You don’t need another planner.

You don’t need a new “get more done” method built by a guy who wakes up at 4am and has never heard the words executive dysfunction, CPTSD, or freeze response.

What you need is a system that doesn’t require you to abandon yourself to be productive.

So here’s what I use. It’s not perfect. It’s not aesthetic. But it works.

1. Do one task at a time — and narrate it out loud

I call this manual override mode.

When I feel overwhelmed or frozen, I pick one micro-action and say it out loud while I do it.

• “I’m opening my email.”

• “I’m typing the reply.”

• “I’m pressing send.”

It sounds ridiculous. But it works.

Speaking engages a different part of your brain. It grounds you. It gives your nervous system a job — and your executive function something to anchor to.

Why it works:Rumination and paralysis happen in silence. Narration interrupts that loop.

2. Schedule less than you think you can handle

If you’re used to surviving by overbooking yourself, this one will feel uncomfortable.

But you don’t need to earn rest by almost dying.

I build my day around three categories:

• 1 priority task (the one that moves things forward)

• 1 admin task (emails, updates, follow-ups)

• 1 body/mind task (movement, silence, reset)

That’s it.

Anything more is bonus. Anything less is still progress.

Why it works:Overloaded schedules are a trauma pattern. Under-scheduling builds capacity.

3. Build your to-do list backwards

At the end of the day, I write down what I actually did — not what I planned to do.

This is my anti-shame log.

I don’t care if it was:

• “Responded to two emails”

• “Showered and didn’t scream”

• “Started an email and closed it 6 times”

It goes on the list.

Then I look at it and say, “I did something. I moved. I showed up.” That’s what matters.

Why it works:Shame erases small wins. Visibility restores them. Backward tracking gives you data — not delusion.

Productivity isn’t about doing more.It’s about building a system that works with your actual brain and body — not the one you wish you had.

You don’t need to push harder.You need a structure that doesn’t punish you.

Start there.

— Cody Taymore

More essays, stories, and tools:KillTheSilenceMovement.com