One tiny lunchtime hack for increased focus, better health & more fun 😄

You’ll never work from home the same way again

Is this really it?

I make £50,000/year working literally 4 hours a week

I spend the rest of my time having fun: growing my business (yes, for fun), travelling, advising/investing, acroyoga, art, music, writing, etc.

This is Article #2 in my free Why Are You Working So Much? 🥱 series. Sign up to learn how to make more money by working less and having more fun!

Most people spend half their life working and the other half recovering.

Work eats up your most productive morning hours, and then you’re too tired to do anything interesting in the evening.

It’s a sad way to live but it’s now the norm in Western society:

Is this really it?

I can’t think of a more miserable way to exist and yet we’re still scratching our heads on why everyone’s so depressed…

In my free Why Are You Working So Much? 🥱 series, I’ll teach you how to permanently escape the 9–5 matrix…

But in the meantime, here’s one tiny lunchtime change which has radically improved my quality of life: increased focus, better health and more fun 👇

The problem

The problem with continuously working from 9 to 5 (or much later) is it’s extremely boring.

I’m lucky to have a job that isn’t a job.

I don’t do it for money (bills are covered by my 4 hours of weekly freelance work — explained in my next article), and I get to make my art, help students make important life choices and constantly learn new skills (like coding).

But force me to grind it out 9 to 5 and I still hit the wall 🥱

Post-lunch you’ll find me slumped at my desk, pretending to be productive until the guilt subsides at 5 and I can finally turn my laptop off.

The only respite for 9–5ers is the 1-hour lunch break.

And how do they spend it?

Running to Sainsbury’s to pick up an average-at-best meal deal, eating crisps while checking email…or on social media, soaking up toxic dopamine till your hour’s up and you’re back at your desk, ready to plod on with more work 😩

No rest, no break, no fun.

But there’s a better way…

The 2 Hour Lunch Break

A revolution in work-from-home living.

And it really is as simple as doubling your lunch hour.

For the last 6 weeks, instead of my usual 1 hour lunch break…

I’ve been taking a 2 hour lunch break 🤯

Enough time to actually do something meaningful!

And whereas before my workday was 10am at 6pm, it now ends at 7pm — to make up for the lost hour.

This small change has radically increased my quality of life, here’s what I’ve been up to in my 2-hour lunch breaks so far:

Funfair

Fun fun fun.

We pretended to be zombies and I almost threw up on a flying spinning thing.

Bouldering

The most fun. Ever.

I’m now addicted. I go three times a week, and apparently now burn an extra 500 calories a day! Summer abs — I’m coming for you babe x

Swimming

Yes yes, I’m shaving the beard and the hair — it’s a quarantine vibe till my hairdresser’s back.

My cofounder and I hung out in the jacuzzi after a few sets of hypoxic swimming sprints.

Long walks

The local swan doing its thing.

Yesterday I walked 2 hours to Maida Vale for a meeting followed by an evening picnic. I relistened to Ray Dalio’s Principles along the way and cut some mad shapes past Arsenal.

And those are just the photos. I’ve also indulged in 90-minute afternoon naps, alcoholic lunch dates and high-intensity basketball games against the local Somalians.

Next week I’m even starting street dance lessons ✌️

But here’s the best part…

After all these lunchtime activities, I come back fully replenished and re-energised for my second sprint of the day.

Whereas most corporate zombies and burnt-out founders struggle through their afternoons, sluggish and irritable, I’ve got even more energy than in the morning.

I’m working the same number of hours per day, but more productively and having more fun…

End the afternoon slump!

Summary

If you’re trapped in a boring work cycle…

Seriously!? Is this really it!?

Please don’t let life pass you by.

If you plan to retire in your 50/60s, you’re gonna be in this cycle for a f*cking long time.

This is your life. You’re living it right now.

And if you’re not enjoying it, you’re doing life wrong.

Carve out time for the fun stuff, the living — the stuff that actually matters.

And if you’re gonna live the 9–5 grind, at least enjoy your 2-hour lunch breaks:

Some joy is better than no joy.

Finally, if you’re interested in permanently escaping the 9–5 matrix, and curious about how I coached my brother from £3.20/hour selling lightbulbs at B&Q to a £100k+/year business working 1 day a week, sign up to my free Steroids For Your Brain 🧠 newsletter for the next article in the Why Are You Working So Much? 🥱 series.

We’ll discuss how ridiculously easy it is to make £100+/hour as a freelancer and why passive income is bullsh*t…

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