Perform at 100% effort and quality for seven days = 700 high quality output. Hustle at 120% for five, crash for two = 600—you lose. Fatigue compounds daily until Friday you’re forcing 120% from a 70% baseline with poor quality—conditioning yourself throughout the day to stay at 100%.

Competent people become more likable when they make mistakes - it humanizes them (Pratfall Effect). Your “dirty imperfect self” builds the real, sticky connections AI can’t replicate. Go talk to three people today.

Why you feel out of control? Most people in their 20s face foreclosure: committing without exploring alternatives. They compensate with external pressure—high-stakes jobs, constant deadlines—but this creates productivity without purpose since foreclosed identities rely on external rather than internal motivation. Real achievement requires exploration first.