Dev Roychowdhury
@drdevroy.com
Rest isn't the opposite of productivity – it's the foundation.
An executive I coached worked 70-hour weeks for 2 years. Their output? Average. After scheduling 8-hour sleep and weekends off, their performance doubled in 6 months.
Protect rest. It protects everything else.
An executive I coached worked 70-hour weeks for 2 years. Their output? Average. After scheduling 8-hour sleep and weekends off, their performance doubled in 6 months.
Protect rest. It protects everything else.
November 12, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Rest isn't the opposite of productivity – it's the foundation.
An executive I coached worked 70-hour weeks for 2 years. Their output? Average. After scheduling 8-hour sleep and weekends off, their performance doubled in 6 months.
Protect rest. It protects everything else.
An executive I coached worked 70-hour weeks for 2 years. Their output? Average. After scheduling 8-hour sleep and weekends off, their performance doubled in 6 months.
Protect rest. It protects everything else.
Your worth isn't determined by someone else's timeline.
A student quit their PhD after seeing peers publish first. Three years later, they're still trying to care about someone else's career.
Run your race. Comparison kills more dreams than failure ever will.
A student quit their PhD after seeing peers publish first. Three years later, they're still trying to care about someone else's career.
Run your race. Comparison kills more dreams than failure ever will.
November 12, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Your worth isn't determined by someone else's timeline.
A student quit their PhD after seeing peers publish first. Three years later, they're still trying to care about someone else's career.
Run your race. Comparison kills more dreams than failure ever will.
A student quit their PhD after seeing peers publish first. Three years later, they're still trying to care about someone else's career.
Run your race. Comparison kills more dreams than failure ever will.
Perfectionism isn't excellence – it's self-sabotage wearing a crown.
An athlete I worked with trained flawlessly but froze in competition, paralysed by impossible standards.
Progress happens in the 80% zone, not the 100% fantasy. Lower this bar to raise your performance.
An athlete I worked with trained flawlessly but froze in competition, paralysed by impossible standards.
Progress happens in the 80% zone, not the 100% fantasy. Lower this bar to raise your performance.
November 12, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Perfectionism isn't excellence – it's self-sabotage wearing a crown.
An athlete I worked with trained flawlessly but froze in competition, paralysed by impossible standards.
Progress happens in the 80% zone, not the 100% fantasy. Lower this bar to raise your performance.
An athlete I worked with trained flawlessly but froze in competition, paralysed by impossible standards.
Progress happens in the 80% zone, not the 100% fantasy. Lower this bar to raise your performance.
You're not broken for needing help. You're human.
The strongest individuals I've worked with – elite athletes, military personnel, academics, executives – all have support systems they rely on daily.
Stop equating independence with isolation. Ask for what you need today.
The strongest individuals I've worked with – elite athletes, military personnel, academics, executives – all have support systems they rely on daily.
Stop equating independence with isolation. Ask for what you need today.
November 11, 2025 at 12:50 AM
You're not broken for needing help. You're human.
The strongest individuals I've worked with – elite athletes, military personnel, academics, executives – all have support systems they rely on daily.
Stop equating independence with isolation. Ask for what you need today.
The strongest individuals I've worked with – elite athletes, military personnel, academics, executives – all have support systems they rely on daily.
Stop equating independence with isolation. Ask for what you need today.
Most anxiety isn't about the task – it's the story you're telling yourself about it.
A military officer I served with often froze before an exercise, not due to lack of skill, but imagining catastrophic outcomes.
Separate the doing from the narrating. Focus on the next step, not the film reel.
A military officer I served with often froze before an exercise, not due to lack of skill, but imagining catastrophic outcomes.
Separate the doing from the narrating. Focus on the next step, not the film reel.
November 10, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Most anxiety isn't about the task – it's the story you're telling yourself about it.
A military officer I served with often froze before an exercise, not due to lack of skill, but imagining catastrophic outcomes.
Separate the doing from the narrating. Focus on the next step, not the film reel.
A military officer I served with often froze before an exercise, not due to lack of skill, but imagining catastrophic outcomes.
Separate the doing from the narrating. Focus on the next step, not the film reel.
Sometimes, your mind isn't broken. Your environment might be.
We pathologise individuals in toxic systems.
A researcher I know struggled with "anxiety" until she left a dysfunctional lab. Symptoms vanished.
Before fixing yourself, audit your surroundings.
We pathologise individuals in toxic systems.
A researcher I know struggled with "anxiety" until she left a dysfunctional lab. Symptoms vanished.
Before fixing yourself, audit your surroundings.
November 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Sometimes, your mind isn't broken. Your environment might be.
We pathologise individuals in toxic systems.
A researcher I know struggled with "anxiety" until she left a dysfunctional lab. Symptoms vanished.
