A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft released their 2025 Work Trend Index, and I couldn’t stop nodding as I read it. The report digs into the rise of the “infinite workday”: a blur of emails, chats, meetings, and late-night catch-up. What stood out to me wasn’t just the data, it was how weirdly aligned it is with what I’ve been teaching for years to thousands of professionals (just like you!).

What Microsoft uncovered using trillions of data points, is validating something we all see and feel: we’re working more hours than ever, but somehow still feel like we struggle to make meaningful progress. So I’m breaking this report in the next few weeks. Today, we'll dive into the foundational issue and the core of what this newsletter is all about: we’re constantly busy, but not necessarily effective.

Tip of the Week: Being overwhelmed by work isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a signal to pause and ask: “What am I really working toward?”

Want to go deeper? My eBook, The 5 Hidden Habits Blocking Your Career Growth, covers this exact trap in detail. You can grab it here or by referring JUST ONE person to this newsletter (get your referral link at the bottom of this email).

The Theory Behind

Communication stops looking like progress and starts feeling like an infinite distraction loop. According to Microsoft, the average worker now receives 117 emails and 153 Teams messages per weekday. 40% of users are already online checking email by 6 a.m. (before they’ve even started the day). The volume is not only high, but also growing: mass emails (with 20+ recipients) are up 7% this year, while one-on-one threads are actually declining. We’re communicating more and understanding less. The inbox may still be the front door to work, but it opens to a flood of chaos. [Side note: I have a course solely dedicated to this in case you feel this last paragraph spoke directly to you].

We’re sprinting through shallow work, and losing our best thinking hours to it. Microsoft’s data shows that half of all meetings now happen between 9–11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Why is this relevant? Because there are various studies that show that this time window is precisely when our natural productivity tends to peak. These hours should be prime time for deep work, but instead, they’re booked solid with meetings or spent triaging messages. Teams chat spikes by 11 a.m., which is now considered the most overloaded hour of the day. That’s not a coincidence...it’s the result of a work rhythm built around urgency, not real impact.

And we are adding AI on top of all of this - great idea, right? Microsoft's research actually warns that we’re accelerating a broken system. With AI and automation speeding things up, we risk doing the wrong work faster. This mirrors what I often preach: don't mistake motion for progress. In fact, nearly half of employees surveyed (48%) and over half of leaders (52%) say their work feels chaotic and fragmented. The more we try to keep up with everything, the less we’re able to focus on what truly matters.

What I’ve Learned

The irony is painful (and relatable). It’s wild how many of us end up here. We want to accomplish more, so we work hard. And what does working hard look like? For many, it’s replying fast, staying online, reacting to every ping. The intention is good, but the result is the opposite: we end up doing less of the work that actually moves the needle (This meme nails the irony). This is what I mean when I talk about the difference between being efficient (doing things right) and being effective (doing the right things). That small nuance completely changed how I looked at work, and led to this decade-long journey of teaching others what it means in practice.

A Big Rock is what matters most. It’s the project, outcome, or result that drives impact for your team, your business, or your career. It’s not the urgent email or the chat notification, it’s the thing that feels important but keeps getting pushed to “later.” If you don’t define your Big Rocks clearly and revisit them weekly, it’s easy to wake up one day having worked a 60-hour week and still feel like you didn’t actually move forward.

Make It Happen

1. List everything you’ve worked on in the past 2–3 weeks. Be honest and exhaustive.

2. Group your work into themes: These are your “Big Rocks.”

3. Check for alignment: Are these rocks tied to your org’s goals? If you’re unsure, ask.

4. Run a gap analysis: Compare where your time is going vs. where it should be going based on your role.

5. Draft a 1-pager: Include org goals, current vs. ideal time split, and a revised weekly focus.

6. Bring it to your manager. This shouldn’t be perfect, it should start a conversation. Aligning here is key.

These action items were taken directly from the first page of my eBook. If you read this far, you should definitely get your hands on it.

Infinitely,

Jorge Luis Pando

Say hi 👋 on LinkedIn or YouTube

PS: Wow, you made it all the way down here? You must really care about your personal development! Here are 3 ways I can help you grow even faster:

1. Get My Most Popular Course: Learn the exact system I’ve taught to 70,000+ professionals to take control of emails, meetings, and DMs, and reclaim 150+ hours in your year.

2. Join The Effective Collective: Our private membership is opening soon as invite-only. Get access to two best-seller courses, weekly coaching, and support to level up your performance without burning out.

3. Book Me for Coaching or a Workshop: Need help scaling yourself or your team? I offer 1:1 coaching and custom team sessions to help you work better, not harder.

Enjoying what you’re reading? Help a friend out… and you will win something for yourself too.