Feeling stressed out?

Frustrated with always being overworked and underpaid?

Like there are not enough hours in the day?

What if I told you there was a way to work less and earn more… would you be interested to hear me out?

That’s exactly what I’m going to show you in this letter.

I feel morally obligated to do so.

Why?

Because last year I got woken up to a harsh reality…

Something the gurus DON’T tell you about when it comes to content creation and entrepreneurship…

All that work?

No play. No fun. No rest.

It leads to one thing. GUARANTEED…

The number one reason most content creators and entrepreneurs quit:

Burnout.

This is the danger of the content creation hamster wheel…

Hustling like a dog.

Commenting 100 times a day, trying to grow.

Creating content with non-stop anxiety if it will amount to anything.

But what if I told you that I got out of it?

In fact, since spending less time working I’m actually making more than I ever have.

And I’ve since helped dozens of my clients avoid the trap I fell into, so they can work less and enjoy more life.

Keep reading and you’ll see exactly how they’re pulling it off and how you can too.

But first, a word of warning:

A Living Nightmare

It’s no secret.

To succeed, you need grit.

Grit enables you to push harder than the competition, go further and break your old records.

But there’s a dark side to grit…

If you leave it unchecked, you can quickly fall into a hustle-bro lifestyle - a David Goggins on steroids type of situation where you physically CAN’T stop working.

Where does this road lead?

If you think you can hustle 24/7 with no rest, here’s what you can look forward to:

Sleepless nights, staring at the ceiling worried about the next “task” that needs doing as soon as you wake up…

Cognitive decline and a total loss of creative energy… leading to worse results, worse client satisfaction and work that feels meaningless…

Anxiety and overwhelm, leading to a constant feeling of lack and fear that you’re not good enough and that it will always collapse under your feet…

Always working, tasks bleeding into the early hours thinking “when am I going to get a break!”

Bags under your eyes, crows feet coming on prematurely and turning yellow from not leaving the house in days to “complete a project”….

Paranoia, thinking your own team, friends or family are out to get you… and that you could crack at any moment…

If you’re not careful, you could even put yourself in hospital… being fed through a tube (I know people this happened to!)

Is this really what you want?

Trust me, I’ve been there.

You DON’T want this.

And if you’re here now… you know exactly what I’m talking about.

According to McKinsey, 76% of respondents in a Mental Health America and FlexJobs study agreed that workplace stress affects their mental health and 75% experienced burnout.

And if you’re an entrepreneur, the stats are even more devastating…

23% of entrepreneurs feel burned out often or all the time. 3 out of 5 entrepreneurs have reported being more stressed than when they were employees. 62% of entrepreneurs attribute their burnout to financial pressures.

That’s why I’m writing this.

Because I don’t want you to fall into the same trap.

I don’t want you to turn yellow… lose your sanity and become another entrepreneur or creator on the trash pile of “could’ve-beens” because the stress nearly killed you.

Time Snobbery

“If you don’t prioritise your time, someone else will.” – Greg McKeown

There’s a way to avoid this fate.

There’s a way to create balance and success.

There’s a way to work less and achieve more.

How?

I’m about to tell you.

Keep reading, because I’m going to share with you how I did it, while having my biggest month yet.

Now look, I get it… you’re right to be sceptical.

It does sound too good to be true.

“Work less and earn more? Give me a break!”

And I was sceptical too! Until I went and had my biggest revenue month to date last month.

While working LESS.

In case you’re doubting, here’s the proof.

I’m certainly not suggesting you don’t work hard.

But trust me when I say: there’s a way to get more balance into your life without sacrificing results.

And in fact, work less and get BETTER results.

You heard me right.

My own story is an example.

You see…

I used to be a workaholic. Working late every day and spending my weekends also on work.

Neglecting my relationships too.

Just to earn a little bit more “money” and gain others’ recognition…

A black hole.

I was working 15 hours a day – all day slaving away seeing next-to-no results.

Engaging like a madman on social media thinking more followers would make me more money.

NEWSFLASH: It didn’t.

I was so stressed, I could barely sleep.

My recovery was terrible.

I was paranoid… I thought the people in the town I was living in were going to rob me LOL.

And to make matters worse, I was dead broke.

I could feel myself at breaking point…

On the verge of insanity.

Sleep deprived….

Nails bitten to the nub…

Thinking only one thought:

“I’m not doing enough. I MUST WORK MORE.”

My mind was not only willing to do more… but pathological about it.

My body on the other hand?

Broken.

My brain?

Fried.

I knew I had to make a change…

Then I started to stop work at a certain time every day, choosing to chat with my family instead of being accompanied by work.

On weekends, I started hanging out with friends, enjoying nature or taking a short trip.

As for my personal brand & business…

Surprisingly, I found I was less anxious, and my work performance was even better than before.