Before fixing yourself, audit your surroundings.
We pathologise individuals in toxic systems.
A researcher I know struggled with "anxiety" until she left a dysfunctional lab. Symptoms vanished.
Before fixing yourself, audit your surroundings.
Burnout isn't always about working too much.
Sometimes, it's about giving too much without receiving.
A manager I know reduced hours but felt worse – still answering calls, emails, "quick" requests.
Recovery needs boundaries, not just rest.
Protect your energy. Always.
Sometimes, it's about giving too much without receiving.
A manager I know reduced hours but felt worse – still answering calls, emails, "quick" requests.
Recovery needs boundaries, not just rest.
Protect your energy. Always.
November 10, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Burnout isn't always about working too much.
Sometimes, it's about giving too much without receiving.
A manager I know reduced hours but felt worse – still answering calls, emails, "quick" requests.
Recovery needs boundaries, not just rest.
Protect your energy. Always.
Sometimes, it's about giving too much without receiving.
A manager I know reduced hours but felt worse – still answering calls, emails, "quick" requests.
Recovery needs boundaries, not just rest.
Protect your energy. Always.
Self-awareness isn't judgement.
It's noticing patterns without attachment.
A colleague realised she snapped at her partner every Sunday evening – deadline anxiety bleeding over. She didn't judge it. She scheduled buffer time instead.
Observe. Adjust. Repeat.
It's noticing patterns without attachment.
A colleague realised she snapped at her partner every Sunday evening – deadline anxiety bleeding over. She didn't judge it. She scheduled buffer time instead.
Observe. Adjust. Repeat.
November 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Self-awareness isn't judgement.
It's noticing patterns without attachment.
A colleague realised she snapped at her partner every Sunday evening – deadline anxiety bleeding over. She didn't judge it. She scheduled buffer time instead.
Observe. Adjust. Repeat.
It's noticing patterns without attachment.
A colleague realised she snapped at her partner every Sunday evening – deadline anxiety bleeding over. She didn't judge it. She scheduled buffer time instead.
Observe. Adjust. Repeat.
Meaning isn't found. It's assigned.
You choose what matters. No authority grants it.
A student quit a prestigious programme to teach locally. Colleagues called it failure. She called it freedom.
Your life. Your metrics. Your meaning.
You choose what matters. No authority grants it.
A student quit a prestigious programme to teach locally. Colleagues called it failure. She called it freedom.
Your life. Your metrics. Your meaning.
November 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Meaning isn't found. It's assigned.
You choose what matters. No authority grants it.
A student quit a prestigious programme to teach locally. Colleagues called it failure. She called it freedom.
Your life. Your metrics. Your meaning.
You choose what matters. No authority grants it.
A student quit a prestigious programme to teach locally. Colleagues called it failure. She called it freedom.
Your life. Your metrics. Your meaning.
The best performers don't chase peak states.
They build better baselines.
I teach athletes to focus on sleep, hydration, routine – not hype rituals. Performance becomes predictable, not volatile.
Elevate your floor. The ceiling expands.
They build better baselines.
I teach athletes to focus on sleep, hydration, routine – not hype rituals. Performance becomes predictable, not volatile.
Elevate your floor. The ceiling expands.
November 10, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The best performers don't chase peak states.
They build better baselines.
I teach athletes to focus on sleep, hydration, routine – not hype rituals. Performance becomes predictable, not volatile.
Elevate your floor. The ceiling expands.
They build better baselines.
I teach athletes to focus on sleep, hydration, routine – not hype rituals. Performance becomes predictable, not volatile.
Elevate your floor. The ceiling expands.
You can't control the outcome. You can't even control the effort some days.
But you can always control the standards you hold.
As a PhD student, set one rule: show up to the desk. Some days yield chapters. Others, just notes.
Define your minimum. Honour it daily.
But you can always control the standards you hold.
As a PhD student, set one rule: show up to the desk. Some days yield chapters. Others, just notes.
Define your minimum. Honour it daily.
November 10, 2025 at 8:45 AM
You can't control the outcome. You can't even control the effort some days.
But you can always control the standards you hold.
As a PhD student, set one rule: show up to the desk. Some days yield chapters. Others, just notes.
Define your minimum. Honour it daily.
But you can always control the standards you hold.
As a PhD student, set one rule: show up to the desk. Some days yield chapters. Others, just notes.
Define your minimum. Honour it daily.
Most people think motivation comes before action.
It's backwards.
Action creates momentum. Momentum sparks motivation.
A writer I know writes for 30 minutes daily – even on "off" days. The ritual precedes the feeling.
Start tiny. Move first. Feel second.
It's backwards.
Action creates momentum. Momentum sparks motivation.
