Self Care

Stress isn’t the enemy — it’s how we’re wired to respond to challenges. The real problem comes when stress stops being temporary and turns into your baseline. That’s chronic stress, and it quietly eats away at focus, energy, and resilience. Q4 is the perfect time to change that. Planning season, holiday obligations, and year-end deadlines collide, creating the conditions for stress to pile up unchecked. Here are a few simple, high-impact ways to reset.

Harmonizers care about how things get done. They tune into their energy, their environment, and the dynamics of the people around them. While others charge ahead with plans or systems, Harmonizers work best when things feel aligned—when their internal state, external environment, and relationships support the task at hand. When the conditions are right, they can be remarkably productive, creative, and insightful.

Optimizers don’t just want things done—they want them done better. They seek efficiency, clarity, and sustainability. Optimizers are wired to improve. They notice friction, inefficiencies, or repeated pain points—and they have to fix them. Whether they’re refining personal habits or restructuring team operations, they’re constantly looking for ways to get more value from the same amount of effort.

Quick relief in the middle of your workday—no apps, books, or courses required. When stress hits during the workday, most of us try to...

The Builder—the action-taker, the momentum generator, the person who gets things moving even when the plan is still forming. Builders are the productivity style most likely to say “let’s just start” and figure it out as they go. They bring energy, decisiveness, and adaptability to the table—and can be powerful catalysts for progress.

If you’re someone who thinks before you act, loves a well-built plan, and finds satisfaction in structure, there’s a good chance your productivity style leans toward The Architect.

Understanding your unique approach to work is key to unlocking your best output. In this article—the first in a 5-part series—I’ll introduce four distinct productivity styles.