My engagement is up on X, despite spending LESS time on social media.

My lead flow is at an all-time high, although I’m not as active on my phone.

My writing is the best it’s ever been, even though I limit my creative writing time to only 90 minutes per day.

My YouTube is growing and my audience has never been more engaged.

And of course… hit $15K/month too (I had to include that right?)

But forget the business stuff for a moment…

Here’s BAR FAR the best part:

I have more free time.

My relationships have never been better.

I speak to my family on the phone more than I have in forever.

My Mum said to me on the phone the other day:

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you chuckle in months!”

Kinda sad, right?

But also great. A sign I’m past the stress and uptightness of burnout.

All because I make ONE simple change.

And it’s something I’ve helped my clients integrate too.

This one thing?

I decided to protect my time.

Sounds simple right?

Simple. But not easy.

It’s because we feel like we’re not doing enough. We must do more, otherwise we’re a failure.

Can you relate?

As you already know, this is a road to ruin. And it ruined many of my clients too.

That’s why I created an exercise for my clients which has been making them more productive and less stressed.

And it’s getting some staggering results.

It’s called The Dream Day – and it’s super simple (as you’ll see).

Before I show you it, here’s the mindset shift I want you to make:

Become a snob with your time.

Seriously.

Make it more valuable than GOLD.

This has 3 major benefits:

1. Get more done: You’ll start to see what’s REALLY important because all non-essential tasks will melt away

2. Your energy will increase: because you’re allocating more time for rest and recovery. You’re happier and more focused

3. YOU become more valuable: As your time becomes more scarce; it becomes more valuable. If your time is more valuable.. that means YOU are more valuable.

Here’s the facts…

If you want rest, you have to take it.

The world is constantly fighting for your attention… your engagement and your compliance.

F#ck that off. RIGHT NOW.

Boycott the attention-thieving world you live in by making your peace your biggest priority.

Make your time sacred.

Block it out, and be intentional.

There’s an exercise I’ll share with you shortly to make this actionable.

But here’s how it’s been working for two of my clients.

Burnout Breakthrough Blueprint:

I’m about to provide you with isn’t just a guide on how to cure burnout…

It’s a blueprint on how to prevent it entirely.

To quote Tim Ferris: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

This incorporates The Dream Day exercise I’ve been using with my clients.

PLUS, some extras which have helped me claim back my time WHILE boosting my income.

If you’re ready, let’s jump in.

1. Choose 3 MPs (Massive Purposes)

You need a purpose.

Without purpose, you’ll burn out fast.

Why?

Because you’ll be doing shit that isn’t aligned with your deepest desires. It will feel EMPTY. So you’ll tap out as soon as it gets tough.

So before you do anything, start with this:

• Take out a pen and paper

• Write down 3 lifelong missions eg: Become a great writer, make the world a better place for animals

• Answer this: are these goals aligned with my deepest desires in life?

MPs aren’t just aspirational. They’re filtrational.

If a project or task doesn’t contribute towards your MPs – discard it.

This will ensure you only put effort into things that have meaning.

So you can rest assured… even if what you’re doing DOESN’T have an immediate impact, it’s STILL contributing to your life’s purpose.

2. Create 3 HHGs (High Hard Goals)

HHGs are the sub-steps that can help you achieve these larger missions.

If your larger mission is to climb every mountain on earth, an HHG would be climbing one mountain.

• Take your list of MPs

• Create a list of 3 HHGs you want to achieve based of each one

• Allocate a 1-5 year timeframe to complete them

HHGs lead to an increase in attention and performance.

Why?

Because HHGs are as advertised — difficult mountains to climb.

When climbing a mountain, your mind locks into the goal at hand. You find another gear automatically. It doesn’t take thought, it just happens.

Maxwell Maltz calls this the Success Mechanism, which is your subconscious gets to work finding a solution even when you’re not thinking about it.

World famous ad-man, Joe Sugarman, calls it the “Incubation Process” in which his best, $1B ideas come to him when he’s NOT working on the project.

By setting these goals, your unconscious mind does the rest for you.

By committing to these you get total clarity on where you’re heading.

So you can focus 100% of your energy of what matters, and let the only pointless stuff fall away – giving you more time.

3. Clear Goals

Clear goals are dead simple.

A daily to-do list.

These each stem from your HGGs.

• If your HHG is to write a book, make 500 words per day a daily to do.

• If your HHG is to run an ultra-marathon, make running 10 miles a day a daily to do.

• If your HHG is to hit $10K/month, make building a new offer a daily to-do.

See how simple it is?

It’s all aligned with your Massive Purpose.

The best part?

Each item you cross off your list gives you dopamine, which reinforces your desire and habit of doing it day after day.

That extra dopamine leads to increased energy and drive, keeping burnout at bay.

Another reason you want to optimise for dopamine…

Parkinson’s is a dopamine deletion disease.