A writer I know writes for 30 minutes daily – even on "off" days. The ritual precedes the feeling.
Start tiny. Move first. Feel second.
November 10, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Most people think motivation comes before action.
It's backwards.
Action creates momentum. Momentum sparks motivation.
A writer I know writes for 30 minutes daily – even on "off" days. The ritual precedes the feeling.
Start tiny. Move first. Feel second.
It's backwards.
Action creates momentum. Momentum sparks motivation.
A writer I know writes for 30 minutes daily – even on "off" days. The ritual precedes the feeling.
Start tiny. Move first. Feel second.
Control what you can. Release what you can't.
Chronic stress comes from fighting unchangeable circumstances – weather, others' opinions, past mistakes.
Peace comes from adjusting your response.
Chronic stress comes from fighting unchangeable circumstances – weather, others' opinions, past mistakes.
Peace comes from adjusting your response.
November 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Control what you can. Release what you can't.
Chronic stress comes from fighting unchangeable circumstances – weather, others' opinions, past mistakes.
Peace comes from adjusting your response.
Chronic stress comes from fighting unchangeable circumstances – weather, others' opinions, past mistakes.
Peace comes from adjusting your response.
The hardest skill isn't doing more. It's stopping when enough is enough.
Surgeons who operate for 8+ hours make more errors. Overworked individuals make poorer decisions.
Excellence requires knowing when to rest.
Surgeons who operate for 8+ hours make more errors. Overworked individuals make poorer decisions.
Excellence requires knowing when to rest.
November 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The hardest skill isn't doing more. It's stopping when enough is enough.
Surgeons who operate for 8+ hours make more errors. Overworked individuals make poorer decisions.
Excellence requires knowing when to rest.
Surgeons who operate for 8+ hours make more errors. Overworked individuals make poorer decisions.
Excellence requires knowing when to rest.
You're not your thoughts. You're the awareness noticing them.
When criticism loops in your mind, say aloud: "I notice I'm having the thought that I'm inadequate".
This tiny distance between you and the thought creates choice.
When criticism loops in your mind, say aloud: "I notice I'm having the thought that I'm inadequate".
This tiny distance between you and the thought creates choice.
November 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
You're not your thoughts. You're the awareness noticing them.
When criticism loops in your mind, say aloud: "I notice I'm having the thought that I'm inadequate".
This tiny distance between you and the thought creates choice.
When criticism loops in your mind, say aloud: "I notice I'm having the thought that I'm inadequate".
This tiny distance between you and the thought creates choice.
Meaning isn't found. It's built through repeated choices.
A lecturer who shows up tired still builds meaning. A parent who listens despite exhaustion builds meaning.
Every small commitment compounds into purpose.
A lecturer who shows up tired still builds meaning. A parent who listens despite exhaustion builds meaning.
Every small commitment compounds into purpose.
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Meaning isn't found. It's built through repeated choices.
A lecturer who shows up tired still builds meaning. A parent who listens despite exhaustion builds meaning.
Every small commitment compounds into purpose.
A lecturer who shows up tired still builds meaning. A parent who listens despite exhaustion builds meaning.
Every small commitment compounds into purpose.
PhD students burn out because they treat research like a sprint when it's ultra-endurance.
Marathon runners don't run 50 kms daily. They build capacity gradually with rest.
Work 4 focused hours, then stop. Doctoral work rewards consistency over heroics.
Marathon runners don't run 50 kms daily. They build capacity gradually with rest.
Work 4 focused hours, then stop. Doctoral work rewards consistency over heroics.
November 9, 2025 at 11:50 AM
PhD students burn out because they treat research like a sprint when it's ultra-endurance.
Marathon runners don't run 50 kms daily. They build capacity gradually with rest.
Work 4 focused hours, then stop. Doctoral work rewards consistency over heroics.
Marathon runners don't run 50 kms daily. They build capacity gradually with rest.
Work 4 focused hours, then stop. Doctoral work rewards consistency over heroics.
You don't have an attention problem. You have a distraction design problem.
Your phone is engineered to hijack focus. Notification sounds trigger dopamine hits identical to slot machines.
Delete three apps. Your concentration returns within 48 hours.
Your phone is engineered to hijack focus. Notification sounds trigger dopamine hits identical to slot machines.
Delete three apps. Your concentration returns within 48 hours.
November 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
You don't have an attention problem. You have a distraction design problem.
Your phone is engineered to hijack focus. Notification sounds trigger dopamine hits identical to slot machines.
Delete three apps. Your concentration returns within 48 hours.
Your phone is engineered to hijack focus. Notification sounds trigger dopamine hits identical to slot machines.
Delete three apps. Your concentration returns within 48 hours.
The most anxious people I know constantly ask "What if?"
