Why "Hustle Culture" is Dying (and what's replacing it)

Whenever we ask someone how their day is going, how often do they respond with ‘busy’ or some descriptor? Try it today and see. We often wear it like a badge of honour. It’s been glorified in our culture. The always on, pulling late nights, working all hours, emails at 10:30pm. Yet the glorification of overwork, long hours, and constant productivity is taking its toll on us.

In an age of burnout and mental health crises we’re seeing a shift in values. Once seen as the key to success, these norms are being challenged.

Hustle culture is the sentiment that more is always better and you can sleep when you’re dead, it’s also pushing us closer to that being the reality! It’s not just diminishing our health and wellbeing though but our productivity too.  We’re not our best or performing well when we’re exhausted, unwell and distracted.

I learned this the hard way when my corporate career ended in burnout.  Back to back meetings, emails late at night and a hustle to do more and try and prove myself led to my undoing and in the opposite direction of the peak performance I was chasing.  It was a recipe I saw play out everywhere around me and something I’ve learned to do very differently these days as a result.

I’ve noticed there’s a wider shift at play here too, we’re slowly starting to realise it’s not about the hours we work but the value and impact we create inside those hours that really matters and makes us successful.

So if hustle culture is dying, what’s replacing it and what’s driving this change?

The Fall of Hustle Culture

Many forward thinking businesses are recognising that performance isn’t about hours worked but about sustainable efficiency. This is backed up by studies showing overwork leads to burnout, lower productivity, and poor health.

Our systems and environments are starting to change but so are we. The pandemic forced a global rethink of work-life balance. It gave us perspective and a chance to ask the important questions like what matters and how do I want to be spending my time. Add to this the rise of remote work, flexibility and AI automation which has also shifted priorities and reshaped our approach.

Younger generations are also rejecting the “always on” mindset seeking new ways of working. To them the hustle culture doesn’t make sense. With 9-5 in an office every day seeming like a foreign concept to many who are opting for side hustles, gig economy roles and values led preferences.

What’s Replacing It?

For so long, we’ve talked about this quest for work–life balance, and yet it’s seemed elusive for many. I’ve come to the conclusion there is no work–life balance. It’s all life, and it should all balance, which includes a bit of work within that life.

Work-life balance assumes these are separate things and that life starts once work stops. Yet in reality work is part of life (often a big part), it’s all life and that’s why balance is so important.

We’re seeing a shift towards work life integration now with people seeking jobs that align with personal values and lifestyles. Flexibility is no longer a perk but an expectation and there’s more than money to motivate us, especially for younger generations.

Taking this one step further is the shift toward a 4 day week. In some places at a business level but sometimes at an individual level too where people can afford it. Some are dipping their toes in the water with a 9-day fortnight to start them off taking every other Friday off for alternate long weekends.

Emma, a Waikato based, small-business owner, admitted she used to believe success meant being available 24/7. If an email came in, she answered it, no matter the time. Eventually the pace became exhausting. She now runs her business over four focused days a week and has clear boundaries around her time. The surprising part? Her business hasn’t suffered at all, but her energy and creativity have returned.

However it’s achieved, there’s growing momentum for shorter, more productive weeks that give us better work life integration and therefore better performance too.

Mindful Productivity

At work we’re seeing two trends contribute in this space and add to the demise of the hustle culture, Mindful productivity being one. Consult any number of human productivity and performance experts and you’ll get a reoccurrence of these themes as the keys to success: Focus on deep work, take regular, intentional breaks, and practice quality over quantity.

We’re also seeing a rise in Wellness first workplaces. Again now considered an expectation not a perk for top talent in the recruitment space. This is companies prioritising mental health, flexible schedules, and well-being perks.

The final nail in the hustle culture coffin is our move as humans to want purpose over pay checks. To see the value and impact in what we do each day not to just work for the money without any meaning.

For so long we’ve believed the road to success is hard work and more of it, that’s proven not to be true. In many cases that’s proven to be harmful to our health, wellbeing and our performance.

What we now know is that we can be effective rather than busy, that we can have work and life and that can coexist in balance, that we can slow down in order to speed up and that productivity is about quality not quantity. Work can bring purpose not just a pay check and our wellness can (and should) be part of the conversation.

Hustle culture is fading as people prioritise balance, well-being, and meaningful work. The future of work is about working smarter, not harder.,

The critical skills for 2026 and beyond and why they matter more than ever

The human skills we risk losing in the age of AI, that have become our point of difference.

What is Human Quota (HQ) and why is it the most in demand skill at work?

We are living through one of the most profound shifts in human history. Artificial intelligence is evolving at breathtaking speed. Our devices are smarter, faster, more predictive. And yet, many of us feel more distracted, more polarised, less connected and more mentally exhausted than ever before. Somewhere in the race to adopt smarter technology, I worry that we are quietly eroding the very skills that make us human.

I’ve long believed these skills to be critical in life as well as work but given they are skills we’re likely to lose, or at least not see so often they’ll become like gold this year and into the future. I don’t believe the danger is that AI will replace us. Rather that we risk slowly outsourcing the very capacities that give us meaning, depth, connection and presence - our human-ness which of course is also our very point of difference in a world of AI! 

It feels as if things have gone from unity to division post pandemic, we’re forgetting how to see those who are different to us as humans. We’re losing the art of debate and we’re so fixed in our own views being right we’ve lost the art of seeing things from another perspective. This has been exacerbated by algorithms that curate virtual microcosms that reinforce our own thoughts, regardless of the truth.

I don’t know about you but I’m not sure what’s real anymore when I go online. I also know my feed and the social media ‘news’ I consume is vastly different to the guy that lives down the road - even though we’re living in the same place.

AI by its very nature is artificial. It’s amazing and very clever but it’ll never be real. We need ‘real’ as humans. We know this based on our social media revolution. We are more connected than ever before and have more ‘friends’ online than we could ever have in real life and yet we’re also the loneliest we’ve ever been, we’ve become more disconnected. Nearly one in four people worldwide, which translates into more than a billion people, feel very or fairly lonely, according to a Meta-Gallup survey of people more than 140 countries.

AI can generate words, images, strategies and answers. It can mimic tone and simulate conversation, but it cannot feel. It doesn’t know the weight of a difficult decision, the ache of burnout or the joy of being fully seen.

Human connection, real presence, deep listening, authentic care cannot be automated. And in an increasingly artificial world, authenticity becomes magnetic. People will seek what is real, this means brands built on genuine humanity will stand out. Leaders who can truly connect will be trusted and relationships rooted in presence will feel like rare treasures. 

As well as our ability to connect and be real though we’ve also living through a focus crisis and this has massive impacts in the workplace. Our brains are overloaded with information and yet at the same time we’re training them to hold less not more.

Our attentions spans are becoming shorter. Dr. Gloria Mark’s research on attention spans indicates that average human attention spans have plummeted from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds today.  

Priya, Head of HR at an Auckland-based professional services firm, noticed a disconnect with incompletion of training modules and key information not sticking. Long documents and workshops were being ticked off, but not truly absorbed.

So she changed the approach. Core content was condensed into one-page summaries, then translated into short audio and micro-video snippets staff could access on the go. Inspired by social media consumption habits, learning became quick, accessible and repeatable. She named it Tik Tok Training when we caught up and told me it helped engagement, especially in the younger team members. She also pointed out this is a new phenomenon and likely linked to our shortened attention spans. 

We live in a culture designed to fracture attention. When I think of our constant urgency, infinite content consumption and notifications (which I’ve turned off there’s so many!) Our brains adapt accordingly, shorter attention spans, shallower thinking, more mental noise. But focus is where insight and creativity lives. The ability to sit with complexity rather than escape it is what allows meaningful work, deep learning and genuine self-awareness. It’s the wisdom of being human and fundamental to our thriving and yet it’s in decline. 

Then of course there’s the emotional intelligence that’s required to thrive as a human. The way we navigate conflict and disagreement, our resilience, our motivation and how we communicate and relate to each other, not just in work but also our relationships. The ability to read a room, sense nuance, listen deeply, regulate our reactions and empathise with others – we learn this and build the skill by real human interaction.

