I first watched Breaking Bad in med school—back when it was just a wildly addictive show about a chemistry teacher making some… let’s say questionable career choices.
(Weird thing to binge-watch while training to save lives, now that I think about it.)
But years later, I’m seeing something I completely missed.
Walter White isn’t just some criminal mastermind.
He’s stuck.
A brilliant man, buried under bills. Choking on stress. Swallowed by a life that doesn’t match his potential.
And every time he tries to escape? Brick wall.
So when he comes home one night with a plan, saying, This time it’ll be different, Skyler wants to believe him.
She loves him. She knows he’s smart.
But she’s seen this before.
Walter, swearing he has control.
Walter, promising things are about to change.
Walter, working late, spiraling deeper, convincing himself he has it handled.
And then—at some point—she stops believing.
Not because she wants to.
But because if it’s really going to be different this time… wouldn’t it be different already?
Now, I know you’re not running a meth empire…
(At least, I hope not…)
But if you’ve been stuck in the same cycle for months… maybe even years…
You know exactly how Skyler felt.
And more importantly…
You know exactly how Walter felt, too.
Because it’s not just the struggle that eats at you.
It’s the way your partner looks at you while you’re struggling.
At first, it’s soft: You’ll figure it out. I believe in you.
Then… concern. You’re working so hard… why aren’t things changing?
And then comes the worst part.
Silence.
The kind that makes you start doing the dishes unprompted because the air feels weird now.
That’s what kills you.
Because they’re still there, still trying to be supportive…
…but you can feel the difference.
The awkward “ummmm” before they respond.
The way they don’t ask how things are going anymore.
And sure… maybe it’s because the answers you give all sound like the same problem, the same complaint, the same excuse.
If only they could see that you’re working your arse off. That you’re trying. That you’re sacrificing a small goat to the productivity gods.
And that maybe… just maybe…
You’re hoping someone will come along—not to lecture you, not to judge you—
But to actually help you find a way forward that works.
Because deep down, you know you’re intelligent, skilled and capable.
You just need a way to break the cycle.
And when you do…
That look on your partner’s face won’t be exhaustion anymore.
It’ll be pride.
That’s what the Productivity Hotline is about.
Helping you get unstuck. Helping you start moving again.
So that this time…
It really will be different.
Here’s where to start: https://yosianderson.com/
Tp. Tp.
There’s more where that came from!
See, I’ve been writing daily productivity emails for online business owners since November 2024.
And what you just read is barely a scratch on the surface.
The real gems… The fun, insightful, and occasionally absurd behind-the-scenes stories… My best offers… The kind of stuff that makes you go:
“Wait… did that REALLY happen?”
I don’t blast those out to the whole internet.
(Some things… should be kept private.)
But if you want to snoop around… if you want to see what really happens in AYAPYLand…
There’s a door.
And it’s open.
For now.