Why Hustle Culture is Wrong and How to Truly Achieve More In Less

The simplest recipe for productivity and happiness, according to Marcus Aurelius:

"If you seek tranquility, do less."

I was fundamentally wrong.

And I think you're too.

Our mind is a muscle, like any other.

And work is like going to the gym.

Without rest, there are no gains whatsoever.

So, when the fuck did society come to the idea that working nonstop 8 hours or more is a good thing?

You might be thinking, "But that's how my favorite millionaire guru works. They say hard work is everything!"

Well, this is what a real entrepreneur says:

This is from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Not your typical Andrew Tate, huh?

The Hustle Culture Myth

As Marcus Aurelius insists: the top productivity advice is not "do more." It's "do less."

I've had a big problem with this in the past.

I was working only to check off a box on my Notion to-do list.

Parkinson's Law was my best friend.

For those who don't know:

Parkinson's Law is the old adage that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.

So, how did I manage to break free from this?

Well, I realized that I do not have time.

As a high school student, I spend 9 hours of my day at school.

And even if it was a weekend, I usually wasted it.

I had to come up with a solution, so I started my research on the topic of focus.

And thank goodness I did.

Because I found a book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

Written by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, what a crazy name, right?!

What Is The Flow State?

It is a mental state when you're completely absorbed in the task at hand, losing all distractions.

It leads to the highest stake of productivity.

Most people have experienced it at some point in their lifetime.

It's one of those moments when you blink, look at the watch, and you see that five hours are gone, as if it's nothing.

This is the secret ingredient behind every successful person and their immersive focus.

Hell, I'm even experiencing it right now as I'm writing this newsletter.

It feels like playing a brand-new video game, even though you're ''only'' working.

It leads to maximum life fulfillment, as if everything is in perfect harmony.

The only problem is that it doesn't come like it's nothing.

We've got to create purposeful habits and routines to activate it.

And this is when my workday productivity system comes into play.

The Workday Productivity System

According to the information I learned from the Flow book, I came up with this system.

It always helps me unlock my ultimate focus mode, allowing me to get my work done in 4 hours or even less.

Step 1: Identity

Everything comes down to identity.

I've always wanted to work less and enjoy my life.

Because of it, I had to shape my own identity accordingly.

This helped me see opportunities, like the creator business, that could turn my desires into reality.

Most people have an identity and perspective shaped by society's norms and goals.

This keeps them from spotting and solving problems that lead to amazing results.

Step 2: Projects

Projects are the bridges that connect your desires and reality.

They are your visions for the future.

You need something to build that will expose you to the problems you like solving.

But be smart about it, choose a project that allows for a maximum 4-hour workday.

Start a creator business.

Become a value creator.

Use the internet to do what you love.

If you want my help with this, CLICK HERE for my free course on how to build a creator business.

Understand that building a project is the best way to learn new knowledge and skills.

1. Create an outline – braindump everything you know that should be built in the project. You will add to this outline as you build.

2. Create milestones - break the project into goals you can achieve in 1- to 4-hour work sessions. The length depends on your current duties.

Step 3: Deadlines

This helps you avoid procrastination.

Set deadlines for yourself, and even more importantly, establish consequences for missing them.

The best consequence is, by far, public accountability.

That's another reason why the creator business is so powerful.

For example, on the CRE8 newsletter website, I promise to send out two newsletters every week.

This public commitment has already helped me a lot.

It boosted my productivity and kept me on track many times.

Step 4: Rest - The Secret Ingredient

It's remarkable how many great minds have attributed their success to rest.

Steve Jobs, Charles Darwin, and even ancient Romans and Greeks.

All understood the importance of downtime.

In today's hustle culture, rest often feels like a luxury or even laziness.

I often struggle with this, feeling guilty when I'm not constantly working.

However, I remind myself that the most remarkable ideas come when the mind is at rest.

Dan Koe captures this beautifully (paraphrased):

"When your mind is working, it contracts; when it's resting, it expands."

My working session always looks the same:

1. I set a timer for 45-90 minutes, focusing intensely during that period.

2. Then, I take a break—go for a walk, eat, watch some YouTube, or play a video game.

Your focus is finite.

You need REST.

That's all for this newsletter.

As you may have noticed in this newsletter, I launched my first course.

It's on the creator business, the future of entrepreneurship.

So, if you're ready to join 20+ students, CLICK HERE to learn how to build a lean, profitable internet business.

I hope you enjoyed this one; see you on Wednesday.

Jan