The world belongs to those who know how to create dopamine at will.

4. Design Your Dream Day

Now you know your clear goals, it’s time to make this actionable.

This is the exercise I take my clients through.

People pay me $8700 to help them with this information. You’re about to get it now for FREE.

Your dream day should be balanced, by building it around 3 main areas:

• Work: what makes you money

• Exercise: what makes you healthy

• Rest/downtime: what makes you happy and protects your peace

When you pour attention into each areas with mindful intention, you’ll be amazed at the results you get.

Each day will feel like you’re floating on a cloud of pure dopamine.

Why?

Because ticking all the boxes:

Health (exercise), wealth (work) and relationships (downtime/rest).

This is how you live a holistic day of meaning and joy, every day, without sacrificing balance.

Let’s dig into each step a bit deeper.

5. Dream Day pt. I: Work

“People who say they work 80-hour weeks, or even 120-hour weeks, often are just status signalling. It’s showing off. Nobody really works 80 to 120 hours a week at high output, with mental clarity. Your brain breaks down. You won’t have good ideas.” – Naval Ravikant

Work is good.

Overwork is for clowns.

Overwork is why you burn out.

And I get it…

You want to be successful. This requires hard work.

But what if you could work less and get more done?

You can.

How?

By optimising your work routine.

Here’s how I structure my work blocks to get more done in less time:

• 3 x 90 minute blocks (set a timer)

• Write down 1-3 tasks per block

• Block 1 = Building Offers or future projects, Block 2 = Writing content, Block 3 = Client Work/Maintenance

Each block has a specific focus or purpose.

This way I do everything I need to do without feeling guilty.

Afternoons are for calls, reading and downtime/socialising (which we’ll cover next).

Treat work like High-Intensity Interval Training.

Quick rounds of intense, maximum output, high-quality work.

Be more like a lion hunting and less like a marathoner running. You sprint and then you rest.

Work like a Lion. Not like a mule.

6. Dream Day pt. II: Exercise

Exercise and creativity go hand in hand.

It’s an outlet for nervous energy.

• Regular walks and stretching calm your mind

• Lifting weights boosts energy and dopamine

• Hard workouts train mental resilience

Don’t you see?

Exercise isn’t just about looking or feeling good.

It’s about making you more effective when you show up to work.

Exercise builds a healthy body. A healthy body builds a healthy mind. A healthy mind builds a healthy business.

This is how you build the mind of a philosopher and the body of an athlete.

7. Dream Day pt. III: Downtime

Stop.

If you don’t schedule your downtime, work will consume every waking hour of your life.

You must make your downtime sacred.

Block out the following downtime activities and make it part of your “to-dos”:

• Naps/reading which boost memory and learning

• Social time with friends or family which increases mood and lowers stress

• A solid sleep schedule which keeps your energy, mood and focus high

Let your brain breathe. Otherwise, you’re fossilising stale shit (in the form of stress and worry) into your own brain. And once fossilised, it’ll be impossible to clear out.

You don’t want stale shit in your brain, do you?

Remember: if you don’t prioritise your time, someone else will.

8. Mini Vacations

“All work and no play makes Jonny go CRAZY.” – Jack Nicholson, The Shining

Total resets matter.

Everyone has a point of no return.

If your work is constantly sub-par and frustration levels are growing – it’s time to step away for a few days.

Every 10-12 weeks, take time away from work:

• Book a trip in your favourite place

• Spend time reading, exercising and embracing silence

• Spend time offline. Focus on connection with loved ones, nature and yourself.

Figure out what works for you.

While inserting mandatory timeouts into your schedule can seem like a step backwards, it’s nothing compared to the time you’ll waste once burnout sets in.

If you get serious about recovery sooner rather than later, you’ll go further FASTER as a reuslt.

To summarise this letter, I’d say this:

Burnout is costly.

It costs mental clarity, momentum and the quality of your work.

Not to mention the stress, anxiety and havoc it wreaks on your quality of life and relationships.

Overwork is not a badge of honour. It’s a demon you must rid yourself of if you want to succeed long-term.

Life’s short.

YES. Work hard.

But don’t turn yellow and ruin your life. All in pursuit of a goal you could attain much faster and with more appreciation if you incorporated rest into your lifestyle.

You can have it all.

Happiness, health and wealth.

If you get clear in your purpose, mission and goals so you can design a lifestyle that gives you everything you want and MORE.

Every. Single. Day.

You deserve it.

That’s it for today.

Have a great, BALANCED week.

PS. Want to add an extra $5K/month to income without sacrificing balance, burning out or going broke in the process?

In Digital Odyssey I’ll help you build a 100% profit revenue stream in less than 1.5 hours/week.

Interested?

Join the waitlist here: https://digitalodyssey.carrd.co/

Spots are strictly limited.