My husband has this endearing habit of calling me on his way home from work to ask, "How was your day?"

For years, I'd reply with a list of what I'd accomplished, and if the list seemed impressive I congratulated myself on being productive. Being productive felt great.

Until I had to take six months off work.

Why I had to abandon productivity

After navigating several challenging years as a family, I hit a wall. I figured I'd take six weeks off to recover from burnout, but when six weeks turned into six months, it was clear this wasn't simply burnout.

When the numerous tests and doctor's appointments turned up a diagnosis of chronic fatigue (ME/CFS), I knew I had to make some radical shifts. While I was lucky to be experiencing mild symptoms compared to many patients, I couldn't keep working the way I had.

One day, I heard myself replying to my husband's end-of-day question with the usual list of accomplishments. Except this time it didn't sound impressive. It dawned on me then: I couldn't measure my days by my productivity. If I chased productivity, I risked an energy crash that would send me to the couch for days.

Instead I had to focus on how well I was supporting myself. This shift was one of many ways I've been redefining success, and I share all about it in an interview with Authority Magazine. Read the full interview here.

Sarah Sambles, coach and writer, smiling in a yellow top against an exposed brick wall

How being performative alienates your audience

This productive vs supportive debate might sound like it's simply a matter of time management, but it goes deeper. While there's nothing wrong with having a to-do list—how else would we get anything done—if productivity is our only metric, we start operating from a place of panic. And that panic affects everything we do: the tone in our emails, the way we interact with customers, the language of our social posts. Productive easily becomes performative, and customers sniff that out a mile off.

Whether you're a Type A with Duracell Bunny levels of energy, or a contemplative who likes to ponder things deeply, I know this to be true: authentic wins over performative every time. If you want help figuring out how to build an authentic business, that's the kind of work I do with my coaching clients. Book a free Clarity Call and we'll work out your next step.