The calmest ask "So what?"
When worry spirals, write your worst-case scenario. Then write one action you'd take if it happened.
Fear loses power when you have a plan.
The calmest ask "So what?"
When worry spirals, write your worst-case scenario. Then write one action you'd take if it happened.
Fear loses power when you have a plan.
November 9, 2025 at 7:58 AM
The most anxious people I know constantly ask "What if?"
The calmest ask "So what?"
When worry spirals, write your worst-case scenario. Then write one action you'd take if it happened.
Fear loses power when you have a plan.
The calmest ask "So what?"
When worry spirals, write your worst-case scenario. Then write one action you'd take if it happened.
Fear loses power when you have a plan.
You chase promotions thinking they'll fix your burnout, but research shows high-achievers like surgeons often spiral deeper into exhaustion without boundaries.
Pause mid-week: list three non-work wins from today. Reclaim your energy before ambition claims you.
Pause mid-week: list three non-work wins from today. Reclaim your energy before ambition claims you.
November 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM
You chase promotions thinking they'll fix your burnout, but research shows high-achievers like surgeons often spiral deeper into exhaustion without boundaries.
Pause mid-week: list three non-work wins from today. Reclaim your energy before ambition claims you.
Pause mid-week: list three non-work wins from today. Reclaim your energy before ambition claims you.
Epictetus was born a slave. He couldn't control his circumstances – only his mind.
You have more freedom than he did. Yet you surrender yours to notifications, opinions, and endless scrolling.
Real freedom isn't external. It's internal discipline.
Choose wisely.
You have more freedom than he did. Yet you surrender yours to notifications, opinions, and endless scrolling.
Real freedom isn't external. It's internal discipline.
Choose wisely.
November 8, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Epictetus was born a slave. He couldn't control his circumstances – only his mind.
You have more freedom than he did. Yet you surrender yours to notifications, opinions, and endless scrolling.
Real freedom isn't external. It's internal discipline.
Choose wisely.
You have more freedom than he did. Yet you surrender yours to notifications, opinions, and endless scrolling.
Real freedom isn't external. It's internal discipline.
Choose wisely.
You're not your achievements. You're the awareness noticing them.
That promotion you're chasing? It'll change your circumstances, not your essence.
A researcher once told me:"I got the grant and felt... exactly the same."
Contentment isn't found in outcomes. It's accessed now.
That promotion you're chasing? It'll change your circumstances, not your essence.
A researcher once told me:"I got the grant and felt... exactly the same."
Contentment isn't found in outcomes. It's accessed now.
November 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
You're not your achievements. You're the awareness noticing them.
That promotion you're chasing? It'll change your circumstances, not your essence.
A researcher once told me:"I got the grant and felt... exactly the same."
Contentment isn't found in outcomes. It's accessed now.
That promotion you're chasing? It'll change your circumstances, not your essence.
A researcher once told me:"I got the grant and felt... exactly the same."
Contentment isn't found in outcomes. It's accessed now.
Wu wei = effortless action.
Not doing nothing. Doing without forcing.
That essay you've been wrestling? Step away. The insight arrives when you stop strangling it.
Trying harder isn't always the answer. Sometimes alignment > effort.
Trust the process to unfold.
Not doing nothing. Doing without forcing.
That essay you've been wrestling? Step away. The insight arrives when you stop strangling it.
Trying harder isn't always the answer. Sometimes alignment > effort.
Trust the process to unfold.
November 8, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Wu wei = effortless action.
Not doing nothing. Doing without forcing.
That essay you've been wrestling? Step away. The insight arrives when you stop strangling it.
Trying harder isn't always the answer. Sometimes alignment > effort.
Trust the process to unfold.
Not doing nothing. Doing without forcing.
That essay you've been wrestling? Step away. The insight arrives when you stop strangling it.
Trying harder isn't always the answer. Sometimes alignment > effort.
Trust the process to unfold.
Rest isn't earned. It's required.
Athletes taper before competition. Musicians rest between sets. Your brain needs the same.
That "lazy" feeling? It's your nervous system begging for recovery.
Ignore it long enough, and burnout makes the choice for you.
Athletes taper before competition. Musicians rest between sets. Your brain needs the same.
That "lazy" feeling? It's your nervous system begging for recovery.
Ignore it long enough, and burnout makes the choice for you.
November 8, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Rest isn't earned. It's required.
Athletes taper before competition. Musicians rest between sets. Your brain needs the same.
That "lazy" feeling? It's your nervous system begging for recovery.
Ignore it long enough, and burnout makes the choice for you.
Athletes taper before competition. Musicians rest between sets. Your brain needs the same.
That "lazy" feeling? It's your nervous system begging for recovery.
Ignore it long enough, and burnout makes the choice for you.