Introduction
In a world that glorifies hustle culture, many professionals and entrepreneurs find themselves trapped in cycles of exhaustion and diminishing returns. The constant pressure to do more, work harder, and optimize every second often leads to burnout rather than true productivity.
On a recent episode of the Strategic Thinkers Podcast, I sat down with Mischelle ONeal, an expert in wellness and stress management with a unique military background, to break down what’s really keeping people stuck—and how they can reclaim control over their time and focus.
From our in-depth conversation, I developed the PACE™ Framework, a structured approach to time sovereignty and sustainable productivity that addresses the root causes of workplace stress rather than just treating the symptoms.
The Attention Crisis: Why We’re Stressed and Unproductive
One of the most eye-opening takeaways from my discussion with Mischelle was her perspective on the true nature of stress in today’s workplace.
“Most people don’t have a time problem. They have an attention problem,” she explained. “Stress is just a symptom, not the root cause.”
This insight fundamentally shifts how we should approach productivity. Instead of trying to squeeze more tasks into our already packed schedules, we need to recalibrate where and how we direct our focus.
Mischelle shared that her military experience taught her the value of maintaining calm in chaos—a skill that transfers directly to today’s workplace. “In the military, we learned ‘hurry up and wait.’ You need to be ready to act, but also patient enough to focus on what matters when the time comes.”
This balance is precisely what’s missing for many professionals. We’re constantly reacting to inputs—emails, messages, meetings, and deadlines—without the strategic pause needed to assess whether these demands deserve our attention.
The High Cost of Attention Mismanagement
Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand what’s at stake. The consequences of poorly managed attention extend far beyond just feeling busy:
- Decision Fatigue: Mischelle emphasized that “tired people make reactive decisions.” When our attention is constantly fragmented, our ability to focus and refocus on tasks, leads a drop off in productivity and poorer choices.
- Relationship Strain: Work bleeding into personal time creates tension in relationships. As Mischelle noted, “The people closest to you notice first when you’re not setting proper boundaries.”
- Reduced Innovation: Creative thinking requires mental space. Constant task-switching and urgency kill the conditions needed for innovation.
- Health Implications: Chronic stress from attention overload triggers physical symptoms, from disrupted sleep to compromised immune function.
- Diminished Impact: Perhaps most concerning for ambitious professionals, scattered attention means we make less meaningful progress on what truly matters.
The PACE™ Framework: A Strategic Approach to Time Sovereignty
Based on Mischelle’s insights, I’ve developed the PACE™ Framework—a comprehensive system for reclaiming control over your time, attention, and ultimately, your results.
1️⃣ P – Protect Your Time
Time sovereignty begins with strong boundaries. As Mischelle emphasized, “You have to start as you mean to go on”—meaning it’s essential to establish clear expectations from the beginning rather than trying to reset boundaries later.
Implementation Strategies:
- Time Blocking with Buffer Zones: Beyond basic time blocking, add 15–30-minute buffers between significant activities. Mischelle noted that “transition time is where we often lose focus,” so these buffers allow for mental reset.
- Communication Templates: Create standardized responses for declining low-priority requests or redirecting interruptions. Having these ready reduces the friction of boundary enforcement.
- Boundary Rituals: Develop specific actions that signal transitions between work and personal time. This might be a short walk, changing clothes, or a brief meditation.
- Tech Boundaries: Implement specific times when notifications are turned off and apps are closed. Mischelle suggested, “Make your technology work for you, not against you.”
- Meeting Protocols: Establish personal rules for which meetings you’ll accept. Require agendas, set time limits, and don’t hesitate to decline if your presence isn’t essential.
Real-World Example:
I can tell you firsthand how much my productivity went up after people left the office for the day and when I worked from home. There are people that look to break up their day and can extend yours with the distraction and shifting things from their to-do list to your to-do list. For those with strict work hours and responsibilities outside of work. This can be a real hinderance to meeting the expectations of those counting on you outside of the office.
Common Obstacles:
- Fear of missing out or disappointing others
- Guilt about saying no
- Organizational cultures that reward constant availability
Success Indicators:
- Reduced context-switching during focus blocks
- Feeling less drained at day’s end
- Completing high-priority work on schedule
2️⃣ A – Align Work with Energy Cycles
Rather than forcing yourself to maintain constant productivity, Mischelle advocates working with your natural energy rhythms.
