Does pacing actually work or just delay the crash

been doing the same routine for 6 weeks - two 3-hour work blocks, 30 min break, light movement, structured rest. was holding fine. then wednesday: woke up 4/10, crashed to 7/10 by 8am. nothing different. didn’t overdo tuesday, slept fine, no new triggers. i log everything to spot the pattern, but like… there’s no pattern to spot. so genuine question: are we pacing to prevent crashes, or just delaying them? because if the crashes come anyway when i’m doing everything right, that changes what we’re even trying to accomplish. anyone else hit this wall where you’re following the protocol and pain still just… happens? what am i missing? imo that’s my take.