The Doing Addiction — And What To Do About It

The Trap of High Performers No One Talks About >>

We live in a culture where doing is everything.

The busier you are, the more important you must be.

The longer your to-do list, the more you’re crushing it.

The faster you move, the closer you are to success.

Right?

Not quite.

One of my high-flying clients—a managing partner at a successful firm—came to me completely burnt out. Not because the business was failing (it wasn’t), and not because she lacked clarity (she had it).

She was exhausted because she thought the only way to reach the next level was to do more.

More meetings. More pressure. More output.

But the truth is:

What got you here won’t get you there.

If it could, you’d already be there.

I’ve fallen into this trap many times myself.

When I have started businesses in the past, I believed that if I wasn’t busy, I wasn’t growing the business and it would stay still.

"If I don't do it, who will?" - was my mantra.

But I spent my time being busy, not productive, not focused on what really mattered but on the "should have's" or "nice-to-have's".

Slow Down to Speed Up: The Tortoise Approach >>

You remember the old story: The Tortoise and the Hare.

We were taught “slow and steady wins the race.”

But in a world addicted to hustle, this feels counterintuitive.

What the tortoise teaches us is something deeper:

When you slow down, you see more.

You notice patterns, details, opportunities.

You begin to trust timing instead of trying to force it.

One of my clients was launching a new offering and felt behind. They pushed harder—late nights, skipped workouts, missed quality time with family. Productivity was a badge of honour. But the launch stalled.

Only when we slowed everything down—focused on alignment, simplified the strategy, and created space to think—did things take off. The most powerful ideas were already there. He just couldn’t see them while racing ahead.

The Tyranny of the To-Do List >>

I’m not against productivity. I love a good checklist.

But when your To-Do List runs your life, it becomes toxic. You’re chasing a finish line that never comes.

Here’s what I learned from my mentor:

Your To-Do list is for remembering.

Your intentions are for expanding.

Try this:

🧠 Each day, set 1–3 high-value intentions—actions that move the needle and align with your bigger vision.

Then, make time to BE.

This doesn’t mean doing nothing.

It means being fully in what you’re doing.

Presence. Reflection. Connection. Creativity.

The things that actually make us better at what we do.

Less Doing & More Being >>

"More motion doesn't always create more progress..." a mentor taught me.

Rather than constantly chasing, allowing possibilities come to us can be a viable and highly impactful approach.

This comes when we shift our focus from doing, to being.

What does it mean to BE? >>

It means embracing who you are.

It means letting your real self express itself in your work.

It means being present with the people around you.

It means appreciating what you already have.

It means allowing things to unfold instead of you forcing them your way.

This is where high performance is born—not from the grind, but from groundedness, in the knowing that it is happening vs I need to make it happen.

Sometimes, less doing and more being is the answer.

You don’t need more time.

You need more presence.

Let’s create it, together.

Stefano