✨ The difference between not having what it takes vs not wanting what it takes✨ The sneaky corporate productivity patterns that keep us stuck at our desks even when we know better, aaaand...✨ A few juicy questions to ask if your goals are starting to feel like a trap

🧠 Listen now, then head to my Substack for the more personal (and slightly chaotic) story behind all of this.