Laziness is a Superpower

I've always said I'm Lazy.

From the outside, people say I'm very productive and when I hear them talk about what I've achieved personally, professionally and financially, I guess they're right:

• CFO
• Father
• Ironman
• Ultramarathon
• Wrote a 1st novel
• Launched a Podcast
• 29-Year Relationship
• Achieved a high net worth
• Started a real estate development business

If that's the case. If I'm objectively productive, why do I say being lazy is my superpower?

Let's dive in...but first, a message from our sponsor - the Flyover:

Laziness is Productive

Being lazy doesn't mean I don't do anything. After all, I'm an insanely driven person and we just objectively listed a lot of the sh*t I've done.

It means I don't like to waste any time, energy or resources. In these areas, I'm stingy, or you may say lazily efficient, and it results in some outcomes I'll share with you that could improve your life.

The secret to my lazy efficiency lies in these areas:

• No
• Delegation
• Automation
• the Wasted Spaces
• Minimum Effective Doses

No

It all starts with this.

If we always say Yes our calendar is too full and we don't have enough lazy space, as I like to call it.

It was Derek Sivers who coined the idea that if he wasn't saying Hell Yes to something, it was a No. Because I'm a bit more vulgar, like Mark Manson, I prefer it to be the Law of Fuck Yes or No.

The problem is, for the average person, No can be a hard response to make, which is why these tidbits are super helpful:

1. No is a sentence
2. You don't owe anyone
3. What if the ask was tomorrow

No is a Sentence

I was listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast back in the day, and they were talking about a female coach, and they said she wasn't just playing by a different set of rules; she was playing a completely different game.

What impressed both Tim and his guest so much about her was the way she would say No.

What she shared with the class she was teaching was simple.

No is a complete sentence.

It doesn't need a qualifier, modifier or explanation.

I don't need an excuse and don't need to ghost anyone (not that I would)...

I simply say: No, thank you.

You Don't Owe Anyone

I forget where I got this tidbit, but I love it.

We all get unsolicited asks, whether in:

• DMs
• Email
• Phone calls
• Real life conversation

The thing is, they're exactly that - unsolicited.

You don't owe someone you don't know a response to their ask. Heck, it may even be an automated messaging campaign.

Here are a few options for you, instead:

1. Unsubscribe
2. Block the sender
3. Don't respond at all
4. Reply simply: No, Thank You

You choose you. But don't choose work, effort or grief over saying No or Doing Nothing.

We're trying to get ourselves some Lazy Time, after all.

What If It Was Tomorrow

It's easy to say Yes when it's on the horizon.

Calendar's empty

It's easier than a No

So we default to Yes even though it isn't a Fuck Yes and by the time it gets here, we'll be stressed out and have a full calendar.

So, do yourself a favor. Ask yourself, if this was tomorrow, would I say Fuck Yes...If not, you know what to say...No, Thank You...

Automation

This was the inspiration for this post.

Some of you may know I've been a life long PC user and, as an entrepreneur, I've now flipped to a MacBook Pro for fun and to learn something new.

In my office, I've got a killer lazy setup - The best Mac Logitech Mouse with some killer lazy automations, a nice Mac Keyboard, 2x 35" curved monitors, which is one of the cheapest ways to improve efficiency by the way (lazy thinking for the win, again).

Last week, I was frustrated by the setup.

When you maximize a screen on one of the monitors, Apple doesn't let you move any screens onto that monitor, which is annoying when I'm working with multiple:

• PDFs
• Excel
• Word Docs
• Other Applications

I leaned over to one of my partners and said this is so annoying, I'm spending so much time minimizing and maximizing windows.

As a lifelong Mac user, he agreed, super frustrating.

But, here's the difference. He's not as lazy as me so he kept doing this for years.

I hate wasting time doing anything repeatedly.

And, as a lazy person, I know there are other lazy people out there who've solved my problems so I can never have to do work twice.

Sure enough, within minutes of Googling (as a lazy person, I'm a good Googler), I had a solution !

I leaned back over to share it with him but...Because he's so much less lazy than me, he didn't buy the Mac keyboard for his Mac...Instead, he saved money on a PC keyboard...

I will emphasize this to my dying breath. If there's anything you do repeatedly, automate it:

• AI
• Macros
• Zapier App
• 3rd Party Plugins
• 3rd Party Programmers

Above all else, don't be penny wise and pound foolish.

If something saves you time technologically, buy it.

Understand the payback period and make a smart, educated decision.

If you can't automate with technology, you may be able to automate by having someone else do it for you, which brings us to...

