Working Harder Makes You Less Productive | Dr. Christian Poensgen

About this episode

What if your obsession with productivity is actually making you less productive—and damaging the relationships that matter most? Working longer hours, answering every message, and sacrificing rest might feel like the path to success, but chronic stress and burnout can quietly undermine your performance, emotional health, and personal life. AJ sits down with Dr. Christian Poensgen, co-author of Ultra Productive, to explore why hustle culture fails and how to achieve peak performance without sacrificing your well-being. Christian shares how his own startup experience nearly led to burnout and strained his relationship, why getting eight hours of sleep doesn't necessarily mean you're well-rested, and how to distinguish healthy acute stress from harmful chronic stress. They also unpack the hidden costs of constant notifications, fragmented attention, and "time confetti"—and why real social connection is essential to sustainable success. You'll learn practical strategies to improve sleep quality, manage stress, prevent burnout, and increase productivity without working longer hours. Discover how to use deep work and time blocking to protect your focus, simple breathing exercises and w