The Hidden Trap of “Fake Work” and Why You’re Still Stuck
- Brainz Magazine
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Written by Dr. JC Doornick, Health Transformation Coach – Podcaster
Dr. JC Doornick is a leader in Health Transformation, sense making and the human I.R.S.-(Interface response system). After a spontaneous recovery from a life-threatening traumatic event, Dr. JC made it his lifelong commitment to pay forward his concepts and strategies to dramatically shift one's perspectives to reclaim control as the dominant creator of your reality.
You’re checking things off your list, attending webinars, tweaking your logo for the hundredth time, but deep down, you know something’s not clicking. You’re not lazy, and it’s not for lack of effort. The truth is, you may be caught in the seductive cycle of Fake Work, that clever imposter that makes you feel productive while secretly keeping you from real progress. In this article, we’re pulling back the curtain on the silent killer of momentum, showing you why motion isn’t the same as action, and how to finally break free from the loop that’s keeping your goals just out of reach. If you’re ready to move from stuck to unstoppable, keep reading.
You’re not lazy; you’re just human. Here’s how to fix it.
Fake work vs. action: The silent killer of progress
“Learning in the absence of action is nothing more than a distraction.” — Dragon
We live in an age where it’s easier than ever to feel productive without producing anything.
Our calendars are complete, our to-do lists are long, our walls are full of certifications, and our bookshelves are heavy with “shelf help” and unread wisdom. Yet we tell ourselves it all counts, the learning, the prep, the perfecting, as long as we’re “working on it,” collectively referring to this as busy.
But what if that work is just a well-disguised form of avoidance? An illusion to make you feel good about yourself and distract from a more significant problem? You’re not moving forward.
In his article “The Mistake Smart People Make: Being in Motion vs. Taking Action,” James Clear distinguishes between motion and action.
Motion is planning a strategy. Action is making the call. Motion is reading about fitness. Action is being out of breath and sweating with a kettlebell in your hands.
As usual, it's a brilliant perspective, and I want to take it one layer deeper.
In my world, the world of transformation, coaching, and inner work, the difference isn’t just motion vs. action. It’s fake work vs. action, and the stakes are even higher.
This is the catalyst for our Makes Sense Coaching System’s slogan: "Where confusion dies and progress thrives."
Fake work: The illusion of progress
Fake Work is seductive. It whispers to your ego, “Look how hard we’re working.” It rewards you with the dopamine hit of completion, even when what you completed doesn’t move the needle of your life forward in the slightest.
Fake Work is in play when you:
Watch another tutorial instead of pressing record.
Go after another certification before you feel ready to see clients.
Spend hours formatting your brand colors without writing a single word.
Fill your day with tasks that feel urgent but have zero long-term impact.
It’s an intellectual form of procrastination. The “I’ll start once I’m ready” lie keeps your goals and dreams in a permanent state of purgatory.
Even more dangerous is that Fake Work feels responsible. It looks good from the outside. It’s easier to justify to your spouse, peers, and coach because it seems like hard work, and you’re trying.
But trying isn’t transformation. And effort without direction is just motion sickness.
Action: The only catalyst for growth
Action, by contrast, is raw and has all the ingredients necessary for progress. It’s outside your comfort zone. It comes with risk and exposure. It happens when you decide you’ve done enough research, prep, and stalling, and finally hit Go.
Think about it. When you truly decide you want to grow, you move into action.
Fake Work operates safely within the subconscious part of the mind. On the other hand, Action is voluntary and conscious.
Action builds skills, confidence, and momentum. Feedback happens, and it’s the only place learning becomes real.
Hmmm? Real learning? I guess that makes the other side Fake Learning. Oooh, that's a tough pill to swallow.
Multiple studies in behavioral science confirm that experience-based learning, in the field of action, wires the brain faster and more effectively than passive consumption. Movement with repetition creates momentum, and the results sharpen confidence and clarity.
Do you want to know how to start your business and get it moving in the right direction? Nike says it best: “Just do it.” Want to get better on camera? Hit record. If you want to be better at pitching, networking, and communicating, start saying hello to people and asking questions. Do you want to become a person who keeps promises to yourself? Make one and keep one. Today.
The IRS: Rewriting the internal narrative
The Interface Response System (IRS) becomes essential here.