But digital life increasingly rewards speed and reaction over depth and reflection. Algorithms amplify extremes, feeding polarisation and certainty instead of curiosity and respect. From behind a keyboard it’s too easy to forget there’s often a human at the other end of our comments.  

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is becoming a lost art and as a result we’re losing what makes us human. When we engage more with screens than with each other, we lose the subtle art of human relating. 

As a species, we didn’t survive and evolve because we had big fangs or strong bodies, we relied on our ability to connect, to form tribes, to work together, to collaborate and to relate. We might be at risk of losing that. So what’s the answer? 

It’s something I call Human Quota (HQ), it’s the art of being human. We have IQ for intelligence and EQ for emotional quota (which I’d argue is also present in HQ) but it’s bigger than that and becomes our point of difference in a world of AI and tech. 

We know from our own experience, particularly in times of crisis, it’s those who have this human quota that thrive and can help others through as well.

Equally we don’t want to go and live on a hilltop and shun the wonders of technological advances that have changed how we live and work. How we might live in a world that leverages tech without us losing the very things that sets us apart as humans? 

Developing HQ or Human Quota helps us protect:

• Our ability to listen without distraction

• Our capacity for empathy over judgement

• Our willingness to think deeply rather than scroll endlessly

• Our courage to have real conversations instead of curated exchanges

• Our habit of reflecting rather than reacting

I don’t think we don’t protect our humanity by rejecting technology but by becoming conscious users of it and building our HQ. How do we do this?

1.      Start by reclaiming small moments of undivided attention. Put your phone face down in meetings. Walk without earbuds. Eat without scrolling. These tiny acts rebuild your capacity to be fully present.

2.      Schedule thinking time the same way you schedule meetings. Deep thinking doesn’t happen accidentally in a distracted world, it requires protected space.

3.      Practise listening to understand, not to respond. Notice when judgement rises and choose curiosity instead. Emotional intelligence grows through repeated, real-world interactions, not online commentary.

4.      Next time someone speaks, ask yourself “What might they be feeling right now?” This simple shift trains empathy and improves connection.

5.      Create boundaries with devices. Turn off non-essential notifications. Have device free times or places in your home. Your brain will recalibrate faster than you expect.

6.      And finally, prioritise real connection. Have conversations that aren’t optimised or performative. Ask better questions. Stay a little longer in the discomfort of honesty. This is where trust, belonging and meaning are built.

The future will not need more robots, it’ll need the HQ that becomes a human point of difference. The future belongs to those who can integrate technology without losing humanity. To those who can leverage AI while still leading with heart. These are the skills to focus on in 2026 to set you up for success now and in the future. 

I spoke about this topic recently on TVNZ Breakfast, which you can watch here.

Pressing Reset on 2026

I feel like I want to push reset on 2026 - to go back and start again.  There’s so much pressure on us being rested and refreshed, and my year didn’t really start that way.  In fact, I felt like I needed a break just after I’d had one.
 
Summer was great, lots of beach time, time in the ocean and time with family and friends.  We had a lots of visitors though, which - whilst nice - also meant I didn’t get as much space as usual to recharge.  I put my back out surfing and hormonally I’ve been all over the place.  This led to a couple of bumps in the car, an angry outburst at a man on the beach who let his dog come over and fight our dog, and then I dropped my phone in the sea!  The insurance company must be sick of hearing from me and I’ve certainly noticed my focus is off, I’m not myself and I’m a bit exhausted.  It’s not the start to the year I’d planned and it’s left me feeling a bit overwhelmed when I look at how busy the year ahead is already shaping up to be!
 
So whilst I can’t go back and start again or turn off 2026 and switch it back on again, I reckon there is the ability to press reset.  Like the strange little buttons we used to get on digital things.  They weren’t really buttons because you needed a pin or the back of an earring to push them in, but they would clear whatever meltdowns the remote or other device was having.  I’d like to think of it like that for me.
 
Here's what that looks like in real life:

• I’ve set some mini breaks, an opportunity to pause, press reset and take a breath.

• I’ve broken down my year into chunks so it feels less ‘big’

• I’ve dialled up the things I know help – meditation, saunas, nature walks and space

• I’ve dialled down the things I know don’t help – alcohol, scrolling, saying yes too often

• I’ve enlisted help and support, including some additional recruitment to the team

I’ve cut myself some slack too, we’re human and that means we’re not perfect all the time.  My age (and my social media algorithms) also tell me perimenopause could be at play too.  We have to ebb and flow with our own rhythms and some of those rhythms we can’t override. 
 
If your 2026 hasn’t started as planned what’s your version of the reset button?

3 Wisdom Nuggets from my Holidays that'll help you this year

The grapevine’s going off
This summer the grapevine is flourishing, I’ve never seen it so bushy and full of fruit.  Last year though, it was the first year I’ve seen it dormant -  barely any leaves and no fruit at all.  I’m reflecting on if this lull was intentional.  Nature is clever like that.  Plants don’t flower every year.  Many go dormant in the winter to reserve their energy to enable them to bloom all summer long.  This ‘off year’ that my grapevine had can feel like our goals.  We don’t always hit them, sometimes the weather (our external climate) is not conducive to us blossoming and yet this lull can helps us come back stronger next year, just like the grapevine.  So if you’re wishing things be different and the last 12 months could have gone better, you might have just been having a lull to prepare you to blossom now.

There’s stones on the beach
I walk the dog at the beach most days, it’s part of my wellbeing ritual as much as it is the dog!  I love feeling the sand on my feet, it’s grounding.  Sometimes the swell has washed up stones on the beach - lots of little shells - and that was the case this morning.  It made me grumpy (first world problems, I know!), the stones stuck in my feet, it hurt and it ruined my walk.  Then it reminded me of the Buddhist proverb I was once taught when living alongside monks and nuns in northern Thailand -
When faced with a path full of stones, we can either pick each one up to protect our feet or we can wear shoes.  Our resilience and mindset is all about the shoes we put on our feet and the way we master our mind to navigate the challenges or stones this world puts in our way.

The sauna is too hot
I love the sauna, many of you know this.  Even in the summer.  As I age though, and my body goes through changes, I’m becoming more sensitive to the heat.  I’ve noticed it’s not something I always fancy these days, especially in summer, despite its detoxifying benefits and deep relaxation.  However, when it gets too much, when I’m overwhelmed with heat, I can just get out and plunge in the cold water or have a cold shower.  Instant relief.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life had a similar door?  When things got uncomfortable or overwhelming you could just step outside, take a breath and cool off, escape the heat?

Well it does and it’s in the form of our inner peace and calm.  It’s a place within that acts as this door, a place we can come back to when times get tough or we’re in uncomfortable places.  We might call it resilience, mindset, inner peace or coming home.  Whatever we call it, it’s only there if we cultivate it.  Then we have a doorway to peace every time life overheats.

Why ‘New Year, New You’ Doesn’t Work at Work

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be starting the year with a list of 20 things you’re going to do differently at work then by February, you’ll have forgotten where you even put that list.

Answer emails faster. Say yes less often. Leave the office on time. Take lunch breaks like you mean it. Read more leadership books. Finish that online course HR recommended. You know, the stuff that felt totally possible while you were lying on a beach convincing yourself that this year you were going to be a whole new professional version of yourself. And then… work starts again. 

There’s always pressure in January to arrive back at the office as an upgraded human; more focused, more productive, more organised, more everything. And yet, it only takes a few weeks of meetings, deadlines, and overflowing inboxes for that pressure to feel exhausting. And is it even necessary? 

Sure, after the chaos of Christmas and the end-of-year sprint, we could all use a bit of recalibration. But as we gear up for another year, we risk storming in, guns blazing, planning to reinvent ourselves professionally… only to be burnt out by April. 

The summer reset does give us clarity, but no matter how motivated we feel fresh from a break, that energy still has to last the rest of the year. So how might we use our summer breaks to approach the New Year differently? 

The psychology of workplace culture, and marketing, often works by making us believe we’re not quite enough. We’re told there’s always a new “hack” or habit to adopt, a skill we must acquire, a system we should be using, or a colleague we should be keeping up with. The “I’m not good enough yet” narrative drives both consumption and comparison, especially when we scroll past endless posts from people who seem to be smashing goals (even if the reality is less polished).  

