Recover

Many high performers think they’re optimizing, but they’re just frying their dopamine system. From hospital coffee to productivity apps and nicotine pouches, the addiction spectrum is wider than we admit. Here’s how to protect your focus before it burns out.

Your nervous system isn’t a machine. It’s a battery. And most professionals are running on empty. Burnout isn’t fixed by vacations or cold plunges. Real recovery is systematic: nervous system resets, sunlight, ultradian rhythm breaks. Recharge before you crash. Or, pay the price.

My injury list reads like a horror script because I treated recovery as optional. It’s not. Recovery is where gains are made and injuries avoided. Sleep, breathwork, nutrition, structure. It’s not self-care, it’s strategy. Push hard, but recover harder. That’s the real edge.

I failed my NY driver’s test. Twice. Not because I can’t drive (I’m German), but because I was cognitively fried. Mental fatigue is real. Recovery isn’t optional. It’s strategy. If your brain is your edge, treat it like your asset. Work doesn’t burn you out. Lack of recovery does.

Kobe sacrificed sleep. I used to do the same. But sleep isn’t weakness; it’s leverage. Circadian rhythm, gut health, hormones, light; all matter more than fancy gadgets. If you’re tired and wired, it’s not hustle, it’s dysfunction. Fix sleep, and you fix everything else.