Hard work is about to look very different
Why staring at your inbox ain't all it's cracked up to be
👋Hello, my friend. Thinking a lot these days about how to prioritize my time — and how to focus on what really matters. Sharing a few ideas on the subject with you today. Hope you enjoy!
Strategic laziness
There’s an idea I’ve been thinking about lately.
I’ve been calling it strategic laziness, though I’m still not sure if that’s the right name. It’s not really laziness per se — it’s more about strategically ignoring things that don’t matter so you can focus on what does.
And it’s probably the biggest shift I’ve made in how I think about work.
80% on What Matters
Recently, I sat down with my team and we asked a simple but important question:
What are the projects that will actually move the needle for the remainder of the year?
We came up with a short list. And we agreed to spend 80% of our time on those few things — and only 20% on everything else.
This sounds easy in theory. In practice? It means saying no — a lot. It means disappointing people. It means choosing not to chase every small request or “nice to have.”
But I’ve learned the hard way: we can either work on a few high-impact things — or drown in dozens of small ones — and make almost no tangible impact on the business.
One lens I like to put this through:
At the end of the year, what will the CEO of the company know that you did?
If the answer is “nothing,” then you probably played email defense all year as opposed to accomplishing anything truly impactful. Not ideal, in my humble opinion.
The End of Inbox-as-Work
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about more and more:
Sitting and grinding away at your Microsoft Outlook inbox is about to feel like a very outdated version of “hard work.”
If it doesn’t already.
There’s a lot of cultural momentum behind this idea that work = sitting at a desk, answering emails, typing into spreadsheets.
But that’s factory-era thinking. And it doesn’t match the kind of value we’re being asked to deliver now — or in the future.
The best ideas don’t usually show up in front of a screen. For me, they show up:
When I’m out for a walk (often at 6:30 am with my dog and rucksack.. which seems to be getting more culturally acceptable 😂)
Driving and dictating into my phone — ChatGPT & Google Gemini are becoming my BFFs
Talking something through with a colleague — I haven’t gone full robot-only mode yet
Letting my brain breathe — maybe listening to music when I’m on a treadmill — instead of filling every spare moment with podcasts, social media, or emails
None of those may look like work in the way that our culture currently visualizes the term.
But in terms of impact? They are often 10x more valuable.
I’m legit seeing this daily at the moment. The time I spend doing the things above is where I am doing my best work now — without a doubt.
Movement = Mindspace
Side note, but one thing I’ve realized: if I go a whole day without moving my body, I 100% do worse work.
My brain feels stuck in a fog. I can feel it in meetings. I can feel it in my writing. I’m just… slower.
But if I take 30 minutes to go lift, or run, or walk — it’s like hitting reset. I come back sharper, more focused, more creative. For me, movement isn’t a break from work — it’s a crucial part of doing high-value work.
Delegation + AI = Leverage
There’s also this idea I’m still thinking about:
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
We all have this tendency to hang onto tasks — especially the ones we’ve done before or feel good at. But if it’s not the highest use of your time, it’s probably slowing you down.
I’ve been experimenting more with delegation — not just to people, but to AI. Tools that help with research, summarizing, or just helping me process my own thinking.
It’s not about doing less. It’s about getting the low-leverage stuff off your plate so you can go deeper on the things that actually matter.
What If the Office Didn’t Look Like That?
Imagine this:
Not rows of desks. Not a sea of Outlook tabs and Teams calls.
Instead:
Small groups of people talking through real problems — legit using their brains, challenging each other, building upon one another’s ideas
AI tools handling the admin — summaries, emails, follow-ups, scheduling
Your job? Listening. Asking good questions. Coming up with creative ideas. Making challenging decisions that often rely more on values than technical skills.
To me, that’s what white-collar work is going to look like.
Not constant motion, not endless input. Not email ping pong or “grinding away” at your desk.
But periods of deep focus, punctuated by useful interactions, followed by rest and reset.
Like a lion: full-on intensity when it’s time to hunt — and calm when it’s not.
Find Your Leverage
One of the most useful career filters I’ve found:
What are the very few things that I’m truly great at?
The stuff where I’m not just decent — but differentiated. For me, that’s often:
Storytelling and content creation
Synthesizing complex ideas into simple terms
Finding connections and creative ways to approach projects
Helping others to see the vision and then inspire/collaborate/delegate to make it happen
If I can structure my time around that? I’m playing offense.
If I’m digging out of endless emails or stuck deep in budget spreadsheets, I’m playing defense. And someone else is almost certainly better at those things anyway.
This isn’t about ego. It’s about being honest — about what you’re good at, and what you’re terrible at, and then trying to structure a day, a week, a career to best reflect this.
Trying to optimize for impact, not speed of email responses.
Final Thought
This isn’t black and white. It’s not realisitic in most organizations (if you wish to retain your job) to say “Sorry, I don’t DO email.”
But look around and see who’s grinding emails and who gives you a one-word response five hours or two days later.
What I notice is that the people doing the most impactful work aren’t necessarily the best at responding to messages or even the busiest.
But they are the clearest on what matters.
They know what to say yes to. And maybe more importantly, what to say no to. They protect their time. They delegate ruthlessly. And they create space to think.
So yeah, maybe it looks a little lazy. But if it leads to more insight, better ideas, and higher quality work?
Then maybe that’s the kind of “laziness” we should all be aiming for.
That’s it for this week, but before you go…
→ Go deeper: Here's how I plan my weeks to stay focused on high-impact work:
📌 My Sunday Planning Session
Content Diet
Podcast: Andrew Huberman x Alan Aragon — This episode is worth a listen for anyone focused on improving body composition. Huberman and Alan Aragon cover optimal protein intake (~0.7–1g per pound of body weight), the importance of total daily intake over timing, and how protein supports muscle growth, satiety, and metabolism. Aragon also shares his core supplement stack: multivitamin, vitamin D, creatine, fish oil, and collagen for joint and connective tissue health.
Book: In the Kingdom of Ice — Hampton Sides
I’ve already recommended this book here, but I’m doing it again because I recently finished it and my head is still spinning. If you liked Endurance or In the Heart of the Sea, you’ll love this. The story of the USS Jeannette’s epic 1879 voyage to try to get to the North Pole. Insane true story. It captivated the world in the late 1800’s. I won’t tell you more because I don’t want to ruin it. I’ve been bingeing all of Sides’s books. They are so good.
That’s it for today — have a great week!
Greg