Despite working in the personal development space, I’m not a fan of the “New Year, New You” narrative in the workplace. It heaps pressure on already stretched professionals and fuels perfectionism, something most of us don’t need help leaning into. 

Whether we’re aiming for career progression, leadership development, workplace wellbeing, or simply surviving another year, the message is the same: that we’re not enough as we are, and we must somehow become someone else to succeed. 

But here’s what I believe: growth at work is more about becoming the best version of you, not a whole new person.

 So this year, I’m inviting you to flip the script. 

• What if you returned to work without a long list of professional reinventions?

• What if you resisted the pressure to optimise every moment of your day?

• What if you treated the New Year as simply a turning of the page, not a rewrite of the entire story?

As an author, I love the analogy of our career as a book. Each year is a chapter.  What do you want to write in Chapter 2026? What do you hope you’ll read back at the end of the year? Is this a fresh page, a new chapter, or a whole new book? And what from last year’s story deserves to come with you? 

Instead of focusing on what we think we “should” be doing at work, what if we acknowledged how far we’ve already come? What if we took the insights from our break; the clarity, the calm, the realisation of what actually matters, and used that as our compass? 

What if we chose one area of professional focus rather than ten, giving ourselves a real chance at success? 

What if we stepped away from comparison, the colleagues who seem more productive, the leaders who appear effortlessly on top of things, and focused on our own path? 

This isn’t about a lack of ambition. It’s about balance. It’s about setting goals in ways that are motivating rather than self-sabotaging. This is what sets us up for sustainable success, not a sprint that ends in disappointment. 

The real question for this year is:

How will you define success at work, not how social media or corporate culture tells you to? 

The grass isn’t greener in someone else’s role, company, or LinkedIn post; it’s greener where you water it. So to help you do that, here’s a few grounded workplace-focused reminders for the year ahead: 

Be realistic with workplace goals
Swap vague resolutions for one or two practical professional commitments. Break big projects into manageable steps. 

Prioritise wellbeing
Your effectiveness at work is directly tied to your wellbeing. Rested people do better work, it’s not revolutionary, just often forgotten. 

Practice self-compassion
Your workload will get busy, plans will go sideways. Don’t beat yourself up, rather acknowledge what you are achieving. 

Find daily wins
Not every workday will be extraordinary, but there’s joy in small moments; a good conversation, a solved problem, lunch in the sun. 

Let go of what doesn’t serve your work
Whether it’s unhelpful habits, unrealistic expectations, or comparison, release what drains you. 

Remember you can start fresh anytime
A new year is just a date. You can reset professionally any Monday, any morning, any moment you choose.

Work-life balance or work life integration? It is all a myth?

As we approach the end of another year, many of us can feel like we’re limping to the finish line. It tends to happen most years which always leaves me thinking: is work-life balance actually a thing?
 
Since moving from the northern hemisphere 15 years ago, I was immediately struck by the different approach. With summer holidays happening in July/August, they get two breaks, split equally across the year. In the southern hemisphere, we have all ours at once over Christmas and then try and last the whole year until the next one. It might be a less sustainable approach so an extra reason why we need to find balance between work and life.
 
Many workers spend upwards of 40 hours per week on the job, and a large number go as far as to regularly log in after hours and on weekends to get the job done. 2023 NZ Census data shows almost a million of us said we worked 40 hours a week, 186,450 said they worked 50 and 69,192 said they worked 60 hours a week. Almost 20,000 said they worked 70 hours a week and 9201 said they worked 80 hours.
 
For so long, we’ve talked about this quest for work–life balance, and yet it’s seemed elusive for many. I even went to the great lengths of becoming my own boss to escape the nine-to-five, only to then work even more hours setting up my own business! It’s led me to the conclusion there is no work-life balance. It’s all life, and it should all balance, which includes a bit of work within that life. So it’s more of an integration.
 
Is balance a myth?
 
The term balance implies that work and life are two separate forces constantly in opposition, competing for time and energy. It suggests if one goes up, the other must go down. But in reality, they’re deeply interconnected and don’t always split neatly 50/50.
 
With hybrid work, flexible hours, and technology blurring the lines between work and personal life, many people blend the two throughout the day. Dan, for example, attends his daughter's assembly in the afternoon and logs on later. Integration acknowledges this fluidity.
 
Work life integration: the dos and don’ts
 
Hybrid working has brought with it increased flexibility, a chance to regain some balance perhaps?  My friend Anna often goes in late when she has medical appointments or school drop-offs and leaves early if she’s logging on that night from home to finish off.  Susan nips out for yoga over lunchtime at the community hall when she’s working from home and tells me she often puts a load of washing on or meets a friend for coffee. This is balance, and it happens around our work. It also ensures our work is of better quality and we’re more productive when we’re constantly recharging as we go.
 
It took me a while to learn this and to not feel guilty about it!  I used to work long hours: if I wasn’t in meetings, I was in the car, commuting through the Auckland traffic. I’d grab fast food because it was quick and I could eat on the run. After getting in late, I was so exhausted that exercise was the last thing I felt like doing, so I’d crash on the sofa and then get my laptop out to catch up on emails. I spent my weekends sleeping in and catching up on all the housework I’d let slide during the week.  I knew it wasn’t healthy but wasn’t sure how to change it.
 
Eventually, I hit a wall and burned out. This ultimately led to a fork in the road where everything changed, including my career. Reflecting on this experience helped me ensure I’m earning a living but also making a life at the same time.
 
I have integrated work as part of my life these days and whilst I can be found doing emails at 6pm some days it’s likely because I’ve been surfing or at the beach all afternoon. I get it’s easier to have this flexibility when you’re your own boss. I feel I get to live a life and earn a living though with this work life integration approach. It brings me more freedom and working this way gives me more energy for the things I do both inside and outside of work.
 
Strategies to achieve work-life integration
 
So if work-life balance is not a myth but work-life integration is the goal we should be aiming for to get it where do we start?
 
Set boundaries
Set clear start and finish times for your workday. Don’t just log off, mentally switch off. Communicate these boundaries with your team, clients, and family so they’re respected.
 
Schedule life like you schedule work
Put your personal time (exercise, hobbies, family dinners) in your calendar like you would a meeting. This ensures you protect that time rather than fitting it in around work.
 
Take micro-moments of rest 
You don’t always need a week off to feel rested. Short breaks during the day (walks, breathing exercises, screen-free lunch) can recharge your brain and keep stress levels in check.
 
Redefine productivity 
Busy doesn’t mean effective and true productivity is sustainable. Focus on impact and value not hours worked. Remember rest and recovery are part of high performance, not a reward for it.
 
Making space – for fun, relaxation, creativity and thinking 
In our busy schedules, space is often hard to come by. Our overloaded brains also need space to focus and decompress. Having space in our schedule and our brains has so many benefits to our health as well as our innovation and performance.

Xmas Load

As the end of the year approaches, many of us are limping to the finish line, and if you’ve got family, it’s less of a finishing line when you can have a rest but more of a transition from work to Christmas craziness with even more to do.

It’s the most common time of year for burnout, especially if we’ve not had enough of a break across the year so far, hanging out for the summer and Christmas break. It’s also been a challenging year economically, job insecurity, restructures and redundancies and perhaps rethinking our plans for holidays and time away from work.

Whilst the end of the year can bring about feelings of exhaustion it’s also the time Christmas arrives and potential overwhelm and overload of a different kind. At the very time we most need a break and are running on empty.

Much of this load still falls on the shoulders of women. Often the organisers of Christmas, presents, social gatherings, food provisions and emotional labour to make sure everyone’s happy. It’s also the time we’re being told to rest and put our feet up after a hard year – enjoy the break – but for many it’s more like ‘give me a break’.

We’ve created this helpful checklist that can be download and used to help you through the end of the year. My encouragement with this is that you go through it with those closest to you, share the load or at least reflect on who’s doing the majority of the jobs and just how many jobs there are that need doing!

