The phrase “I can fit that in” typically signals the beginning of the end—another commitment squeezed into an already overflowing schedule, another step toward burnout. But Erin Coupe, author of I Can Fit That In, wants to reclaim those four words entirely.
“It’s not about stopping to do things or slowing down even. And it’s not about cramming more in. It is about making better choices and being more intentional,” says Coupe, a former Fortune 200 executive who is now the chief executive officer of leadership consultancy Authentically EC.
Her approach centers on a deceptively simple distinction that could transform how you navigate your workday: the difference between routines and rituals.
From Autopilot to Intention
What does that mean? The key difference between a routine and ritual is intention. Rituals serve you. Routines happen to you.
Coupe illustrates this point with her own morning transformation. Years ago, she would scroll through news and social media on her phone during her morning train commute, often arriving at the office in a negative headspace. This wasn’t a conscious choice—it was an autopilot routine that drained her energy without her even realizing it.
“So many of us have those routine sort of autopilot choices that we make without even realizing we’re choosing them,” she says.
For a more ritualized version of morning news consumption, Coupe uses Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, as an example. “He reads five different news outlets every single morning and he reads them in the same cadence every day,” she says. “And it literally sets him up for what will be a successful day because he is now informed in a way that makes him feel more whole, more prepared, more ready to go.”
Recognize the Warning Signs
Before you can implement change, you need to recognize when it’s necessary. Coupe has identified two critical warning signs that professionals often miss.
The first is internal: negative self-talk. “If you’re not noticing the way that your own mind is talking to you, that’s a problem because you’re listening to it,” she says. “A warning sign is you’re talking down to yourself a lot.... You are pessimistic toward your own life, you are negative toward yourself.”
The second warning sign is physical. “The body starts to give symptoms that there’s misalignment in your life,” she says.
These can include headaches, rashes or other, more serious health issues. This misalignment isn’t always work-related. It could stem from relationships, the environment or a broader disconnection from yourself.
For leaders, Coupe points to what she describes as “resentment that leaks out sideways” as a key organizational warning sign. Team members become snippy, territorial or stop giving discretionary effort. The solution isn’t ignoring these behaviors but addressing them directly.
Mental Fitness Versus Productivity
Traditional productivity focuses on getting through tasks, but Coupe advocates for something deeper: mental fitness. Drawing parallels to athletic performance, she explains that just as athletes need their mental game to be aligned for peak performance, professionals need the same preparation.
“How much of yourself you bring to what you’ve done, that is what is different,” she says. “When you’re in that meeting with that client, do you expect it to go well when you are showing up as a fraction of who you are because you’re so lost in your own head and in your own dark thoughts that you can’t really bring your best self?”
The shift from productivity to presence changes everything about how work feels and performs.
The Bandwidth Formula
Coupe’s framework for expanding capacity relies on a simple formula: intention plus clarity equals increased energy, which expands your capacity. But this requires honest self-assessment.
“No one can tell someone else what fuels them and what drains them,” she says. “That’s an inside job.”
You must identify what energizes you and what depletes you, then structure your schedule accordingly.
This awareness enables better boundary-setting. When Coupe receives draining calls from a gossip-prone sister, she’s learned to be intentional about her timing, rather than being available on demand. “If I say yes to that conversation and I end up drained and then my family suffers at home because I said yes to that conversation, no one wins in that,” she says.
Practice Intention Daily
If you implement just one strategy from Coupe’s approach, let it be setting daily intentions. Coupe says. “Set an intention daily on how [you] want to navigate [your] day,” she adds. “How do you want to feel throughout your day? How do you want to approach various parts of your day?”
This practice works immediately because “you are rewiring your brain,” she says. “You’re doing something different in your brain that it doesn’t normally do.”
Your brain becomes primed to notice evidence that supports your intention, creating a positive feedback loop.
Rather than managing time—a battle you’ll never win—Coupe suggests stewarding your energy. “You become a steward of your own energy rather than a manager of time, which is very disempowering because you try to fight against time, but you can’t,” she adds.
The result isn’t fitting more into your day. It’s fitting the right things in—the rituals that serve your highest self, rather than the routines that drain it.
Audit Your Energy Drains
Calendar Audit: Review every meeting and ask: “Am I going to add value to this meeting? If not, email the organizer to clarify your contribution or remove yourself.
Screen Time Audit: Check your phone’s screen time settings. If you spent 12 hours last week on social media and you cut that down by half, you have six extra hours to redirect toward sleep, exercise, meal prep or other meaningful work.
The Question: When setting boundaries, ask yourself: “Am I saying yes from a place of fulfillment and wholeness, or am I saying yes because I feel obligated?”
Image courtesy of Erin Coupe
This article was first published in the May 2026 issue of SUCCESS Digital Edition. Get your FREE copy here.
