Nikola

If you’re proud of your multitasking as a tech professional, this one might sting a little. I have to admit: only in the last few years did I realise how much multitasking was draining me and making me less effective at work and at home. In The Power of Full Engagement, Tony Schwartz explains something I see every day in tech: Most of us are constantly mixing contexts. We rarely do one thing with full attention. The result? We lose both productivity and joy. The Grey Zone Here’s how it looked for me: That in-between space is the Grey Zone. You’re: The tragedy is that you mean well in both areas, but because your focus isn’t clean, you perform at about 50% of your potential. Sound familiar? A simple exercise to get out of the Grey Zone Here’s the exact practice that helped me and that I now use with tech clients. 1️⃣ Map your Grey Zone Take 5–10 minutes. Write down all the situations where you’re never fully present. For example: Be honest. This is your Grey Zone map. 2️⃣ Decide what actually matters Look at your list and ask: “Which of these areas deserves my full presence, in clean blocks of time?” Put a ⭐ next to at least: These three stars are your high-value arenas. 3️⃣ Create “no Grey Zone” blocks For each starred area, schedule uninterrupted blocks in your week: During those blocks, your rule is simple: “One tab in life at a time.” When you’re at work → you work. When you’re with your family → you’re with your family. When you rest → you actually rest. You’ll be surprised how: As a mental fitness coach for tech professionals, I can tell you: Multitasking isn’t a superpower; it’s a slow leak. The more you live in the Grey Zone, the more exhausted and “never enough” you feel. If you’re ready to step out of the Grey Zone and design a week where your energy, focus, and relationships get your full presence in the right moments… Send me a DM, and I’ll show you how we build this step by step inside my coaching for tech professionals.

Some of the heaviest “load” you carry as a tech professional isn’t in your backlog. It’s in your unresolved conversations and unfinished tasks. There was a period in my life, deep in IT and politics, when the pace was brutal. During that time, I ended up in conflict with a few people I cared about. Nothing dramatic showed on the outside, but inside, I carried it like a stone in my chest. I was angry. Hurt. Misunderstood. Like most people, everyone was thinking from their own perspective. So the chances of them seeing me fully were small. The result? Even on days when work went well, something in me felt heavy. Then I did a simple exercise that changed everything: Completing Loose Ends. When I actually went through it, I felt a huge sense of relief. Lighter. Freer. Like I had just closed a bunch of background apps in my nervous system. You can do the same not only with people, but also with: Anything that quietly steals energy in the background. The Exercise: Completing Loose Ends 1️⃣ Make the list Take 10 minutes. One page max. Write down all areas of your life where you feel incomplete: Don’t overthink. Just write. 2️⃣ Identify the biggest energy leaks Look at your list and ask: “Which of these is robbing me of the most energy right now?” Start with the top few. These are your real priorities, not the ones in your project tool, but the ones in your nervous system. 3️⃣ Choose: complete it or consciously release it For each starred item, decide: or This part is hard because the ego wants justice instead of freedom. But be honest: Would you rather be “right”… Or finally have your energy and inner peace back? When I chose forgiveness and completion over being right, I felt noticeably lighter. Freer. My “I am free” state became easier to access again. 4️⃣ Apply the same logic to work This method isn’t just about relationships. You can do the same with your work: Unfinished loops drain energy. Closed loops release it. If you’re a tech professional and you’re constantly tired, it might not just be your workload. It might be: quietly burning CPU in the background. Take 10 minutes this week and do this exercise. You might be surprised how much lighter you feel without changing anything external. If you’d like help combining this with mental fitness (PQ) so you can free up energy, sleep better, and lead from a calmer place, Send me a DM, and we’ll start closing the tabs that no longer need to be open in your life.