Not all of these categories apply and you might have your own actions to add to this list that are specific to your family – again, where’s the equal share and distribution of these tasks?

This is a task that’s helpful all times of the year to help all family members see exactly what’s required to keep the household running and open up an opportunity to redistribute the load if its unequal – which, even today, it so often is.

There’s a reason women are more prone to burnout than men and often it’s these lists of jobs we either do or carry the mental load to organise others to do. It can also be wider than our societal norms of our roles and expectations though. If we’re unable to delegate or redistribute the load, not say no, or ask for help then this will also increase our burnout risk. Here’s a perfect time to practice!

Enjoy the Christmas break and make sure there’s enough time and energy left for you.

The Art of Deep Rest

I've recently returned from a month’s holiday and I’ve been feeling the benefits of some deep rest, powering off and taking the down time. It’s not something we often allow ourselves in an ‘always on’ culture.  Whilst I’ve loved the break, I’ve also found it challenging to lean into rest.
 
We live in a world that celebrates hustle. In many workplaces and personal circles, productivity is currency, and rest is often mistaken for laziness. We reward overachievement, admire the ability to ‘push through,’ and wear exhaustion like a badge of honour. But at what cost?
 
Despite our obsession with performance, many of us are running on empty. Burnout is widespread, creativity is stifled, and our ability to focus is challenged by constant stimulation. Ironically, what we need most to function at our best isn’t more effort, it’s deep rest. Yet, the art of true rest is something we struggle to embrace.
 
Why we struggle to rest
Deep rest isn’t just a nap or a Netflix binge. It’s the kind of recovery that restores our nervous system, replenishes our mental bandwidth, and reconnects us to our sense of self. It’s deliberate, intentional and often deeply uncomfortable.
 
Not only is it uncomfortable but rest has been devalued. In our culture, we avoid it because rest is often seen as something you earn after the work is done, if there's time left. We equate busyness with importance and productivity with worth. The person who stays late at the office or answers emails at midnight is often seen as more committed, more driven.  And so we keep going, because stopping feels like failure.
 
Add to that the psychological payoff: being busy makes us feel needed, important, even virtuous. It can distract us from discomfort, from feelings we’d rather not face. Stillness, on the other hand, can feel confronting. To be alone with our own thoughts, without distraction, is something many of us have forgotten how to do. It’s why it’s so tempting to stay busy and why rest can easily be ignored. Slowing down, paradoxically, can feel harder than speeding up.
 
The performance benefits of rest
Deep rest is essential not just for our wellbeing but for our performance. The science is unequivocal: rest improves focus, fuels creativity, strengthens decision-making and boosts resilience. A 2024 Crosswell, Alexandra D et al published a study on deep rest concluded it reduces stress, boosts energy and enhances emotional resilience and cognition.
 
I’m often telling myself that rest is not time away from work, it is the work!  I’ve had to learn this over years though and via a period of burnout which has made these lessons even more valuable. Even when I became my own boss and could set my own hours, I’d feel guilty for taking breaks, I’d feel pressure to be at my desk all hours despite no boss watching me. I’d still get that achievement high from productivity focused time, even if the quality of what I was producing was suffering as a result of this approach.
 
Things are different now and my energy is greater, my focus more sharp and as a result I produce more quality work. My business is thriving and yet so am I.  I work hard and I can be found in my hammock in the garden at 3pm in the afternoon sun having some thinking space, or a yoga class at 11am, or a surf when the swell and tides happen to align during 9-5 on a week day.
 
The illusion of hustle
Hustle culture has glorified overwork, but it's increasingly being called into question. The World Health Organisation has now officially recognised burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Productivity experts warn against the diminishing returns of long hours. And yet, many of us still feel guilty when we’re not working.
 
We’ve internalised the belief that our value lies in what we do, rather than in who we are. This is hard to shake. Rest doesn’t deliver the immediate external validation that work does. It doesn't fill your inbox or impress your boss. But it does something much more powerful: it sustains you. It re-centres you. It gives you access to your full intelligence, your creative spark, and your grounded self, something no amount of hustle can replicate.
 
Reclaiming the art of rest
So how do we re-learn the lost art of deep rest? It starts with redefining what rest means. True rest isn’t just physical, it’s mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s stepping out of ‘doing’ mode and into ‘being’ mode. We must give ourselves permission to pause; not because we’ve earned it, but because we need it.
 
Take Ayesha, a senior leader in a fast-paced law firm, who prided herself on being the first one in and the last to log off. Her relentless drive and constant availability were praised, until they weren’t. After months of brain fog, emotional exhaustion and sleepless nights, she hit a wall during a key strategy meeting when she couldn’t recall basic facts she once knew instinctively. It was the wake-up call she needed.
 
Stepping away for six weeks, Ayesha began to unravel her identity from her busyness and discovered how uncomfortable stillness really felt. But through intentional rest she not only recovered but began to lead with more presence, creativity and clarity. She told me; “I used to believe being busy made me important. Now I know being well makes me powerful.”
 
The courage to rest
It takes courage to rest in a world that never stops. It takes clarity to know when to step back, and confidence to believe that your worth isn’t tied to your productivity. But when we reclaim rest, we reclaim our power.
 
Here’s four ways you can tap into deep rest today:

1. Schedule white space (periods without tasks) and protect it like a meeting.  Treat rest as a non-negotiable appointment that you block out in your calendar.

2. Disconnect to reconnect. Deep rest requires disconnection from stimulation. Start with a tech-free hour each evening, put your phone in another room, turn off notifications, and allow your nervous system to come off high alert.

3. Learn to sit with stillness. If being still feels uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Try gently leaning into stillness: sit with a cup of tea, gaze out a window, or lie on the floor without distraction.

4. Explore restorative practices. Not all rest looks like sleep. Explore what restores you: yoga, breathwork, guided meditation, forest bathing or even quiet time with pets.

The art of deep rest is less about doing nothing, and more about reconnecting with everything that makes you whole. It’s time we stopped seeing rest as an escape from life and started seeing it as the gateway back to it.

What 5 Days in the Wilderness Taught me about Screens, Stress and Stillness

I just returned from five incredible days canoe camping deep in the Canadian wilderness. No power, no Wi-Fi, no endless news cycle. Just me, my pack, a canoe and thankfully friends who knew what they were doing!

At first, I kept reaching for my phone out of habit even though I knew there’d be no signal. By day two, the urge had gone. By day three, my mind had slowed to match the pace of the lakes.

Here’s what I learned about life (and technology):

1. We don’t need to be “on” all the time. The world didn’t end while I was offline. The emails were still there when I came back, but I had more energy and clarity to deal with them.

2. Nature resets our nervous system. The calm I felt sitting by the lake in the sun after a hard day’s paddle was something I hadn’t felt in months, and it lasted long after I came home.

3. Disconnection leads to reconnection. Without my phone, I was more present. I noticed the loons on the lake, the stars at night, the way the wind rippled the water. I was connected, just not to the internet.

That trip was the inspiration for The Digital Reset, a 4-week experience I’ve created to help others feel that same calm and clarity, without needing to disappear into the woods.

It’s about small, practical steps to reclaim your focus, reduce screen time, and feel more present.

If you’ve been craving a break from the scroll, this might be exactly what you need.

Join me for The Digital Reset

Why do a reset and what are the benefits of time away from our screens?

We’re seeing a decrease in our ability to focus, a shortening of our attention spans and an increase in stress, overwhelm and mental health challenges.  We struggle for time and yet lose so much of it on social media.  We’re not present with our loved ones, even when we’re all in the same room. We’re more connected than ever yet increasingly lonely.

Brene Brown observes that we’re facing a whirlwind of AI, social media, wearable tech, causing instability, feeling untethered, and mentally exhausted. She calls it living beyond human scale.

What are the benefits of a digital detox?

• Reduced stress and anxiety – less exposure to constant notifications, news, and comparison triggers lowers cortisol.

• Improved mood and emotional regulation – breaks the dopamine rollercoaster from social media and alerts.

• Greater self-awareness – noticing how often you reach for your device helps you uncover triggers and habits.

• Increased calm and presence – more moments of stillness, mindfulness, and focus.