Delegation

I'm simple.

After all, I'm lazy.

Who better to do something that me? Anyone !

For most of what I do, I can say 80% done by someone else is better than 100% done by me.

So what does that look like?

In the workplace, it means hiring your replacement, training and empowering them.

As a lazy person who wants to be productive, you want all your time focused on the intersection of what:

• You love to do
• Adds the most value

If it doesn't meet those criteria, try to outsource it.

It starts with hiring the right people. People who are driven go-getters, critical thinkers and team players.

You're going to load them up with everything you don't want to do, so you can be lazily productive, and give them a chance to grow personally, professionally and financially.

When it comes to training and empowerment, you want to train them to make their own decisions and empower them to carry through on all the small stuff.

After all, if you're lazy like me, you don't want them to come to you with all their problems and delegate issues back to you. No, no, not allowed.

Here are two ideas to help you in this area from Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell:

1. The 10-80-10 Rule
2. The 1-3-1 Rule

10-80-10 Rule

As a social media content producer, I love this one.

Look, I'm out of time now. Between being a father, entrepreneur and content producer who wants to play 3+ hours of pickleball per day and binge watch television, I don't have enough time.

I've realized the answer isn't less sleep, it's things like the 10-80-10 Rule.

This means you will be involved in the first 10% of idea or content generation.

You will outsource the bulk of the work or content creation, about 80% of the load, to your team.

Finally, they'll bring you back a finished product and you'll be involved in getting the final 10% across the finish line.

Laziness at it's finest !

The 1-3-1 Rule

This is a variation of how I've always trained my team.

Simply put, I've always told my team members, I want solutions, not problems and the 1-3-1 Rule makes that explicit.

First, when someone comes with a problem, they need a very clearly explained single problem that needs to be solved.

Second, you're going to ask them to bring three potential solutions to the problem.

Third, and finally, you're going to ask them to provide one specific recommendation to solve the problem.

That's it.

They do the work.

You give them the credit.

Then go home early and watch TV.

The Wasted Spaces

Whether you're talking about habit stacking or wasted spaces, I like to think of this as lazy efficient time management.

Consider this newsletter.

I normally write it the night before I publish, but I've got some wasted space I can use.

I'm on a flight back to Las Vegas for a hockey tournament with my youngest son, Tripp, so I'm writing this newsletter by hand from memory - it's fun, but I got some writer's cramp.

I'll give you some other ideas for wasted space utilization or habit stacking, which I love.

In the AM, before work, I go to the gym with my oldest son, Caiden, which accomplishes fitness for both of us + father and son bonding.

After the workout, I hit the sauna and then a 5-minute cold shower - Hot + Cold exposure.

While in the sauna and shower, I meditate. Generally, it's a loving kindness meditation towards my family and business partners.

While I meditate, I do box breathing - in for 5, hold for 5, out for 5, hold for 5.

So, before work, I've bonded with my son, meditated, box-breathed, worked out and gotten hot and cold exposure - not bad for a lazy guy !

My other favorite, I will choose to get back to, is a walk and talk with my business partner with the weighted vest on.

We get two hours together, my dog gets a long walk, we improve our fitness, business and relationship - it's a win, win, WIN.

Minimum Effective Dose

I look at this a few ways.

First, what's the exact minimum I need to do to achieve my desired outcome - no more, no less.

Second, how can we re-engineer the process using first principles to achieve our goal as effectively and efficiently as possible with no wasted space, time or resources.

When you're always examining your role, activities and processes from these angles, you're going to free up time.

With that time, I can engage in what I love to do with my Lazy Time,

• Read
• Write
• Podcast
• Binge TV shows
• Play hours of pickleball

TGG Podcast

This week on the Growth Guide Podcast, I talk about the Spotlight Effect, a social psychology phenomenon where we overestimate how much others notice and judge us.

In other words, YOU always feel like you're in the spotlight.

This leads to some challenges:

• Social anxiety
• Fear of judgment
• Missed opportunities
• Poor spending habits

Fortunately, once you're aware of the Spotlight Effect, it can be easy to deal with it, and there strategies which I talk about in this episode.

To hear more about The Spotlight Effect, listen to the Growth Guide Podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch on YouTube:

​

Listen to the Podcast

Last Word 👋

I love hearing from readers and I'm always looking for your feedback.

How I'm doing with the Growth Guide. Is there anything you want to see more of or less? Which aspects of the Newsletter or Podcast do you like the most?

Hit reply, say hello, and let me know what you think of Being Lazy to Be Productive.

I'd love to chat with you !

All my best,

Clint

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