When you are highly productive, people notice. They start to ask questions. How do you do it? Do you have more hours in the day than the rest of us? How much do you actually sleep? They look for the secret, the hack, the hidden formula that allows you to get so much done.

The truth? There is no magic. It is simply effective routines and habits, stacked one upon another, day in and day out, that eventually add up to more than you imagined — and certainly more than most. But there is also a dark side to this level of productivity — one that I have experienced firsthand: the accusations of being a workaholic.

What Is a Workaholic?
A workaholic is not just someone who works hard. A workaholic is someone incapable of stopping, resting, or finding balance. It is someone who feels a deep, sometimes compulsive need to keep pushing forward —at the cost of their well-being, relationships, or even their own productivity in the long run.

And for years, that was me.

I thought I was just dedicated. I thought my ability to push through exhaustion and keep going was a sign of strength. But over time, I realized that my constant drive was not always healthy. My ability to produce and achieve came at the expense of knowing how to pause, reset, and breathe.

The Power of Rest and Small Pauses
Learning to unwind, relax, and let go was a skill I had to develop — just like any other habit. But I learned that rest is not the enemy of productivity. It is a key part of sustaining it.

Now, I don’t just wait until the end of the day to crash. I intentionally take short pauses throughout the day — to let my mind reset, step away from the screen, and breathe. These moments of rest don’t slow me down; they actually make me more focused, more energized, and more productive in the long run.

Finding the Balance
A fine line exists between being highly productive and falling into the workaholic trap. The difference? Control. If you can walk away, unplug, and find balance in your day, your productivity is serving you — not the other way around.

So, the next time someone asks how you do it, remind them it is not just about working hard. It is about knowing when to work and when to stop. That’s where the real productivity power lies.