We are living in an era of fragmented identities. The modern individual is a complex mosaic, simultaneously inhabiting a multitude of roles: expert, content creator, CEO, parent, and self-improver. The late visionary Esko Kilpi aptly described how work has shifted from a place you go to a series of interactions within networks. This vision is becoming reality faster than we realize. Professional life is becoming “tokenized,” and the danger is that this new freedom is leading more of us toward the path of burnout.
The Collapse of Transaction Costs and the Fragmentation of Work
The structures of working life are undergoing a radical transformation. Previously, working hours defined by a contract and the physical location of an office created boundaries that were easy to follow. These long-term employment contracts acted as protective walls; within them, employees were shielded from the constant bidding wars of the work market because purchasing work in tiny increments was expensive and cumbersome for companies. In economics, this is referred to as high transaction costs.
However, technology is breaking down these walls. It is now easier than ever to dismantle large projects into micro-tasks and find a performer instantly via the web. We are witnessing a collapse in transaction costs, which inevitably leads to the fragmentation of work.
Fewer of us now sell our time in a single lump sum to one employer in exchange for a monthly salary and a title. Instead, we distribute our expertise in small pieces across various channels. One piece goes to a primary job, another to a side project, a third to maintaining a social media presence, and a fourth to managing the logistics of a modern blended family. We have become portfolio managers of our own energy. Our psychological and physical strength is a currency that we invest in different activities throughout the day. This fragmentation of work into small, independent tasks can be called the tokenization of work.
In the era of AI, this development is only accelerating. When AI agents can execute individual tasks in seconds, the friction between delegating and performing work almost entirely disappears. Work threatens to become a series of lightning-fast assignments, which reflects directly onto us as humans. Life turns into an endless stream of small performances, all competing for our attention every hour of the day.
Limited Credits – Threat or Opportunity?
Recently, I have been building applications using new no-code AI tools. The experience is addictive. You fall into a state of flow, and ideas soar as the application takes shape before your eyes with astonishing speed. Rapid progress opens the dopamine taps, and the hunger to do more grows.
Then, something unexpected happens. A notification appears on the screen: “You’ve hit today’s free limit of tokens.”
Most of these tools allow for a limited number of actions per day. Once they are used, you are forced to stop. I cannot continue, even if I want to. Initially, this is frustrating, but I soon realize that running out of tokens is a blessing in disguise. Because the “chips” run out, I don’t have time to get exhausted or bored. The activity remains meaningful because it has a clear endpoint.
This experience made me reflect on how such boundaries are missing from our fragmented professional lives. When tokenized work allows us to be “on” 24/7, we lose the natural sense of when it is time to rest. Quick hits of dopamine encourage us to keep going, leading us to inadvertently spend a month’s worth of energy in a single week. In the long run, this “overconsumption” leads straight to burnout.
The Wise Compass of the Psyche
At this juncture, the thoughts of Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung offer a valuable perspective. We tend to view burnout merely as a sign that the battery is empty and the tokens have been spent. From a Jungian perspective, however, burnout is a compensatory function of the psyche. The mind naturally strives for balance.
If our conscious mind blindly pushes in one direction—toward performance, efficiency, and omnipresence—the unconscious mind begins to generate a counterforce.
Burnout is the psyche’s intelligent way of pulling the emergency brake. It doesn’t just tell us about the quantity of our effort, but also its direction. An AI tool forces you to stop when the credits run out. Burnout forces us to stop when we have invested too much energy into things that are not aligned with our true purpose.
The danger is that we scatter our energy in tiny flecks: a message here, a like there, a quick meeting, a workout in between, and a LinkedIn post in the evening. At the end of the day, the balance is zero, even if nothing truly meaningful has been achieved.
Invest in a Deeper Purpose
If we think of our energy as finite credits, every choice is an investment. The constraints set by free tools teach us prioritization: when you know you only have a certain number of tokens per day, you want to invest them wisely.
From the perspective of the psyche, tokens should be invested in a way that builds a cohesive and meaningful whole. All living beings naturally orient themselves toward broader possibilities and the fulfillment of their own potential. For humans, belonging to a larger community or whole is also essential. Realizing these things, however, requires the courage to invest energy into stopping and building a broader perspective—even if, in the eyes of a world that worships efficiency, it looks like idleness.
A quiet moment without stimulation, a walk in the forest, a deep conversation with a friend, or simply being are investments in well-being. During these moments, the mind naturally shifts toward the “big picture,” revealing what is truly important.
In a tokenized working world, one of the most vital future skills is the ability to set those boundaries yourself—the ones that technology or modern work structures no longer provide.
Stop for a moment. Check your balance. Where do you want to invest the rest of today’s precious energy? Perhaps into something that keeps you well and helps you move toward your deeper purpose?
About the Author: Ari-Pekka Skarp is a psychologist, psychotherapist, and non-fiction author conducting doctoral research on nondualism. His work, “Mindfulness, mielenselkeys ja myötätunto” (Basam Books, 2023), is a profound survival guide for people in today’s digital society. He also hosts the popular “Mielen laboratorio” (Laboratory of the Mind) podcast. www.nondual.fi
Michelle Pauk is the founder of Streamside Coaching, where she helps leaders and organizations thrive with change. She has over 15 years of experience working in diverse agile environments as a Product Owner, Scrum Master, project manager, and Agile coach. She is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and has a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development.