Hi ,

For years, I focused on building my productivity skills.

Discipline. Focus. Willpower. Consistency.

They helped. A lot.

I was showing up more. Getting more done. Making real progress.

But… not quite at the level I hoped for.

So I kept looking.

Maybe there was a new technique I hadn’t tried.

A deeper layer to train.

Another gear I could unlock.

I experimented. Pushed harder. Tweaked routines.

Still, something felt… missing.

Then one day, while coaching a client, something unexpected happened.

As I was helping her work through a block, I heard what I was saying — and it triggered something in me.

New thoughts. New feelings.

We were talking about self-sabotage — how we’re often our own worst enemy.

It was a good session. She made a breakthrough.

But after the call, I sat in silence and thought:

“Wait… do I actually understand that? Or do I just think I do?”

I started journaling.

How am I, right now, getting in my own way?

I thought I’d find one or two blind spots.

What I found instead completely reframed my approach to growth.

Here’s what clicked:

1- We’re ALWAYS our own worst enemy.

Because as we improve, the version of us that resists progress also grows with us.

It learns new tricks. Gets smarter, too.

New level, new devil.

2- The productivity skills I had been sharpening — they weren’t the problem.

They were just the surface.

Beneath them was something else.

Something more foundational.

To explain what I mean, let me use a simple example:

Think about healthy eating.

There are two parts to it — eating more of the good stuff, and less of the bad stuff.

Now, let’s say I’ve built strong willpower.

I can say yes to salads, smoothies, and supplements.

I can say no to sugar, snacks, and soda.

That’s great. But what if I just… don’t have junk food in the house to begin with?

Now I’m not spending willpower saying no.

I’ve already made the good choice once.

And the rest becomes easier.

That’s the difference between a skill and a foundation.

One takes effort every time.

The other removes friction entirely.

That’s what I realized about productivity, too.

It’s not just about sharpening the skills.

It’s about building the foundations that let those skills actually work.

I discovered two key foundations I had been overlooking.

Game changers.

Not just for me — but for every client I’ve shared them with since.

In the next email, I’ll tell you what the first one is.

And why it makes everything else easier — without needing more effort.

Talk soon.

Relentlessly dedicated to your profitability,

Dr. Kayvon K

Simplifier & Profit Finder

Let's connect: LinkedIn

Meeting: TalkToKayvon.com

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