The 4-Day Work Week For Consultants with Paul Koetke

30 snips

Oct 27, 2025

Paul Koetke, a consultant based in Switzerland, shares his journey to a four-day work week, emphasizing lifestyle first. He discusses overcoming burnout and how this new schedule boosted his focus and creativity. Paul highlights the importance of deep thinking time and setting boundaries with clients, turning productivity challenges into opportunities. He also talks about the trade-offs made for freedom over ego-based growth, transforming his business model to outcome-based pricing, and how living in a different time zone enhances his work-life balance.

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ADVICE

Reserve A Weekly Day For Deep Work

Block one full day each week for rest and deep thinking to preserve focus and creativity.
Use that day for exercise, reflection, or uninterrupted business work to return more productive.

INSIGHT

Constraints Improve Focus And Ideas

Time constraints often increase focus and produce better outcomes than open-ended schedules.
Deep thinking off your desk yields your best ideas, not staring at a computer.

ADVICE

Shorter Meetings Drive Results

Limit meeting durations to force outcomes and reduce wasted time.
Schedule 30 minutes instead of 60 to accomplish the same goals with more focus.

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My guest today is an American running a consulting business from the mountains of Switzerland. He takes every Friday off and skis many mornings in the winter before his clients even log on. This is not an accident; it is by design. I am talking to Paul Koetke, who is a consultant that mastered the art of building a business that serves his life, not the other way around. He consciously chose to sacrifice his ego to gain more freedom.

You are going to want to stick around because we are going to break down the practical decisions that Paul made to put his lifestyle first and how you can do the same without your revenue taking a hit.

Welcome to the Consulting Success podcast. I'm your host Michael Zipursky, and in this podcast, we're going to dive deep into the world of elite consultants where you're going to learn the strategies, tactics and mindset to grow a highly profitable and successful consulting business.

Before we dive into today's episode. Are you ready to grow and take your consulting business to the next level? Many of the clients that we work with started as podcast listeners just like you, and a consistent theme they have shared with us is that they wished they had reached out sooner about our Clarity Coaching Program rather than waiting for that perfect time. If you're interested in learning more about how we help consultants just like you, we're offering a free, no pressure growth session call. On this call, we're going to dive deep into your goals, challenges and situation and outline a plan that is tailor made just for you. We will also help you identify where you may be making costly and time consuming mistakes to ensure you're benefiting from the proven methods and strategies to grow your consulting business.

So don't wait years to find clarity. If you're committed and serious about reaching a new level of success in your consulting business, go ahead and schedule your free growth session. Get in touch today. Just visit Consulting Success - Grow to book your free call today.

As the lead consultant at Koetke Consulting LLC, Paul Koetke is dedicated to building dynamic work processes. His career includes projects in a variety of industries, from construction management to healthcare and retail. Prior to founding his own company, Paul was a Customer Success Manager at Smartsheet, where he operated in a hybrid sales and consulting capacity. Inspired by his passion for helping clients achieve significant business transformations, he established his own consulting practice. Paul earned an MBA from HEC Paris and a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering.

Connect with Paul Koetke: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkoetke/

Discover more about Koetke Consulting LLC: www.koetkeconsulting.com/

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