“Understanding your body clock is crucial,” she explained. Most people experience their highest cognitive functioning in specific windows, making these times optimal for complex thinking and creative tasks.
Implementation Strategies:
- Energy Audit: Track your energy, focus, and mood at different times for two weeks to identify patterns. Note when you naturally feel most alert, creative, or analytical.
- Task-Energy Mapping: Categorize your responsibilities based on the type of energy they require (creative, analytical, administrative, social) and align them with your corresponding peak times.
- Chronotype Optimization: Identify whether you’re a morning lark, night owl, or somewhere in between, and advocate for work arrangements that accommodate your biological predisposition.
- Strategic Breaks: Incorporate short breaks based on the ultradian rhythm—typically 90 minutes of focus followed by 20 minutes of rest. As Mischelle noted, “Rest is a strategy, not a reward.”
- Nutrition and Movement Planning: Schedule meals and movement to support energy levels rather than depleting them further.
Real-World Example:
Mischelle described a manager who realized her analytical thinking peaked between 7-10 AM. She rearranged her schedule to do financial reviews and strategic planning during this window, protected from meetings. The result was more thorough analysis and better decisions, accomplished in less time than when she attempted the same work in the afternoon.
Common Obstacles:
- Rigid organizational schedules that don’t allow flexibility
- Lack of awareness about personal energy patterns
- Social coordination requirements with team members
Success Indicators:
- Completing challenging work in less time
- Feeling more satisfied with the quality of your output
- Experiencing fewer energy crashes throughout the day
3️⃣ C – Cut Distractions & Low-Value Tasks
In our conversation, Mischelle highlighted that many people mistake being busy for being productive. True productivity comes from eliminating the non-essential and focusing on high-impact activities.
“You can’t manage time,” Mischelle noted, “but you can manage your attention and where you direct it.”
Implementation Strategies:
- Attention Triggers Inventory: Identify specific people, situations, or technologies that consistently pull your focus away from priorities, then implement specific boundaries around each one.
- Value-to-Effort Mapping: Evaluate tasks based on their impact relative to the time invested. Eliminate or delegate those with poor ratios.
- Digital Minimalism: Regularly audit apps, subscriptions, and digital tools. Keep only those that provide significant value relative to the attention they demand.
- Decision Criteria Framework: Develop personal criteria for what constitutes a valuable use of your time. Use these as a filter for new commitments.
- Meeting Detox: Challenge the necessity of recurring meetings. Could they be emails, shorter check-ins, or held less frequently?
Real-World Example:
Removing the distractions and attempts to multi-task can improve productivity. Prioritizing the tasks, meetings, etc. that require you to be at your best and then saving the lower priority tasks for downtime when you don’t have to be at optimal levels can improve your productivity.
Common Obstacles:
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) on information or opportunities
- People-pleasing tendencies that make saying no difficult
- Sunk cost fallacy with established routines or commitments
Success Indicators:
- Fewer but more meaningful commitments
- Reduced feeling of being scattered across too many priorities
- More frequent experiences of flow state during work
4️⃣ E – Establish Sustainable Productivity Systems
The final component of the PACE™ Framework focuses on creating systems that support long-term efficiency and prevent backsliding into old patterns.
As Mischelle emphasized, “This is something that needs to be unlearned.” Many of our stress responses and productivity challenges stem from learned behaviors rather than inevitable reactions.
Implementation Strategies:
- Weekly Review and Reset: Schedule 30-60 minutes weekly to evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and adjust accordingly. This prevents small issues from becoming entrenched problems.
- Delegation Directory: Create a list of tasks that could be delegated along with potential delegates for each. Update this regularly as new responsibilities emerge.
- Decision Simplification: Identify recurring decisions and create frameworks to streamline them, reducing decision fatigue.
- Documentation Habit: Document processes as you refine them to avoid solving the same problems repeatedly.
- Trigger-Response Planning: For known attention disruptions, develop specific action plans to address them when they arise rather than reacting in the moment.
Real-World Example:
Mischelle reminded me of our conversations offline where we would discuss how to become more efficient and challenged my dislike for delegating and asking for help. Where I may hesitate to ask for help or assign tasks, it adds to my day and potential stress level. She highlighted knowing who you can ask for help and delegate things to. Playing to people’s strengths makes the ask less daunting and more acceptable to take on.
