You Don't Need Willpower. You Need to Stop Resisting.

Picture this: You open your laptop, see the email waiting, and your chest tightens.
Your mind floods with reasons to delay.
All of a sudden you need to do a million things other than this.
But it is not the work that’s heavy, it’s the invisible resistance inside you.

All the external productivity tools, apps, and systems help us.
But they're tools being used on a shaky foundation.
When we have internal resistance, even the best tools cannot be used optimally.
Fix the foundation first, and glide through everything else. 

As an example: Years ago, I had a wonderfully simple productivity system that centered around my calendar. Everything went onto my calendar. Problem: I never looked at my calendar in the morning! I’d get calls mid-afternoon saying: “Where are you? You’re supposed to be…….”. I am embarrassed to say how many times this happened to me. I’d later look in my calendar and yes, of course there was the event noted at its proper time. Not looking at the calendar? That was pure resistance, folks. Pure and simple. It was my resistance to getting those projects done, without a doubt.

The real drain isn’t the task or event.
The real drain is resistance. That quiet internal “no” that shows up as:

• Tension in the body

• Spirals of overthinking 

• Emotionally-charged pronouncements (“I was unfairly criticized”.)

• Negative feelings (irritation, dislike, boredom, etc.)
  
  

You think you’re tired from working.
But you’re actually exhausted from fighting yourself.
Every “I should be further along,” every delay because it doesn’t feel right, every loop of frustration is resistance taxing your energy before you even start.

When we stop resisting, energy returns.
Clarity sharpens. Action feels lighter.
Ending the internal war isn’t abstract.
It can look like:

• Sitting down without the dread

• Moving through tasks without any mental reservations

• Finishing the day with energy left over
  

You don’t need another hack. You need to dissolve the friction.

TO TRY THIS WEEK:

Spot the Signal
Notice when resistance is present. Catch the “no”, the tension, the mental stories you layer on top of what happens.

From The Productivity Manifesto (releasing October 15, 2025):

• Productivity isn’t about grinding harder, it’s about ending resistance.
  

• The friction you feel is the signal. Resistance is the problem. Acceptance is the antidote.
  

• You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’ve just been fighting the wrong battle.

Fighting the right battle is the foundation of everything I'm building with The Productivity Manifesto, a different way of thinking about what really prevents us from being as productive as we want to be.

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—Alessandra

P.S. If you know someone who wants to produce more and struggle less, forward this newsletter to them. The revolution grows when you share it.