• Improved attention span – fewer digital distractions means you can focus longer on deep work.

• More time for what matters – freeing up hours otherwise lost to mindless scrolling.

• Better decision-making – with fewer inputs, your brain can think more clearly.

• Space for creativity and problem-solving – boredom sparks original thinking and new ideas.

• Clarity on priorities – without constant online noise, it’s easier to hear your own thoughts.

• Stronger sense of autonomy – you feel more in control of your attention, rather than pulled around by algorithms.

If all that sounds like something you could do with join me for the digital reset. Create a healthy relationship with your screen, be more present to invest in real relationships, become a role model to children in how to take time offline.

It’s too easy to waste time online – it’s also easy to change that.  I believe that technology can help us be more human and not less but only if we use it rather than it using us.

A Message from Future Me

It’s the year 2073, I’m doing a 3 minute keynote (because we’ve all lost the ability to focus), World War 3 has been and gone, smart phones, cash and credit cards are all extinct, and cars are driverless.  There’s no fish left in the sea and climate refugees are a real thing.  What’s changed and what messages do we still need now more than ever?
 
This was a concept I was playing with lately (you can see the clip here) and it got me thinking about future me.
 
If I do make it to 90, what would I look back on and be proud of?  What would I wish I’d done differently and what message would I like to give to current me?
 
We’re living longer now and longevity will reshape our traditional life phases.  I may well be still doing keynotes at 90 and so I’m thinking about what the next phase of my life will look like in what traditionally we’d term ‘retirement’.  How the world may have changed and what problems we might need to be solving. 
 
It also makes me think of how we get there in one piece too!  If we live and work longer by the time we reach that traditional third stage of life, how do we sustain the energy to get there?  Mid-life sabbaticals are something I wrote about on my 1 News work life balance column and certainly are an emerging trend in this new longevity life phase.
 
I’m fascinated by this concept of future us.  The things we do now that future you will appreciate, the message future you would like to tell you today.  Every choice we make is a vote for future you or as James Clear put it “Every action you take is a vote towards the person you want to become”.
 
So my invitation to you is what message does future you have and are we listening?  What action can you take today that future you will thank you for?

Happiness: the best kept secret to productivity

We tend to think that working harder is the secret to getting more done. But what if the real key to productivity wasn’t hustle or time management, but happiness?

It may sound too good to be true, especially in a world that sometimes seems to celebrate burnout as a badge of honour. But research and my own experience show that when we feel better, we perform better. And that’s not just good for business, it’s good for people.

In workplaces across Aotearoa, the conversation is slowly shifting. We’re starting to question whether pushing ourselves to the brink is really the only way to succeed. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Happiness isn’t a soft, fluffy extra, it’s a powerful performance tool. Extensive research over a six-month period in 2019 by Oxford Business School found that happy employees were 13% more productive.

Closer to home, Massey University research this year demonstrated the role happiness plays. According to their study, the happiest employees showed remarkable differences in performance. They were:

• 2.4 times more likely to be in the top group for helping co-workers

• 3.1 times more likely to be in the top group for helping their organisation

• 3.4 times more likely to be among the most innovative employees.

I remember as a young kid sitting around family dinner tables hearing relatives talk about how much they hated their boss or their job and how they were counting down the days until retirement. I knew they were busy putting food on the table and paying off mortgages, and I thought this was how work worked. We weren’t supposed to enjoy it, it was about the money we needed to do the things we could enjoy – if we had any time and energy left over.

Thankfully my experience was different, although I had to be proactive. I decided this approach to life didn't work for me and I set about changing things. I found work I loved, that brought me meaning and also put food on the table.

This started with ‘how’ I worked, building in breaks, not working overtime and extra hours and building boundaries around my emails and working from home. It was also about ‘what’ work I was doing too; seeking out work that played to my strengths and people I enjoyed being around. I wanted work that gave me meaning, an impact I could see in the wider community that made it worthwhile getting out of bed in the morning. Something that challenged me to grow but didn’t give me night sweats due to stress.

To start getting a picture of this for others, I like to ask clients to consider what their best day at work looks like. This helps to guide their thinking on work and happiness. What are you doing on this perfect day? Who with? Why does it bring you joy?

Positive psychology research tells us that happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we’re in a good mood, our brains are 31% more productive, according to Harvard researcher Shawn Achor, he calls this the Happiness Advantage. Happy employees are also more engaged, more creative, and better at solving problems.

It makes sense. When you're calm and confident, you're more likely to take initiative, collaborate well with others, and bounce back from setbacks. When you're stressed and depleted, everything takes longer and feels harder.

When we prioritise happiness, improved work becomes the by-product. Happy people have:

• Better focus: Positive emotions broaden our perspective and help us notice more, improving problem-solving and decision-making.

• More energy: When we’re not bogged down by stress or resentment, we have more mental and emotional bandwidth to do good work.

• Higher resilience: Happiness doesn’t remove challenges, but it gives us more capacity to deal with them.

• Stronger relationships: A positive outlook builds better teamwork, which is key in most roles today.

Compare that to when you’re running on empty, constantly reacting, fighting fires, and dreading Monday before it even arrives. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not your best work. It also has a flow-on impact to our health. Prioritising happiness is not just good for business, it’s good for our lives, too.

The good news is you don’t need to change jobs, win Lotto or become a different person. Happiness isn’t something we have or don’t have, it’s something we can cultivate. Like any skill, it grows with practice. Here are some evidence-backed ways to boost your happiness (and productivity) at work:

1. Start your day with intention

Before diving into emails, take five minutes to plan your priorities or reflect on something you're grateful for. It sets the tone for the day.

2. Take real breaks

Step away from your screen, go outside, stretch, or just breathe. Microbreaks restore focus and reduce mental fatigue, even two minutes makes a difference.

3. Do work that matters (to you)

Look for small ways to align your strengths or values with your tasks. Even reframing how you see your job can help. For example, “I’m just a customer service rep” becomes “I help people solve problems every day".

4. Connect with people

Whether it’s a quick chat in the kitchen or a laugh with a colleague, connection is a natural mood-booster and it strengthens team trust.

5. Celebrate wins, even the small ones

Finishing a project, having a great client call, or just surviving a tough week? Acknowledge it. Progress fuels positivity.

6. Be kind to yourself

You’re not a robot. Some days are hard, and that's okay. Self-compassion boosts motivation more than harsh self-criticism ever could.

Written for 1News

The Mental Load of AI: Are Our Brains Falling Behind?

Everywhere I look, we’re all talking about AI, how we’re using it, what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s next.  It’s revolutionising productivity and yet as with most quickly evolving tech, there are also unintended consequences.  One of the things I’ve noticed is now that we can have so many ideas, churn through so much work, carry around our own brainstorming partner that always agrees and never gets tired – we’re tired.
 
Yes, AI has revolutionised the way we work and how we think, create and produce but it’s coming at a cost that this should have saved us from – cognitive overload and burnout.
 
If we used to get 20 things done in a day and now it’s 40, AI has doubled our productivity.  But if we’re now thinking about 40 things across a day not 20, our mental load has also doubled.  What we’re seeing as an unintended consequence of AI revolutionising productivity is that our brains can’t keep up.
 
AI is evolving much faster than our brains do and this cognitive load is impacting our sense of exhaustion, overwhelm and ability to function. 
 
Burnout hasn’t gone away we’ve just found news ways of increasing the stress on an already stretch system – our human brains.
 
So, use AI and use it wisely is my take and know that the things we’ve been taught prior to the AI evolution – taking breaks, quiet time, space, focus, tech detoxes etc – become more important now than ever.
 
Use AI but don’t let AI use you.  Be mindful of your cognitive load and know to step away when feelings of mental overload appear.
 
If you’re looking to improve productivity, reduce overwhelm and create more calm in your work and life – get in touch.  I’d love to chat about how I can help you and your team.

How to thrive at work - even in times of uncertainty

As I walk with the dog this morning along Onetangi Beach, I notice a chill in the air and for the first time in months, I feel the need for a jumper. The sand feels cold under my bare feet and I’m wishing I’d made more of summer. I’m sad that autumn is here. But this happens every year, it’s not like it should be a surprise, so why do I feel this way?

