The hustle trap and busy survival

You think 2025 flew by?

I get it. My whole family said the same thing at Thanksgiving. Everyone was busy, busy, busy all year. But when I asked what they actually accomplished, it was maybe one or two big things.

That's the hustle trap.

I spent this past year doing the opposite. I dropped almost everything that wasn't serving me. I focused on deep work in my passion zones. And you know what happened? The year felt like five years. Not because it dragged, but because I was actually present.

Time slows down when you stop buzzing and start being there.

Want to manufacture more time for yourself? I'll show you how.

Featured Story

Thanksgiving was chaotic this year.

My wife calls it that. The family's getting bigger and crazier. Kids tearing up the house. Adults drinking far better wine than ever before. It was so damn fun.

But I kept hearing the same thing as I spun around talking to people: "This year went so fast."

Then they'd follow up with, "Next year I need to get control of my time."

My family doesn't listen to my advice. They know I do the podcast and coach people, but I'm just Scott to them. They're not taking any advice from me whatsoever.

But I couldn't help noticing they were all caught in the same trap I used to be in. Moving fast all year, thinking they're crushing it, but only accomplishing one or two real things. My son-in-law's big achievement? Buying a pool. He forgot to mention they had a baby.

That's when it hit me why my year felt so long compared to theirs.

Important Points

When you're crazy busy with shallow work, time flies by and you accomplish almost nothing. Most people look back and realize their hectic schedule only produced one or two meaningful experiences. That's not living, that's surviving.

Deep work in your passion zones actually slows down time and creates richer experiences. I stopped stoking the busyness. I dropped what wasn't serving me. I focused on what fires me up. This past year felt like five years because I was fully present.

The secret isn't managing your craziness—it's stopping it entirely and holding your space. You don't need better time management. You need to let go of what everybody says you "must" do and protect the space you create for yourself.

Memorable Quotes

"Stand up, take a step, repeat. It is the world's simplest success recipe."

"You're not going to manage your craziness. You stop doing it."

"When you slow down and go deep, when you let the buzz just buzz around you and you start paying attention to what's truly important and experiential in your life, time slows down."

Scott's Three-Step Approach

Identify and drop what's not serving you, even if everyone says it's a must. Look at your life right now. What could you drop? Not drop and run, but responsibly let go or creatively wiggle your way out. Stop stoking the busyness.

Hold your space and don't give it back to anyone or anything. Use the Perfect Week Planner to claim your time. Once you get control of your space, it's yours. Nobody else gets it. This is how you manufacture more time for yourself.

Focus on deep work in your passion zones and stay present in experiences. Identify what fires you up. Spend more time there. Let the buzz buzz around you while you go deep in what matters. That's how time slows down.

Chapter Notes

00:03 - Stand up, take a step, repeat: simplest success recipe

01:49 - Thanksgiving chaos: why everyone's year went so fast

04:37 - The big shift: I stopped doing almost everything

04:53 - Letting go of what doesn't serve you responsibly

05:46 - Getting bored and staying resolute in your space

06:22 - Deep work slows time: the passion zones approach

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