#028 - Tim Ferriss' Ancient Secret to Living Life

👋🏻 Welcome to Refresh. Rethink. | Your life-saver leadership newsletter.

I’m writing this from my summer home, a 100-year-old homestead in a Lithuanian forest close to the city of Ukmerge. 🇱🇹

Today let me take you on a little journey. A journey that took me from the relentless hamster wheel of endless tasks to a place of peace and calm - all while my business kept chugging along like a well-oiled machine (most of the time).

😱 You see, not so long ago, I was a founder with a never-ending to-do list, feeling every tick of the clock like a cruel reminder of the tasks still to be completed.

If you're feeling like the old me at this moment, fear not. I've walked in those shoes, tripped over the same rough stones, and felt the weariness of non-stop work.

🔱 And today, I'm about to reveal a golden nugget, a hidden secret that transformed my world.

As you're reading this email, I'm on a 6-week break. Yes, you read that right. And no, I'm not joking. I've committed to just 4 hours of work a week, and it's been life-changing!

You might be wondering - how did I manage this feat?

The answer is simple.

I took a trip down memory lane and dusted off my old, coffee-stained copy of the "4-Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss. Now, Tim didn't hand me the exact solution, but his book sparked the inspiration for me to carve out my own path.

I’ve literally read this book 10 times, and It led me to these 3 big lessons I'm about to share with you now.

Ready?

✅ 1) Delegate, or Drown – The Counterintuitive Lifeline of Letting Go

You've got to loosen your grip a little, trust me. Once you start trusting others to help, you'll find more time and less stress waiting for you.

If you’re stuck in a rut, working long days and weekends, then it's high time you start playing the smart game, not the hard one. Outsourcing them, automating them... you get the drift. I'm telling you, it's a game-changer.

Delegating practical tasks to a team of (part-time) contractors has been the #1 key to getting more time.

✅ 2) The 80% Revolution – Your Surprisingly Effective 'Not-Quite-Perfect' Ally

Here's a reality check. When you delegate, things might not be done to the exacting standards you'd achieve.

Fear was the main reason for me not to outsource parts of my business earlier. Fear of low quality. Fear of judgment by others. Fear of failing.

But you know what? 80% quality is more than good – it's downright liberating. Good enough became my hallmark for freedom!

So take a deep breath and give the thumbs-up to 'good enough'.

✅ 3) Trust Yourself First– The Silent Pitfall of Leadership

If you struggle to trust others because you think you can do it better, here's a bitter pill: the problem isn't them... it's you.

The fact that you’re still ordering toilet paper for the office, or collecting the monthly invoices for accounting, is a sign of low trust in your capabilities to get it done through other people.

The first step to trusting others is trusting yourself – your judgment, your choices, your path to success. It's a tough gig, but it's worth it.

It made all the difference to me.

🎉 There you have it.

These are the lessons that helped me escape the hamster wheel. But remember, this isn't about aiming for a literal 4-hour work week - that's just a cheeky symbol, a ballpark figure. It's about valuing smart work over hard work, progress over perfection, and trust over control.

Applying these lessons didn't just help me reclaim my time. They've allowed me to live a little while my business keeps moving forward.

We're in this not just to build businesses but to build lives worth living. So here's to striving for the 4-hour work week - or whatever the equivalent is for you - and making every single hour count.

From the heart,

Leon

When you’re ready, I can help you build my REMODE framework in your business that will allow you, the founder, to reduce your time in daily business.

Most founders I’ve worked with got back at least 10 hours per week.

Do you want to get 10 weekly hours back? Or 500 hours yearly?

Reply to this mail with “ 10 hours back “