Representing your internal operating system, the IRS governs how you perceive and respond to everything in your world: scenarios, challenges, opportunities, and emotions. Your current operating system comprises the beliefs, behaviors, and reflexes installed by your past, your MFTPSE (Mother, Father, Teacher, Preacher, Society, and Evolution).
And guess what? Your current operating system loves Fake Work.
Fake Work protects your identity. It keeps you inside the boundaries of what’s familiar. It allows you to feel like you’re growing without confronting the possibility of failure, rejection, or exposure, the things your conditioned mind has been programmed to avoid.
But when you’re aware of this system, you can disrupt it. That’s step one of the IRS, Perceive. Once you become aware of your sense-making machine’s often faulty, conditioned nature, you’ve found a reason to take step two, Pause.
Try it sometime. Just say, “Hmmm?” It creates space between the situation and your response. Hmmm stands for “Haven’t Made up My Mind.” In that space, you can examine your resistance. You can ask, Is this action or Fake Work? Am I moving forward, or am I just staying busy to avoid being brave?
That moment of reflection is the gateway. That’s what we call “interface mastery.”
The eternal readiness trap
Our MFTPSE has conditioned us to believe that we need to be fully ready before we begin, that confidence comes only from preparation, and that clarity comes before courage. The conditioned mind says that the precursors for action and success are threefold: we must believe in ourselves, the timing must be correct, and we must be motivated.
How many days a year do you hit that trifecta? Me? Maybe 10. So that is not a sound system. And if you go into action on the day you check all three off, it won’t last, as you’ll perceive that the absence of one of them in days to come justifies aborting and moving back to the “getting ready” stage.
It’s another clever trick of your conditioned mind to keep you where it’s safe and familiar, where your identity won’t be challenged, but your potential will be buried.
In practice and neuroscience, it’s the complete opposite.
Confidence is a byproduct of repetition. Clarity and motivation are a reward for movement. Courage is what happens in the gap between the leap and the landing.
So yes, read the book. Study the method. Honor the learning. But know this:
“Knowledge without implementation is the ultimate distraction.”
From distraction to disruption
Can we get transparent?
Where in your life are you doing Fake Work? Where are you spinning the wheels, building beautiful plans you complain you don’t have, yet secretly do not intend to execute, at least not today?
Don’t be afraid of outing yourself. There is a highly effective skill set to develop called “drifting and shifting.” By catching yourself drifting in the state of Fake Work, you create the launchpad for shifting into action.
What’s the one bold action you could take right now that would make everything else irrelevant?
Maybe it’s publishing the post like I am going to, making the ask, or launching the product, even if it’s not perfect.
Whatever it is, just do it. Do it imperfectly. Do it scared. But for the love of everything you say you want, just do it.
Remember. Your life isn’t changed by what you learn. It’s changed by what you apply.
“Learning in the absence of action is nothing more than a distraction.”
Let it become your mantra. Let it be the guide for your choices.
Every minute you spend in Fake Work is stolen from the life you could be living.
If you're brave enough to break the loop, to disrupt your interface, and choose real Action, the Universe will meet you halfway.
Every time. Make sense?
Here is your action step
Now that you know about this, why is it crucial? Consider taking a simple yet glorious leap into our Makes Sense Academy, our private psychological safe haven where our growing membership has access to live masterminds, networking, business coaching, and mentorship, as well as all the courses and tools to become the vehicle you drive in action.
Learn how to implement the IRS (Interface Response System) from its creator, Dr. JC Doornick, founder of the Makes Sense Academy and Makes Sense Coaching System.
Are you ready for some action? Come check it out, risk-free, with a money-back guarantee here.
Dr. JC Doornick, Health Transformation Coach – Podcaster
Dr. JC Doornick is a leader in Health Transformation, sense making and the human I.R.S.-(Interface response system). After a spontaneous recovery from a life-threatening traumatic event, Dr. JC made it his lifelong commitment to pay forward his concepts and strategies to dramatically shift one's perspectives to reclaim control as the dominant creator of your reality. As the CEO of Doornick Enterprises, and the host of the Rise up with Dragon podcast, and co-founder of the Makes Sense Academy, his mission is to positively impact the world one perspective at a time.
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