Stop Fighting Your Brain: Work With It Instead

As high achievers, we’re often taught that success requires pushing through resistance, powering through mental fatigue, and doing whatever it takes to reach our goals. But what if all that "grit" and "grind" is actually sabotaging your success?

The truth is, fighting your brain—pushing through when you’re mentally drained, forcing yourself to perform at your best when your mind is screaming for rest—isn’t the path to sustainable success. In fact, it’s a shortcut to burnout.

Your brain is incredibly powerful, but it operates according to its own natural rhythms. If you want to truly maximize your potential, you need to stop resisting your brain’s cues and start working with them.

The Mental Resistance You Don’t Need

High achievers often battle mental resistance. You know the feeling: you have a task you need to do, but your brain just doesn’t want to do it. The more you push, the more resistance you feel, and suddenly that one task becomes a mountain you can’t climb.

What’s really happening here is that your brain is trying to tell you something important. It’s signaling that you’re trying to operate outside of your natural cognitive flow. Just like your body needs rest after a workout, your brain needs its own balance of focus and recovery. When you ignore that balance, you’re fighting against your own neurological systems—and you’ll only get more frustrated.

Why does this happen?

Our brains are designed to work in cycles of focus and rest. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and higher cognitive functions, has limited energy and capacity. If we push it too hard, we risk draining our cognitive resources, making it harder to stay sharp and focused.

Your brain has a delicate balance of neurotransmitters—dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins—that regulate your motivation, mood, and cognitive function. But prolonged mental exertion can deplete these neurotransmitters, leaving you mentally fatigued and emotionally drained.

That’s when resistance kicks in, and you start procrastinating, feeling overwhelmed, or just not getting anything done.

How to Align with Your Brain's Natural Rhythms

Instead of pushing against your brain, try aligning with its natural rhythms. Here’s how:

1. Understand Your Brain’s Natural Cycles: Your brain doesn’t function at its peak all day. In fact, it has specific windows of energy. For example, many people experience heightened cognitive focus in the morning, while others might hit their stride in the afternoon or evening. Pay attention to when you feel most sharp and energized, and use that time to tackle your most difficult tasks.
2. Break Tasks into Smaller Chunks: One of the biggest causes of mental resistance is feeling overwhelmed by the size of a task. When you look at a big project and think, "I have so much to do," it can feel paralyzing. Instead, break it down into smaller, manageable chunks. Focus on completing one small part at a time, rather than the whole.
3. Respect Your Brain’s Need for Rest: After periods of intense focus, your brain needs recovery. Don’t ignore that. Instead of pushing yourself to keep going when you feel drained, take breaks to recharge. This might mean taking a walk, meditating for a few minutes, or simply stepping away from your work for a while. Resting your brain can boost your productivity in the long run.
4. Shift Your Mindset from "Grind" to "Flow": We’ve all been taught that success comes from relentless hard work. But what if the key to success isn’t pushing harder, but instead finding ways to work smarter? Aligning with your brain’s natural processes allows you to tap into a state of "flow," where work becomes effortless and productivity soars.

Your Challenge for Today:

Identify one task you’ve been resisting—whether it’s a project at work, a fitness goal, or something personal—and try a different approach. Break it down into smaller steps, or change the timing—if you usually tackle it in the afternoon, try it in the morning when you feel sharper. Listen to what your brain is telling you, and adjust accordingly.

Remember, success isn’t about fighting harder; it’s about finding the path of least resistance and working with your brain’s natural flow.

Client Success Story:

Let me share the story of Sarah, a high-level executive who struggled with procrastination. She’d always believed that pushing harder and working longer hours was the key to success. But this approach only led to burnout.

When we started working together, we focused on identifying her brain’s natural rhythms. Sarah learned that she was most productive in the morning and needed to take breaks in the afternoon to prevent mental fatigue. By aligning her tasks with her energy levels and breaking large projects into smaller steps, Sarah not only boosted her productivity but also regained her energy and enthusiasm for her work. She hit major career milestones in record time—all by working with her brain’s natural rhythms, not against them.

Are you ready to stop fighting your brain and start aligning with it for greater success?

Let’s talk about how working with your mind’s unique patterns can lead to massive breakthroughs in your career and life. Reach out today to schedule a strategy session!

"Harmony is the key to success. When your mind, body, and spirit are in alignment, you can achieve anything you set your heart to." - Harmony Woodington

Feeling motivated? Please share this article with your network to inspire others to build their success gardens.

Want to learn more or need help with building your success habits? Reach out to me!

https://www.coachingwithharmony.com/

All the love from me to you,

Harmony Woodington

Executive Neuroscience Coach