You know them when you see them. The colleague who's always crushing their targets. The entrepreneur friend whose business seems to be thriving. The leader who appears to have it all together. High performers are everywhere, making success look effortless.

But here's what most people don't see: behind closed doors, many of these high achievers are struggling—sometimes intensely.

The Hidden Battle of High Performers

If you're a high performer yourself, this might sound familiar: you've built your identity around achievement, excellence, and results. You're known for getting things done and doing them well. But privately, you're fighting battles that few people understand.

Research consistently shows that high performers disproportionately experience:

• Burnout: The relentless drive to achieve creates a constant state of energy depletion
• Anxiety: The fear of failing to meet (often self-imposed) expectations becomes overwhelming
• Imposter syndrome: Despite evidence of competence, there's a persistent feeling of being a fraud
• Perfectionism: Nothing is ever good enough, creating a cycle of dissatisfaction
• Chronic stress: The body and mind exist in a perpetual state of high alert

What makes these struggles particularly challenging is that they're often invisible to others. A high performer might be having a full-blown anxiety attack before a presentation, only to deliver it flawlessly, leaving everyone none the wiser about their internal turmoil.

Why These Struggles Remain Secret

So why don't high performers talk about these challenges more openly? Several factors come into play:

The Expectation Trap

Once you establish yourself as someone who excels, people expect you to continue excelling—always. This creates immense pressure to maintain an image of unwavering competence. Admitting struggle feels like admitting weakness, which many high performers have been conditioned to avoid at all costs.

The Success Paradox

Perhaps most painfully, high performers often face what psychologists call "social penalties" when they show vulnerability. Research shows that colleagues and peers sometimes respond negatively when a high achiever admits they're struggling, as it disrupts the established social order.

The Identity Crisis

For many high performers, achievement isn't just what they do—it's who they are. When your sense of self is wrapped up in achievement, experiencing difficulties can trigger an existential crisis: "If I'm not excelling, who am I?"

The 10-Minute Practice That Changes Everything

Here's where things get interesting—and hopeful. While the challenges high performers face are real and significant, there's a surprisingly simple practice that can make a tremendous difference.

It takes just 10 minutes a day, requires no special equipment, and can fit into even the busiest schedule. Yet it's powerful enough to counteract many of the hidden struggles that plague high achievers.

The Deep Work Micro-Session

The practice is what we at Satori Prime call a "Deep Work Micro-Session," and it works on multiple levels to address the unique challenges high performers face.

Here's how to do it:

1. Set a timer for 10 minutes – Not 9, not 11. Exactly 10 minutes creates the right psychological container.

2. Create a distraction-free environment – Turn off notifications, close browser tabs, put your phone in another room. This is non-negotiable.

3. Use pen and paper – Physical writing creates a different neurological experience than digital tools. There's a reason the most successful people in the world still use notebooks.

4. Focus on ONE high-impact task – This isn't the time to clear small items off your to-do list. Choose something meaningful that moves the needle on an important goal.

5. Work with full concentration – For these 10 minutes, give yourself permission to focus entirely on the task at hand, without worrying about anything else.

That's it. Ten minutes of undistracted, analog, focused work on something that matters.

Why This Works Especially Well for High Performers

If you're thinking, "How can 10 minutes possibly make a difference when I have so much to do?" you're asking exactly the right question. The answer lies in understanding the psychology of high achievement.

Breaking the Perfectionism Loop

High performers often avoid starting important projects because they can't see a path to perfection. The 10-minute practice bypasses this resistance by making the commitment so small that perfectionism doesn't have time to kick in.

Creating Momentum Without Burnout

The practice takes advantage of what researchers call the "Zeigarnik Effect"—our tendency to remember uncompleted tasks. By working on something important for just 10 minutes, your brain continues processing it afterward, creating progress without conscious effort.

Restoring a Sense of Control

Many high achievers feel overwhelmed by their never-ending to-do lists and high expectations. The 10-minute practice restores agency: "I may not be able to control everything, but I can control these 10 minutes."

Building Sustainable Excellence

Perhaps most importantly, this practice teaches high performers that excellence doesn't require self-destruction. It establishes a pattern of sustainable achievement that can last decades, not just seasons.

Real Results from 10 Minutes a Day

The outcomes from this simple practice can be extraordinary:

• Tangible progress on meaningful projects – Even 10 minutes daily adds up to over 60 hours per year of deep, focused work on your most important goals.

• Reduced anxiety and stress – The practice provides a daily reminder that you don't need to do everything at once to move forward.

• Improved confidence – As you watch yourself consistently showing up for your priorities, imposter syndrome begins to fade.

• Greater satisfaction – Many high performers report feeling more fulfilled as they shift from frantic activity to meaningful progress.

One Satori Prime client, a tech executive with a packed schedule, used this practice to write a book over 10 weeks—something she'd been trying to do for years. Another, a surgeon, found that it helped him process difficult cases and reduce career burnout.

How to Start Today

If you're ready to try the 10-minute practice yourself, here's how to begin:

1. Decide on tomorrow's focus – Before you end your workday, identify exactly what you'll work on during tomorrow's 10-minute session.

2. Prepare your environment – Set out the notebook and pen you'll use. Remove potential distractions in advance.

3. Schedule it – Block off the time in your calendar, preferably during your peak energy hours.

4. Set a low bar for success – All you need to do is show up and work for 10 minutes. That's a win, regardless of what you produce.

5. Track your consistency – Keep a simple record of your daily practice to build momentum.

The Counter-Intuitive Path Forward

High performance doesn't have to come at the cost of well-being. In fact, sustainable excellence requires finding practices that support both achievement and health.

The 10-minute deep work practice offers a path forward that honors both your ambition and your humanity. It acknowledges that even the highest performers are, at the end of the day, human beings with limits and needs.

As you implement this practice, you may find something surprising: by embracing your constraints rather than fighting them, you actually accomplish more of what truly matters—and you feel better doing it.

And isn't that the real definition of high performance?

Ready to dive deeper into practices that can transform your relationship with achievement? Check out our specialized program for high performers at Satori Prime.