If you work in tech and often find yourself reaching for snacks between tasks, you may not actually be experiencing true hunger. You may be responding to a different type of need. According to the six human hungers framework, many perceived hunger signals are actually misinterpretations by the brain. Here is how this applies to tech professionals: 1️⃣ Nutritional hunger – the only real one Your body needs specific nutrients: protein, minerals, and healthy fats. If your diet consists mainly of coffee, pastries, and quick carbohydrates, your body will later signal an urgent need for nutrients. Tech check-in: If your meals are primarily ultra-processed or delivered foods, you are likely experiencing nutritional hunger. 2️⃣ Thirst – disguised as hunger Historically, much of our water intake came from food, but now many people do not consume enough water directly. Often, the urge to snack is actually a sign of mild dehydration and mental fatigue. Tech check-in: Before reaching for a snack at your desk, try drinking a full glass of water first. If the urge subsides within 10 to 15 minutes, it was likely due to thirst. 3️⃣ Variety hunger The brain seeks a variety of textures, colors, and flavors as a natural way to obtain a range of nutrients. Tech check-in: If you consistently eat the same few foods, your hunger may be a signal to increase dietary variety rather than increase quantity. 4️⃣ Low blood sugar hunger After consuming foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates, blood sugar levels can spike and then rapidly decline. This crash often results in feelings of anxiety, fatigue, and an urgent desire to eat. Tech check-in: If you feel sleepy and unfocused 60 to 90 minutes after eating, low blood sugar may be affecting your concentration. 5️⃣ Emotional hunger Emotional hunger is especially common among tech professionals. Feelings of boredom, stress, loneliness, anxiety, or lack of appreciation can trigger this type of hunger. In these situations, food often serves as a source of comfort. Tech check-in: If you eat when you are not physically hungry, especially after challenging meetings or incidents, emotional hunger may be influencing your behavior. 6️⃣ Empty stomach hunger Your stomach can signal hunger even when your body has enough energy. This response is a remnant of survival strategies from periods of feast and famine. Tech check-in: An empty feeling in your stomach does not necessarily mean you need food right away. The issue extends beyond food choices alone. It’s that your Survival Brain + Saboteur voice hijack these hungers and create a loop: stress → snack → crash → guilt → more stress → repeat If you work in tech and want to maintain high performance without being driven by unconscious eating habits, Pause for 10 seconds before reaching for food and ask yourself: “Which hunger is this really?” Asking this question can begin to interrupt the cycle. If you would like support in combining mental fitness (PQ) with practical strategies to stabilize your energy, sleep, and weight, please send me a direct message, and I will share how I work with tech professionals on these challenges.

If your brain is your primary asset, chronic inflammation is a significant, often unnoticed threat. Many tech professionals contribute to this issue without realizing it. Most people associate “inflammation” with injuries such as a twisted ankle or a sore throat. This is acute inflammation, which is part of the body’s natural healing process. However, systemic chronic inflammation quietly undermines energy, focus, and long-term health. It acts as a persistent, low-level process in the body that can last for years. Several common factors accelerate this process. The Wheel of Inflammation, as shown in the diagrams above, illustrates this cycle: poor diet + stress + inactivity + bad sleep → gut & hormone chaos → more fat, more toxins, more inflammation → higher risk for metabolic issues, depression, heart disease, and burnout As a former IT engineer and manager who relied on soft drinks, snacks, and late nights, I have personally experienced the effects of this cycle: Externally, I appeared to be performing well. Internally, my health was deteriorating. Today, at 50, I treat my body as the hardware supporting my most valuable asset: my mind, presence, and capacity to lead and connect with others. I do not claim to do this perfectly. However, I approach it with intention and awareness. Eight habits you can begin to change this week to slow this cycle: These are not medical recommendations, but rather a starting point for self-awareness: You do not need to address everything at once. Choose one area in your own cycle of inflammation to focus on improving this week. For tech professionals, this is not only about longevity. It is also about achieving: If you work in technology and suspect your lifestyle may be contributing to inflammation and reduced mental clarity, and you would like support in developing a mind–body protocol tailored to your actual circumstances, Please send me a direct message. Together, we can begin protecting the most important asset you have.

“I tried it, it worked… and then I gained it back.” If this is your experience, it is not due to a lack of willpower. It occurs because your brain is functioning as designed. As a technology engineer and later a leader, my greatest underlying challenge was not only stress. It was the extensive time spent sitting to achieve results. All of this occurred while I chose the most convenient food and drinks. I often reached for a soda or snacks while coding, driving, or between meetings. This behavior was common among my colleagues as well. These habits became my comfort zone. However, this presented a significant risk: Comfort zones are not sustainable indefinitely. Often, we overlook this until our bodies signal the need for change. We know it’s not great for us. We know we should move more, eat better, and go to bed earlier. We begin a new habit, see results, and feel better, but gradually revert to old patterns. Why? This happens because, although we believe we set our priorities, the brain operates according to its own hierarchy (see the image): Behaviors such as sitting, snacking, and remaining inactive fulfill all four needs in the short term. Changing habits? Your brain interprets this as: Naturally, the brain resists change. Procrastination is a common response. It is understandable to feel unmotivated. Additionally, the brain consists of multiple systems: When you attempt to make changes using logic alone (“From Monday I’ll eat clean and exercise 5x a week”), but your emotional and survival systems still respond strongly: The logical brain is often overruled. The logical brain does not prevail. The system reverts to prioritizing safety, comfort, minimal effort, and immediate pleasure. What is the solution for technology professionals? Stop working against your brain. Instead, collaborate with it. For example, I implemented the following changes: “You’re tired, you deserve to chill. Start tomorrow.” When you acknowledge how your brain functions, change becomes less of a struggle and instead becomes a series of thoughtful, aligned improvements. If you are a technology professional who: This is not a matter of discipline. It is a challenge related to brain function and systems. When you address the system, improvements in energy, sleep, and weight will follow. If you would like assistance in designing changes that your brain will accept, so you can increase your energy and improve your sleep within 90 days, please send me a direct message. We will begin enhancing the only operating system you cannot replace.