Common Obstacles:
- Perfectionism that prevents delegation
- Lack of consistency in maintaining systems
- Failure to evolve systems as circumstances change
Success Indicators:
- Reduced time spent on recurring decisions and processes
- Ability to maintain productivity during high-stress periods
- Sustainable work patterns that don’t lead to burnout
Beyond Individual Practice: Organizational Implementation
While much of the PACE™ Framework focuses on individual practices, Mischelle emphasized the importance of addressing organizational culture as well.
“Corporate wellness needs to be preventive, not just reactive,” she noted. Leaders bear particular responsibility for modeling sustainable productivity and creating environments where boundaries are respected.
For teams looking to implement these principles more broadly, consider:
- Team Energy Mapping: Identify when different team members are at their best for various types of work, and structure collaborative efforts accordingly.
- Meeting-Free Zones: Designate specific days or time blocks with no meetings to allow for deep work across the organization.
- Boundary Recognition: Celebrate, rather than penalize, examples of appropriate boundary-setting within the team.
- Attention Audits: Periodically review where collective team attention is going and whether it aligns with strategic priorities.
- Rest Integration: Normalize strategic rest periods and discourage the glorification of overwork.
Measuring Progress: How to Know If You’re Improving
Implementing the PACE™ Framework isn’t about perfection but progress. Here are key metrics to track as you work toward greater time sovereignty:
Quantitative Indicators:
- Percentage of time spent on high-priority vs. low-priority activities
- Number of uninterrupted deep work blocks per week
- Time to recovery after intense work periods
- Frequency of saying “no” to low-value commitments
Qualitative Indicators:
- Sense of control over your schedule
- Quality of output for key deliverables
- Energy levels at day’s end
- Satisfaction with work-life boundaries
- Presence and engagement during non-work time
As Mischelle noted, “You’ll know you’re making progress when you feel more present in whatever you’re doing, whether that’s work or time with loved ones.”
Personalizing Your Approach: Adaptation Strategies
The PACE™ Framework provides a structure, but effective implementation requires personalization. I create frameworks to serve as guard rails not stringent instructions to follow. The goal is to apply it to your life in a way that doesn’t require you to become a totally new person. Rather, implement it into your life in ways that are sustainable and work your way up from there.
Mischelle emphasized that “everyone has their strengths and weaknesses” and that productivity strategies should be adapted accordingly.
Consider:
- Your Industry Context: How can you modify these strategies for your specific professional environment?
- Personal Productivity Style: Are you more effective with tight structure or flexible guidelines?
- Life Stage Considerations: How do current personal circumstances affect your energy management needs?
- Geographical and Cultural Factors: How might local work norms influence your implementation approach?
Taking the First Step: Where to Begin
Transforming your relationship with time and attention is a journey, not an overnight shift. To avoid overwhelm, Mischelle recommends starting with just one aspect of the framework:
- Choose Your Entry Point: Select the PACE™ component that resonates most strongly with your current challenges.
- Implement One Practice: Rather than overhauling everything at once, select a single strategy to implement fully.
- Establish a Feedback Loop: Determine how you’ll measure success and set a specific time to evaluate results.
- Build Your Support System: Identify who can help hold you accountable or provide feedback on your progress.
- Schedule Your Next Addition: Once your first practice becomes habitual, schedule when you’ll incorporate the next element.
This PACE™ Framework is an example of my PathMaker™ service, where I create strategic frameworks to help entrepreneurs navigate challenges and optimize their businesses. I provide both comprehensive consulting services and DIY options for those seeking ways to take action and make progress with introductory resources.
Conclusion: From Reactive to Strategic
Perhaps the most powerful insight from my conversation with Mischelle was her observation that most people operate reactively rather than strategically when it comes to their time and attention.
The PACE™ Framework offers a path to shift from constant reaction to thoughtful action—from feeling perpetually behind to moving forward with intention.
As Mischelle so aptly put it: “It’s about working smarter, not harder.” By protecting your time, aligning with your energy, cutting distractions, and establishing systems, you reclaim sovereignty over not just your schedule, but the quality and impact of your work.
This isn’t just about productivity—it’s about reclaiming control over your experience, reducing stress, and creating space for what truly matters.
🚀 Want to hear the full conversation with Mischelle ONeal? Listen to the complete episode of the Strategic Thinkers Podcast here where we dive deeper into these concepts and more.
What aspect of the PACE™ Framework do you struggle with most? Share your thoughts and reach out directly if you’d like support implementing these strategies in your organization.