We humans don’t like change. Even something as inevitable as the turn of the seasons can remind us we’re not in control, and you don't have to look far for other examples. The last few years have been disruptive to say the least. The World Economic Forum has label this post-pandemic era a "polycrisis" as we face economic uncertainty, global wars, political upheaval and climate change with its more immediate and ongoing weather events.

According to survey on Stats NZ, dissatisfaction at work has increased as job security decreased. Of those employees who felt they had an almost certain or high chance of losing their job for a reason beyond their control, 13 percent were dissatisfied with their job, compared with only 2.5 percent of those who felt there was almost no chance of losing their job.

As humans we like to plan, to know what’s going on and how we can best prepare ourselves for what’s coming. It comes from a place of risk mitigation and a sense we have control over our futures.

Has anyone felt lately like our futures might be out of our control? The feeling can take its toll, especially professionally – that regular salary usually dictates how we live and provide for our families and suddenly we're not sure we can rely on it continuing.

I love my job, but I remember those times during the pandemic I struggled to motivate myself. I wasn’t at my creative best and when work started to dry up I had a feeling of ‘what’s the point?’.

Similarly I remember my frustration and disbelief when I sat across from my bosses boss at a Palmerston North café learning my job was part of the recent restructure. I could transfer my role but I’d need to move regions – a new house and a new life, or no job at all. It felt like the sand was shifting under my feet and everything I was certain of was threatened. My routine, paying my bills on time, my family life.

During such times I’ve noticed a drop in my productivity. My mood dips, I’m not as motivated and I seem to need more rest to offset the worry.

It's hard to focus when those same old questions cycle through our brains: Should I give my all to that project when it’s about to get put on hold? Should I invest in building a relationship with my new boss who’s only in an acting role so may not stick around? Should we book that holiday or save the money in case I lose my job? What if this latest restructure I’ve heard about includes my role? Should I start looking for another one now just in case?

Uncertainty seems part of our norm now – the one thing we can be certain of! If it’s not a pandemic, a weather event or a restructure, there will be something else. It can be a great lesson for us, although not always a pleasant one. But it helps us learn to make peace with these kinds of challenging times – when holding on, keeping calm and getting through might be more important than shining and winning accolades and attention.

Just because we’re capable of brilliance doesn’t mean we should expect it from ourselves all the time, especially not when our sense of certainty is under threat.

If you’re anything like me, the end of another summer is sad news. I love summer and I always want more. Yet it’s inevitable that nature will start to slow down as we head into winter. It has to rest and recover in time to renew and bloom again come spring. These natural cycles are constant. Much like life and work.

I’ve learned that it’s less about trying to change the stuff we can’t control and more about changing the way we view them so we can adapt to the challenges that arise.

To know that we never really know what’s around the corner, uncertainty is normal. It's not about taming it, it's about flowing with it.

Three ways to cope when overwhelmed by uncertainty:

• Look for the sunshine in the clouds, the things you have to be grateful for, the highlights even in the hardest days or weeks. Where possible, choose to focus more on these things and less on your fears and anxieties.

• Focus on the things you can control. The economy and global politics are out of your hands, but the state of chaos in your house or your car or on top of your desk, that's up to you. By maintaining order in small corners of our lives we often find we're less afraid to act on the big things (applying for a new job maybe) and we can regain a sense of power.

• Find time for the rituals in your life (and the people) that keep you grounded, that add certainty to your schedule and help you gain perspective on what really matters.

Written for 1News

Burn bright, not out: Six ways to avoid workplace burnout

It was the day before my 31st birthday at a step class at my local Les Mills early one Hamilton evening when I suddenly crashed to the floor. It had been a busy day and my job requires far too much sitting so whilst I didn’t feel like it, I forced myself to put on my trainers and get on that step amid the pumping music. As I lay on the floor the class continued around me, a couple of gym staff rushed over to give me ice but the strange thing was nothing physical hurt. It was something on the inside that had broken, I was broken. The flood gates opened, not tears of pain but some sort of unravelling that felt like it might have been loitering around the surface for some time, now finally released.

In 2019 the World Health Organisation officially classified workplace burnout as an occupational phenomenon and we’ve been talking about it ever since.

Research shows one in four employees surveyed across various demographics and all over the world had experienced symptoms of burnout. Burnout is on the rise and it’s coming at a huge personal cost.

I think the cause of it is clear: we’ve been sold a myth that more is better. We need to do more, be more and focus on increasing quantity. What we’ve seen is that as a result quality has suffered; not just of our work but of of our health and ultimately our happiness. I believe in the concept that less can be more – in fact, constantly striving for more may be our undoing.

As part of my burnout recovery I spent time studying in Asia with Buddhist monks and nuns learning a different way of being. I was lucky enough to visit the kingdom of Bhutan, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness in place of Gross Domestic Product.

One day I was trekking to the Tiger's Nest monastery perched high in the Himalayas. A much older, but fitter, monk was leading us to the top. It was a warm day and I was clearly not as used to this as he was. “How far is it to the top” I asked. He replied: “It’s better to travel well than to arrive”.

In other words, slow down, enjoy the view, you’ve travelled from the other side of the world to be here so be here. I realised that in my life I was so consumed with trying to get to the destination or tick off the goals on my to-do list, I wasn’t traveling well.

Busyness has become endemic and as a result we’re struggling. It’s become a marker of success at work and something we’ve attached our self worth to with disastrous consequences.

After that step class I headed to the hospital, thinking I might be having a heart attack or some other serious issue, only to be told after many tests that I needed time off, I was burnt out. My first thought as I sat in the doctor's cubical was, “I’m a failure, I couldn’t keep up with the pace, people will think I can’t cope”. My prescription was a list of things to stop doing, work included. Yet my inclination was to write a list of all the things I was going to do to beat this thing – there’s a clue as to why I might have been at risk of burnout in the first place.

I’ve since learned that slowing down allows us to speed up. That prioritising the strategies that keep me well is not just self-care but a critical part of me being able to perform. Just like an athlete's training and nutrition schedule before the race, I need to put fuel in to sustain my performance at work.

Based on my journey and the things that keep me on top form these days, here are my six recommendations for beating burnout:

Mind your busyness

Running around on an empty tank and proclaiming your extreme busyness is not a badge of honour or a reflection of how valuable you are. It’s a sign you’re not at your best. Slow down so you can be effective, rather than busy. Initially that will mean saying "no" sometimes when every bone in your body is used to saying "yes". It might mean not putting your hand up for that extra project that you think will impress your boss if you squeeze it into your already packed day. But in the long run healthy boundaries and a calm demeanour will earn you more respect than working yourself to a frazzle will.

Priorities rest and self-care

Whether it be a long daily walks, a full lunch hour, a massage, a manicure (or a regular rotation of all of the above), the practices that bring us happiness and help us shine are not selfish indulgences. They are crucial steps to building resilience and ensuring we're a sustainable resource. Everyone benefits from a more rested, recharged version of you. I often tell my clients we’d not skip the fuel station on a road trip because we know we’d break down, so why do it to ourselves? We’ll never get to our destination unless we stop to refuel.

Know the signs

Are your irritation levels high? Are you waking up in the night and worrying? Does work feel pointless? Everyone has different signs of burnout, so it's important to recognise yours. Then audit your energy levels and fuel the tank as necessary. Our mobile phones have a battery icon that gives us a precise percentage. Mine even glows red when it drops below 20% as a warning. Imagine if we had the same on our internal screens – what’s your percentage energy level today?

Master the art of tiny gains

Focus on small simple goals and, where possible, one thing at a time. When we have too many priorities it’s impossible to focus, we feel overwhelmed and spread too thin. Out of all your priorities which is the actual priority for now? The most important thing for today or this week? Start there.

Structure your life for success

It's not about how much you work but how you work, so work in a way that enhances your wellbeing. This can be as simple as negotiating the hours that suit you, introducing walking meetings or keeping a tidy desk. This also includes delegating, setting boundaries and, as above, saying no to ensure you’ve not overcommitted.

