Productivity Is Pointless Without Days You Can Waste

Time is money.

And yesterday? I wasted a lot of it.

It was Sunday and 3 years ago, my wife and I decided that we would block every Sunday from all forms of work. No emails. No quick calls. No messages. Nothing. Zilch. 

So we went to church, stayed a little late talking to people, and my wife ran to her parents for a bit to take care of her mom who had a surgery recently. Then we did a project with the kids around the house to donate some toys and rewarded them with pizza and ice cream since it took longer than expected and it was too late to cook. Later that day, we went on a family jog and hung out for 20 minutes with a neighbor walking his dog.

I got nothing "productive" done all day. No money was made. Money was spent. Time was not used efficiently. And all I got as a return on this investment was memories, fun conversations, rest and borderline heatstroke in Florida's June sun.

This may sound crazy, but old me would’ve felt guilty. I'd say, Stephen, why can't you do BOTH? Just take a quick call or lighten your Monday load with just an hour of work!

New me? I just shrugged. Because I know that lie.

Because I know I can't afford NOT to have an inefficient day.

Not because I’m rich… but because I’ve built a system around how I spend time, energy, and money. I’ve optimized the important stuff so I can afford to be “off” when it matters most. And those days give me the energy, passion and motivation to crush every other day of the week because I'm realizing the payoff of my work WEEKLY. Not just on occasional weekends and the ever-distant vacations.

This was all made possible by seven steps that I doubled-down on 3 years ago. And they'll work for you too.

1. Deep Work is My Default

Most people never work more than a few minutes without checking their phone.

According to a RescueTime study, the average person checks email or Slack every 6 minutes. That’s 10 distractions an hour...minimum.

No wonder you're exhausted.

I use deep work blocks. This is the mathematical equation that equals deep work.

2 hours (minimum) x No notifications x One task x Zero phone (out of arms length with DND on)

I don't just “stay busy.” I do the stuff that moves the needle to a very clear goal.

If you do this, you'll get more done in 2 hours than most people do in unfocused 8 hours.

2. Time Blocking Rules My Calendar

My calendar isn’t a suggestion. If time is money, then my calendar is the wallet for it. And I don't just throw money out the window, so why would I do that with something more limited like time?

If something matters, it gets scheduled. That includes work sprints, community events, kids sport games, family time, workouts, reading, and full-on nothingness (seriously, I book free time so nothing gets put on top of it). 

This removes decision fatigue. I don’t waste energy choosing what to do next. I just look at the block and go.

3. The Priority Filter Cuts the Fluff

Every week, I run my to-do list through my method called the Priority Filter.

Here’s the rule...

If it’s not aligned to my 1-year and 30-day goals, it’s noise.

That means most “urgent” emails? Deleted.
The cool event invite? Passed.
That random favor someone asked for? A polite “not right now.”

The filter isn’t cold...it’s clarifying.

4. Extreme Clarity on My Goals

Clarity kills distraction.

I’m not waking up wondering what I’m working toward. I know exactly where I’m headed and why it matters.

My flagship framework, The Clarity Machine, forces me to narrow down my long term goals to three things. Those constraints make it easy for me to say "HELL YES" or "HELL NO" to anything that pops up.

Not out of discipline, but because I can see how off-track things are before I ever say “yes" by simply asking "Does this move me directly to my goals?"

You want more freedom? Get more specific on what you want.

5. Accountability Keeps Me Sharp

You can’t see your own blind spots. The end.

The worst editor of a book is the author.

That’s why I surround myself with accountability partners. People who call me out when I drift. People I check in with weekly. People who know my goals and challenge me to honor them.

But to get the best results, you need PAID ACCOUNTABILITY.

Business coach. Personal fitness trainer. Marriage counseling. You MUST spend money on whatever is mission-critical to achieving what you want in life. It will increase your chances of success to 75-90% and get you there faster.

You don’t rise to the level of your motivation. You rise to the level of your support.

6. I Buy Back My Time

I don’t mow my lawn. I don’t scrub my shower. I don't do grocery shopping.

Why? Because I value my time too much.

If my hour is worth $100, and I can pay someone $25 to do a task, I just bought $75 of freedom.

Dan Martell calls this your “Buyback Rate.” Know it. Use it. Live by it.

But you can't until you calculate how much your time is worth. A quick way to do that is to use this equation...

How much you money you made last year (after taxes) / 2000 hours = hourly rate

So if I made $230,000 last year after taxes, then my time is worth $115/hr. So anything that's 25-50% of that rate should be delegated to buy back time because you can earn so much more than that. 

7. Everything I Do Aligns With My WHY

This is the glue.

My WHY Statement is my "north star" that filters every choice I make. It’s not just about productivity… it’s about alignment.

When you know what matters, the calendar becomes sacred. And when life throws distractions your way (which it always will), you can respond, not react.

This is what makes me an efficiency monster during work hours.

But…

Here’s the Other Side of the Coin

I’m not efficient all the time.

Sometimes I let coaching calls go long because we’re having breakthroughs.
Sometimes I cancel my evening work block to have ice cream with my kids.
Sometimes I get lost in a 20-minute conversation with my neighbor about nothing.
Sometimes I ignore the to-do list to slow dance with my wife in the kitchen.
Sometimes I unplug at the beach for days and don’t check my phone once.

And I don’t feel guilty about any of it anymore.

Because I know my systems are solid. My foundation is secure.

That’s the whole point.

You build systems, not just to work faster but to live freer!

Without clarity, you’re just a slave to the world’s calendar. Chasing everyone else’s goals. Reacting to whatever screams loudest.

With clarity? You get to build your own world.

Here’s the truth...

The average person wastes over 2.5 hours per day on distractions (Source: UC Irvine Study). That’s over 900 hours per year… nearly six full-time work months gone.

Reclaiming that time isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s how you design a better life.

Life Is Awesome

I love the life I’ve built. It’s not perfect. But it’s intentional.

It’s aligned with what I care about.
It gives me room to be focused when needed.
And free when it counts.

It happened because I doubled down on those seven things. You can do the same.

Be an efficiency monster when it’s time to work so you can be a joyful bum when it’s time to live.

That’s not laziness. That’s true wealth.