Someone once asked...

“Sometimes, to meet what I consider to be the expectations of others, I work beyond my capability such that it requires external sources to generate motivation -- coffee, medications, etc At what point do you say, ok, I've done enough and look for a more efficient, sustainable approach? I find that I ebb and flow like this. Will I ever find the right way to live? Is there a mismatch between how I'm built and what society asks of me? Put simply, is it possible I wasn't meant for the 9-5, regardless of the evidence that suggests I can thrive in it?”

Someone answered with kindness...

The 9-5 schedule was designed for mundane, repetitive factory work. A common or typical worker could be expected to pull a lever, or assemble a widget for eight hours. As society became more complicated and complex, those same eight hours are no longer of the same quality. Most professionals would be lucky to complete four and a half hours of "actual work". The human brain simply cannot keep up high-quality cognition for eight hours straight. This fact is not admitted anywhere, so society is structured around an eight hour working day, with four hours spent in non-work related activities, such as lunches, meetings, bathroom breaks, and so on. There's nothing wrong with you. There's something wrong with the way society is structured. You should find yourself exceptional that you thrive in such a broken system.