Create space

Thinking space is so critical; it’s where we innovate, it’s how we plan, it’s also how we focus and gain clarity to make decisions and solve problems. Not to mention the impact it has on overwhelm, stress and our emotional regulation. Make sure there are empty gaps in your schedule.

Written for 1News

How to get more work done in less time - and reclaim your life

Busyness has become endemic and as a result we’re struggling. An endless to-do list and frantic demeanour has become a marker of success at work and something to which we often attach our self worth.

And this need to be busy is not all in our heads; the reality is we're often being asked to do more with fewer resources. Especially in the current economy, it’s like we’re being squeezed for productivity and it’s having disastrous consequences on our effectiveness but also our health.

At the same time our working hours are increasing, our health outcomes are getting worse, and it might not be a coincidence. Recent data from Massey University reveals that one in two employees, or 57% of the workforce, fall within the high burnout risk category. This indicates a massive increase since December 2023, when the rate was 25%.

But does high achievement have to go hand-in-hand with burnout? Could it be possible to get the same amount or work done in fewer hours, and still have energy and hours to spare at the end of the day? To be busy yet effective?

It's over a decade since I was told by my doctor that I needed time off, I was burnt out. My first thought as I left their office was “I’ve not got time for this! I’ve got too much to do to stay at home nursing burnout!” Turns out I didn’t have a choice. That's the nature of burnout, your body and brain give up.

I’d been trying to do more, get the to-do list done and deliver on my constantly expanding job description. Covering a vacancy, leading three teams not one, frequent commutes from Hamilton to Auckland’s head office and countless meetings. I wanted to be the amazing employee who could do all that but it just wasn't an option. I had to find another way.

Fast forward ten years, running my own business still means I’m busy but that looks a lot different to how it used to. I’ve mastered the art of slowing down to speed up and can focus on value and impact over busyness and hours worked. Productivity takes on a whole new meaning when we look through the lens of less-is-more and, for me, focus has been the key. The ability to tap into a deep work state.

In our distracted worlds we’ve lost the art of focus. Like Julie, a Christchurch-based CEO at a not-for-profit organisation. She told me one winter morning that she felt like she might need to hibernate for the season, she was so exhausted. “I’m spread so thin over so many things, I just don’t feel like I can concentrate on doing any of them well. I’m working all hours but still feel miles behind,” she said.

Daniel was similar. Newly promoted to a leadership role which involved a relocation to the city for an organisation in the midst of a large transition; “The goalposts are constantly changing and I feel like I need three pairs of hands to keep up,” he said. “I don’t mind working hard, I like my job, but I can see the impact it’s having on the team and I can’t help them because I’m also drowning in work.”

Sometimes focusing on one thing at a time, and doing it well, rather than spreading ourselves thinly across a range of tasks means we do a better job and become more effective over all.

In his book Deep Work, Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University, describes the concept as "professional activities performed in a state of distraction free concentration".

Newport's book was written in 2016 – since then most of us have acquired a plethora of new distractions, with an ever-widening range of messaging and social media platforms competing for our attention. But his premise is more valid than ever: the best work is done one task at a time, without distraction. And that way, it takes less time.

Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows us to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work is also about carving out the thinking space to come up with our best ideas.

There’s so much vying for our attention, multiple chat channels, email notifications, back-to-back meetings and still even the occasional phone call. While all these distractions are officially "work" they make it hard to get anything actually done. We can waste so much of our precious time managing these interruptions and demands on our attention. Working from home, which was supposed to decrease such distractions, often just adds fresh ones. The dog is asking me for her walk as I write!

According to Newport, deep work makes us better at what we do, but we’ve lost the art of going deep – or we don’t allow ourselves the space it requires.

This is one of the reasons I schedule retreats for myself. I go away to plan my year ahead. I go away to write. It’s usually just me in a rural Airbnb somewhere. I put my phone away, turn my notifications off and don’t check emails. This allows me the space to think, to create and to do deep work.

We don’t have to go on a retreat or even leave the office to do deep work though. All we need is an environment within which we can focus. Here are some ways to make that more achievable:

• Give yourself time to let your brain slow down. It's unlikely to snap straight from pinball-machine mode to deep work. Let yourself be understimulated (which often feels like boredom) for a few minutes.

• Set a duration, which means you intentionally allow yourself to focus on one task for a certain (and generous) amount of time, without feeling guilty or panicking that you're ignoring other tasks.

• Turn your phone on to silent; avoid all notifications; let your voicemail pick up calls and return them later.

• Get yourself set up with a glass of water, your laptop charger plugged in and any other potential distractions sorted.

• Block time-wasting temptations such as the internet and social media sites. (If you don't trust yourself you can temporarily disable the internet, or there are paid apps such as Freedom which enable you to disable particularly problematic sites, such as Instagram, for specific blocks of time.

• Work at home, with the office door closed, on days when you're tackling cognitively demanding tasks.

• If you have children, schedule this time in school/daycare hours, or organise alternative childcare (telling even the most independent kids you're "busy" is unlikely to stop their interruptions.)

• Pay attention to what helps you concentrate and create that environment. For some that means playing music, for others it means no music at all. Others might be affected by lighting.

And my final tip? Prioritise your wellbeing over your to-do list. Regular breaks, good sleep, nourishing meals and a happy outlook mean you'll stay cognitively sharp and increase your chances of focus and deep work. That means you no longer try to do everything in a half-baked way, with the constant risk of burnout and the wheels falling off. Instead, you do a few things really, really well and maintain your strength and health. And that's the path to doing more in less time.

See the TV interview below.

Written for 1News

Does winter make your Monday blues feel even bleaker?

As the days shorten and the temperatures drop, many of us feel a noticeable shift, not just in the weather, but in our energy, our mood, and our motivation. Dark commutes bookend our working days, and the lack of sunlight can leave even the most driven among us struggling to show up to work with the same spark we had in summer.

I don’t know about you but despite my best efforts to enjoy cosying up by the fire and an early night I still feel compelled to hibernate as I smash packets of tim tams on the sofa come winter! There’s something about this season that makes it harder, especially to get up and go to work. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) runs in my family and I feel it like the flick of a switch come the end of daylight saving.

It’s also the time of year for coughs and colds and commuting on public transport can become a high-risk activity or just an extra load on an already tired immune system.

I often marvel at nature at this time of year and how it changes. The birds get up later and go to bed earlier as the daylight hours change, they’re less active in the day because there’s less food and it takes more energy to fly around in the cold. The trees lose their leaves and some animals even hibernate, taking rest to allow for spring's renewal and regeneration.

Author Katherine May explores this idea beautifully in her book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. She writes about winter not just as a season, but as a metaphor for the times in life when we need to pause, reset, and take care of ourselves. She encourages us to stop pushing through and instead find rhythm, rest, and renewal in the heart of winter.

I think we can learn a lot here and take a leaf out of nature's book. Now, most of us are not in a position to hibernate and take winter off (wouldn’t that be nice!) but if we understand our rhythms and know that it might be harder to navigate work across this particular season we can make allowances and small adjustments that can help.

Winter isn’t only a season of struggle, it also holds the potential for deep comfort and connection.

The Danish art of hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) embraces this wholeheartedly. Hygge is about cultivating cosiness, simplicity, and warmth, often through small, sensory pleasures: a hot cup of tea, woollen socks, candlelight, or shared meals with loved ones. It reminds us that winter can be a time to slow down and savour the indoors.

At work, this might mean adding softer lighting to your desk, taking time for a nourishing lunch, or creating space for meaningful conversations with colleagues. By bringing a little hygge into our days, we can shift our experience of winter from something to endure into something we gently enjoy.

Winter is a time of slowness, of turning inwards and yet our schedules don’t often allow this. Work doesn’t change or flex dependant on the seasons but our circadian rhythms do, so how can we be our best during these months and continue to show up at work with enthusiasm? Here are some tips to get you started.

Chase the light

Get outside during daylight hours whenever possible, but particularly in the morning. Go for a walk at lunchtime if you're in an office. Open blinds fully and sit near windows.

