is a workforce that is permanently‘ on’, yet progressively less effective.

Nutrition is often overlooked

Within the Performance Triangle, work is often the dominant force in corporate environments. But when the pace becomes relentless and never yields, it leads to what performance psychology defines as cognitive overload.

Multitasking, continuous information flow and unrelenting targets overwhelm the brain’ s ability to function effectively. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for managing priorities and decision-making, becomes less efficient. At the same time, the amygdala increases stress responses, reducing emotional control. Communication between different regions of the brain declines, affecting memory, judgement and flexibility.

The consequences are visible in everyday corporate life. People’ s decision-making becomes slower or more impulsive. They make more errors and even lose the spark that once made them creative. Leaders and teams struggle to prioritise effectively and react emotionally under pressure.

In this state, people may be working more, but they are performing worse.

Nutrition, the second side of the triangle, is often misunderstood or ignored in business contexts. It is typically reduced to food and hydration, even though its impact on performance is significant. Research shows that even mild dehydration can impair cognitive and physical performance, while more severe deficits can dramatically reduce capacity for work.

What is more, nutrition extends beyond what we consume physically. It also includes the environments we operate in and the people we surround ourselves with. A toxic workplace, persistent negativity or constant stress can drain energy as effectively as poor diet. Over time, this erodes both mental resilience and cognitive capacity.

When organisations ignore this dimension, they inadvertently undermine the very performance they are trying to maximise.

Neglecting recovery is costly

The third side of the triangle, rest, is both the most powerful and the most frequently misunderstood element of performance. For many high achievers, the instinct is to push harder, for longer. It becomes a point of identity or even a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, there is a critical threshold that, once crossed, begins to damage performance rather than enhance it.

Rest is not passive, nor is it optional. It must be deliberately designed, with sleep being the most obvious example. While it remains one of the most underutilised performance enhancers available, elite athletes invest heavily in optimising sleep. Sleep is incorporated in their fitness and wellbeing programmes because they have a better understanding of its impact on recovery, cognition and decision-making. In contrast, many executives treat it as a trade-off.

Mental rest is equally important. Humans are not wired to sustain peak focus for extended periods. Long working hours often create the illusion of productivity, when much of that time is spent operating at reduced cognitive capacity. Effort increases while returns diminish.

Most importantly, improvement itself happens during recovery. Whether developing physical or

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