Hey there, Solopreneurs~

Hello, everybody! Welcome back to K.I.S.S., the newsletter built by business owners for business owners.

(And, of course - Aspiring business owners are especially welcome!)

The purpose of this newsletter is to break down high-level business concepts into easily understandable chunks of knowledge. No need to dive into Reddit or YouTube holes anymore!

Today’s Concept: The Fallacy of “Hustle Culture”

Pomodoro timers. Multitasking. Time blocking. Notion templates.

If you’re a solopreneur, you’re not doing enough. You’re NEVER doing enough.

Once you’ve ticked the last item off of your to-do list, it’s up to you to fill it right back up again. Or, most of the time, it fills up all on its own.

And yet, the more successful you become, the more horribly anxiety-ridden you feel! What’s up with that?

Today, we’re going to break you out of the “toxic productivity” mindset.

Here’s a quick peek at today’s docket:

• Weekly Resource Recommendation

• Give Up On “Getting Everything Done”

• Productivity Hacks That Are SLOWING You Down

• What Do You Actually Want?

• The Art of Intentional Downtime

Weekly Resource Recommendation

Today’s resource recommendation is a book that absolutely inspired this week’s newsletter. “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals” is, at its core, THE anti-productivity productivity book.

While there’s only so much I can cover in a newsletter, this book expands upon (in much more clever language, might I add) exactly what’s wrong with hustle culture and exactly how it’s holding back not just you but society as a whole.

If you’re interested, you can check it out on Oliver Burkeman’s website, or you can read some entertaining reviews on Goodreads.

Give Up On “Getting Everything Done”

Though you’ve likely gleaned this from the title, much of Burkeman’s book is based on the notion that humans have 4,000 solid weeks at best.

(This is under the presumption that you don’t get hit by a car, sustain a mortal wound, or get struck by lightning before age 80.)

It’s up to us to spend that time properly, yeah?

Our solution is to try to cram as much as we possibly can into our 4,000 weeks.

But… Is that really much of a solution at all?

As entrepreneurs, our value is in what we can produce.

So, naturally, we try to do everything. All the time.

We come up with fancy solutions and “hacks,” but there never seems to be enough.

That’s because we’re our own bosses. We decide what “enough” is.

So, my first piece of solid advice for you is this:

GIVE UP!

Give up on the idea that you’ll mark off your whole to-do list, get the girl, pursue that hobby you dropped six months ago, make 30K MRR, and somehow still get around to finishing that book you’ve been enjoying.

You’re going to hate this, but there’s no way to get everything you want to get done finished in a timely manner.

But you can decide for yourself what’s worth it, what isn’t, and what sacrifices you’re willing to make.

Because there will be sacrifices. The beauty, though, is that they’re your decision.

Productivity Hacks That Are SLOWING You Down

Everyone and their mother has their own godforsaken idea of what the “top productivity hacks” are.

Granted, some of them are good! It can be helpful to put your phone in the other room while you work, for instance.

However, most of these hacks are actually harmful for your productivity.

Let’s break down some of the most common perpetrators:

Overly-Complex ‘Organization’ Templates

Let’s get real. We all have that one bullet journal, ornate planner, or $11 Notion template that we swore up and down that we’d use.

After all, we spent a good few hours setting it up.

But in my case, anyway, I usually ditch them a few weeks in and return to the old reliable: my iPhone’s calendar app.

An Evil Classic: The “All-Nighter”

I promise you that staying up all night to get something done is NOT worth the sleep you’ll miss out on.

Not only will your day be ruined the next morning, but your circadian rhythm, hormones, and cognitive functions will all be (for lack of a better term) SCREWED.

Multi-Tasking To Your Own Detriment

Some multitasking is totally fine. I mean, who doesn’t like to listen to a podcast to pass the time while doing mundane chores?

Let’s get real, though: You won’t retain any information that you’re cheating your way through learning.

That audiobook, seminar, or course that you have in the background of your actual work is not going to be remembered (unless you’re Spencer Reid or something.)

It’s better to dedicate your time to one thing that you can provide true focus toward.

What Do You Actually Want?

When was the last time you asked yourself what you actually wanted?

Not just out of your business, but out of life:

• Did you truly want to attend that friend-of-a-friend’s party?

• Is that client you dread to work with worth the extra cash?

• Does it matter if you ‘stick it out’ through a book you hate?

These questions are important.

Because even though you can do anything, you can’t do everything.

Why waste time on things that truly don’t serve you?

Why complete things for “the sake of it,” when there’s no sake at all?

Why spend precious moments with people who don’t value that time?

Sometimes the key to doing more is simply doing less of what isn’t valuable.

The Art of Intentional Downtime

You put everything else in your schedule, right?

Your meetings, your deadlines, maybe even your short breaks.

I think it’s time for you to add self-care to your work schedule.

It’s far too easy to take a self-serving leisure task and try to turn it into something productive.

• “I want to read this book to learn more about X and improve at Y.”

• “I want to go on a run so I can listen to podcasts while working toward my fitness goals.”

• “I want to go to this event so I have more content to post on my socials this week.”

When’s the last time you read something for FUN?

When’s the last time you took a walk for no reason, with zero intention?

When’s the last time you went out just for the sake of discovering something new?

If you can’t remember, that’s okay.

A lot of us can’t.

But you still have time. There is room in these 4,000 weeks to have some f*cking fun.

Not everyone can say that. Don’t take it for granted.

That’s All, Folks 👋

That’s all for this week’s edition - it was one that’s especially dear to me.

I think that true productivity is showing up for yourself. That means getting things done, sure, but it also means stopping to smell the roses.

If you have any further questions about today’s topic, or any general insights/inquiries, don’t be afraid to shoot me a message on LinkedIn or simply reply to this email!

Until next time - Remember to keep things simple!