Disclaimer: This case study covers only snapshots of the actual execution report which is more detailed.
Case Study: Emily Carter
Age: 33 | Location: San Francisco, USA
Role: Product Manager at a mid-size SaaS company
What Emily Was Struggling With
Emily juggled a demanding product role while trying to write a book. But she constantly felt stuck in shallow execution. Despite staying busy, nothing meaningful moved forward. Her days ended with energy crashes, inconsistent focus, and task-hopping — leaving her drained and demotivated.
What She Thought Was the Problem
- “I just need better time management.”
- “I should plan better — and stick to it.”
- “Maybe I need more discipline or willpower.”
What She Was Trying Before
- Pomodoro technique daily
- Multiple planning tools (Notion, Todoist, Google Calendar)
- Daily checklists with aggressive batching
- Weekend journaling and weekly reset rituals
What Our Diagnostic Revealed
Emily wasn’t lacking discipline — she was running the wrong system for how her brain naturally operates.
Her productivity breakdown followed a predictable pattern rooted in how she processed decisions, handled cognitive load, and maintained momentum.
6 Key Behavioral Mismatches
- Cognitive Friction: High — needed clarity + emotion-weighted tasks
- Energy Dip: Post-lunch crashes misaligned with task demands
- Perfection Anchor: Avoided starting unless everything felt 100% ready
- Over-Planning: Mental fatigue from rigid planning systems
- Validation Loop: Executed better under external deadlines
- Persona Type: “Strategic Switcher” — collapses with too much freedom
Inside Emily’s Execution Blueprint
12 Precision Insights
- Peak focus was 9:30–11:45am — but blocked with standups
- Energy collapsed between 1:30–3:00pm — yet complex tasks were scheduled
- Needed emotional anchoring (not logic) to engage with creative work
- Visual overload in Notion created task aversion
- Scored high on cognitive friction — yet used a switch-heavy system
- Rigid plans killed momentum — needed flexible blocks
- No ritual for recovering post-interruptions
- Task design emphasized completion over progress
- Relied on others’ deadlines — lacked simulation for personal goals
- Entry anxiety from unclear task descriptions
- Reward system was extrinsic — internal goals felt unimportant
- Needed weekly emotional reset to prevent “restart syndrome”
What She Was Solving Incorrectly
- Treated energy crashes as a discipline issue — used caffeine instead of restructuring tasks
- Over-engineered her task planning — added complexity instead of simplifying
- Mistook procrastination for laziness — it was perfectionism in disguise
- Used Pomodoro for structure — but it disrupted deep work rhythm
The Personalized System We Designed
Core Strategy: Emotion-first planning + energy-aligned execution windows + friction-tailored rituals
- Protected 9:30–11:30am for creative, strategic work
- Voice-note previews to emotionally prime solo tasks
- Simplified 3-bucket view (Notion → Trello)
- “Why now” entry cue + decompression reset before major tasks
- Recovery blocks after interruptions
- 72-hour Goal Looping system for focus + alignment
- “Accountability Mirror” journaling to mimic stakeholder pressure
- 15-minute Friday Closure Ritual to kill restart anxiety
Why It Worked
- Aligned with how her brain works: logical, but emotion-anchored
- Eliminated rethinking loops
- Created consistent emotional payoffs
- Defined success as starting and following through — not perfection
Impact in 3 Weeks
- Tripled her weekly priority hit rate
- Resumed 2 major projects that were stuck for months
- Reported being “in flow” on 80% of workdays
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“This is the first time a system didn’t break by Day 4.”
“I thought I had a discipline problem. Turns out, my whole system was wrong for how I think. My coach helped me see what was really going on — and finally built something that works with me, not against me.”
— Emily Carter