Keep moving

Regular movement helps counter the sluggishness of winter and releases endorphins. Try brisk walks, yoga, or indoor workouts to boost both physical and mental energy. But also take exercise "snacks" throughout the entire day: climb the stairs, walk around the block, take the long way to the loo. Research shows we need to move our bodies throughout the day, not just when we're officially "exercising".

Eat warm, nourishing foods

Focus on seasonal whole foods: root vegetables, soups, stews, and warming spices like ginger and turmeric. Reduce excess sugar, caffeine and alcohol, which can contribute to energy crashes and low mood.

Prioritise sleep

Shorter days can mess with circadian rhythms, aim for a consistent sleep routine. Avoid screens before bed, wind down with a book or meditation, and make your bedroom a warm, restful space.

Create a winter sanctuary

Make your home or workspace a cosy, inviting environment: think soft lighting, warm throws, candles, or essential oils. Your surroundings can shift your mood more than you realise.

Stay social

It’s tempting to hibernate, but connection combats the winter blues. Schedule casual catch ups, coffee dates, or join local classes or events, even virtually.

Plan the little joys

Give yourself things to look forward to: weekend outings, movie nights, holiday planning, or a mid-week treat. Anticipation is a powerful mood booster.

Redefine productivity

Instead of pushing to “do more,” winter invites us to ask: What matters most right now? This season may not be for big sprints but for slow, thoughtful progress. At work, this could be a time to prioritise depth over speed, planning over hustle.

As Katherine May reminds us, “Plants and trees take their time in winter. They prepare. They rest. They accept the season.” We can do the same. Instead of resisting the winter months or trying to hustle through them unchanged, we can choose to navigate them more gently, more consciously.

Written for 1News

Worklife balance, TV nerves and making space

When one door closes another opens.  This year I’d decided not to write a book.  I’ve generally done one a year and I love it.  There’s eight of them out there at the moment though, and this is a year of consolidation for me.  Taking stock of where I am and making space for what may emerge from here.  Especially now having 10 years in business under my belt.
 
It’s exciting to sit in this space of possibility.  It’s also very challenging sitting in the space of not knowing!  As humans we tend to want a plan, some certainty and to feel like we’re in control.  We also like to do what we know!
 
What’s funny though is once we get past the uncomfortable feeling of sitting in the space and leaning into the unknown to see what emerges – things emerge.
 
I was delighted to be asked to work with 1News as their in house work-life balance expert.  This has resulted in a regular column and some Breakfast TV segments.  In the space of not writing books, I’ve also been asked to write for Stuff so it looks like that creative writing itch will get plenty of opportunity to be scratched this year, even in the absence of a book.

It’s been interesting saying yes, taking these opportunities and seeing where they lead. Despite the imposter syndrome, the doubts that come up as soon as people start calling you an expert and that uncomfortable feeling we get in our humble and modest culture when people start recognising you from breakfast TV. All part of the experience, all an opportunity for me to practice what I teach others and to continue my own growth and development, even when it feels like I might be pushing the limits of what I imagined possible back in my days of burnout when I left the corporate world.

The one thing that continues to be my guide is finding space - to think, to be and to create. To allow what’s unfolding the space to become and to sit in that space not having to know all the answers or have it all figured out. If you’d have asked me this year what I’d planned this would not have featured and yet I’m stoked it does.
 
Making space for what comes can open us up for opportunities outside of our plans or even our imagination.  What do you need to stop doing in order to create space for something else to emerge?

You can find all the articles and TV interviews here.

Change is the only thing we can be certain of

There’s a change in the air right now, quite literally.  It’s getting colder here in Aotearoa as we come to the last of summer.  This always makes me sad.  I always want summer to be longer, I love it; it always ends!

To be fair, there’s lots to be sad about right now; world wars, economic uncertainty, the rise of the far right, the fall of democracy!  Yet I’ve been moderating my media intake to shield myself from these feelings.  The one thing we can’t not notice though is the changing of the seasons.  Yet this isn’t a bad thing.  It’s the law of nature.  It’s how nature restores and renews. 

I think as humans we go through a similar process.  A time in our life where we turn inwards, reflect and renew.  As the days get shorter I’m less inclined to do so many things and be out and about after work.  I notice I’m less motivated too and my carb intake has already shot up!

One of my biggest lessons from ancient eastern wisdom was this: it’s not the change that’s the problem, it’s our wanting it to be different.  Summer always gives way to winter and that’s good for nature – it’s only my reaction to it that brings me grief!

As humans we crave certainty, we want things to be as we expect (and enjoy) them.  Things rarely go to our plan though, life is a great example of that!  The one thing we can be sure of in this uncertain world is that change is the only thing we can be certain of.

One of the things I’ve noticed in my forty plus years with politics is that it seems to be a constant political pendulum swing from left to right and then back again – this too will pass and change, just like summer giving way to winter, winter will eventually give way to summer.  It can feel like a bit of wintering happening across the world right now but it won’t last forever.

Put a jumper on, light the fire, stay warm and wait it out.  There’s also more to it than that though.  I’m often encouraging people to focus on what they can control, not to waste time and energy trying to change the things we can’t control.  I believe the power lies in taking ownership and action to change the way we look at things so that the things we look at then change (wisdom from Dr Wayne Dyer).

The one thing I love about winter coming is that I can have longer showers because we’re not in drought and I can take down our mosquito net!  I also know I need to do things differently to get through the colder months, to change my routine and invest in my wellness in different ways.  I take vitamin D to counter-balance the reduced sunshine hours as an example.  I can’t change the fact winter is coming but I can change how I show up and approach this change.

Obviously the changing of the seasons is a small example and when there’s bigger stuff going on in our life and the world, this becomes more difficult.  The same principles apply though and I like to think if we start practicing on the small stuff, we’re a well-oiled machine by the time we have to face the bigger changes in life.

State of the workplace 2025: challenges and solutions for the year ahead

It always amazes me how quickly the time goes.  Just as we think the year is starting, we’re already at the end of the first quarter!

I’ve just launched my new and updated state of the workplace report.  Featuring the research and statistics that tell us what to expect as we progress through 2025 and where our focus should be this is always a useful read for organisations.  Not just to better understand the challenges we face but figure out the solutions too.

On a global scale the post pandemic landscape, global wars, climate crisis and economic instability have led the World Economic Forum to label this current era a polycrisis.

Now more than ever our businesses will look to the capability of their leaders to not just lead through these challenging times and navigate the uncertain future, but also to bring everyone else along on the journey and help ‘calm the farm’. From the latest reports out telling us what 2025 holds and where our focus should be, here are some of the highlights. 

The challenges we’ll face in 2025 and the things that need to be on our priority list and that our leaders need to be supported in delivering:

·       Humanising leadership in the digital age

·       Managing change and uncertainty

·       Motivating diverse teams and uniting everyone around a common goal

·       Forming connection and collaboration in a hybrid working environment

·       Budget cuts and restructures

I’ve attached the report here for your reading pleasure and would love to know what you think.

I’m always keen to chat about what you’re up to in your workplace for 2025 and how I might be able to support.  Book your free phone call here and let’s chat more.

When creativity strikes - why great ideas feel different

I find that when a good idea lands it makes a different sound.  You can feel it.  It’s like when a shift happens in our thinking or life direction that we feel in our body – you know it’s significant, even if it’s not clear how or why immediately. 

It was early morning and I was in the spa, it’s my quiet thinking time.  This idea hit me and I knew it meant something.  I didn’t want to lose it and it was moving quite fast so I hopped out and ran up to the office and began to write.  I sat at the laptop still wrapped in my towel and within 10 minutes the idea was out of my head and on paper.

Good ideas tend to come quick and are effortless and yet can so easily get away from us if we don’t pay them attention.  Elizabeth Gilbert talks about this in her book Big Magic.  She talks about an idea that visited her and stayed as just an idea. She describes how, because she was distracted, the exact same idea wound up being published by someone else, somewhere else.  The idea moved on. 

Like our ideas, our dreams go elsewhere unless we pay attention and give them space to flourish.

It turns out this idea of mine in the spa resonated with a lot of people and if you missed it, here’s the resulting piece.

Want to inject some creativity in your life?  Map out a direction for 2025?  Come and see Liz Gilbert with me live next month and let’s work together on finding your magic.