Not Today

“How do you keep going when life throws its toughest challenges at you? By learning the art of extreme productivity – a skill anyone can master.”

1. Time is more than hours on a clock.

The authors introduce a transformative way to look at time by categorizing it into four kinds: Treasured, Investment, Mandatory, and Empty (TIME). This framework lets you assign meaningful labels to your activities, making it easier to prioritize your day. Treasured time refers to moments that hold personal value and should be protected – time spent with loved ones or enjoying hobbies. Investment time, on the other hand, focuses on activities yielding long-term returns, like learning skills or brainstorming strategies. Mandatory time consists of chores or obligations, while empty time represents wasted moments spent on distractions.

Mike and Erica applied this framework during their son Ari’s hospital stays. While Ari was in care, they carved out treasured time watching hockey or playing with him despite their packed schedules. For investment time, they worked tirelessly on expanding their business while outsourcing some mandatory activities to avoid burnout.

Categorizing your daily life into TIME allows for creating purposeful schedules. It ensures the essentials, like personal moments and passion projects, are prioritized. Empty time, such as endless scrolling on social media, can be minimized once clearly defined. The Schultz family didn’t just survive their hectic circumstances; they managed to turn their TIME into a tool for thriving.

Examples

• Treasured time: Watching hockey games with Ari or enjoying a family jujitsu class.
• Investment time: Writing four books and growing their business internationally.
• Empty time: Avoiding distractions, like surfing the web, to focus on bigger goals.

2. Drive begins with your "why."

Mike and Erica recognized early that motivation starts with a deep connection to your purpose. They call this "recruiting your drive," which they practiced every day. When fundraising for a charity to support other struggling families, their motivations went beyond logistical goals. Their "why" was clear: helping others in need. This sense of purpose carried them through overwhelming times, including Ari’s need for a heart transplant.

Purposeful drive transforms work from a mundane chore into something rewarding and meaningful. Writing down your goals is a key strategy: when you articulate what you aim to achieve and why it matters, you create clarity. From there, an actionable plan mapped out in step-by-step goals ensures steady progress.

For every major project, connecting to a "why" can help overcome setbacks. Mike and Erica’s charity fundraiser could have been canceled due to their challenges, but their commitment to a greater purpose – helping other families like theirs – gave them the strength to continue. Understanding your own “why” can have similar transformative effects.

Examples

• Fundraising for their charity to support families in medical crises.
• Writing down clear quarterly, monthly, and daily goals to stay focused.
• Translating their “why” into small achievable milestones for their team.

3. Prioritizing beats multitasking.

During Ari’s hospital stays, one challenge Mike and Erica faced daily was managing limited time while balancing immense responsibility. Their solution was simple but impactful: focus on the most meaningful task first and tackle it head-on. They refer to this as prioritizing your Greatest Impact Activity (GIA) – the one thing that makes the biggest difference in your day.

To maximize productivity, it’s wise to work on your GIA when you’re most alert, such as early in the morning. Eliminating distractions is another must. Mike recalls struggling to focus on his GIA due to countless work interruptions. He used strategies like muting unnecessary notifications to concentrate better.

Focusing on one essential task ensures a more streamlined and effective day. While multitasking may feel productive, it often fails to deliver quality results. The Schultz family demonstrates how organizing your day around GIAs not only helps professional achievements but also leaves room for treasured time with loved ones.

Examples

• Choosing one high-impact work task to start the day with momentum.
• Reprioritizing Ari’s morning routine to improve his energy and mood.
• Turning off phone notifications to fully commit to important tasks.

4. Better habits lead to better days.

Habits define how your days flow and how productive you can be. Mike and Erica talk about the importance of replacing unproductive routines with actions that serve your goals. Reengineering these habits can be as simple as changing immediate responses or reshaping your environment.

For instance, when they noticed Ari spending hours on an iPad each morning, they shifted him into a habit of walking around the hospital to greet others. This small change not only boosted his daily outlook but also gave the family a more positive start to their day. Similarly, Mike turned the habit of reaching for his phone every time it buzzed into an opportunity to practice mindfulness by simply pausing before reacting.

Creating small, positive habits can snowball into productive behaviors. Assess your surroundings, identify common distractions, and make them harder to access. Many bad habits are automatic, so they can be tackled with equally automatic replacements.

Examples

• Updating Ari’s hospital routine to include morning walks and greetings.
• Switching off unnecessary phone notifications to control distractions.
• Focusing on environmental adjustments, like working in quieter spaces.

5. Say no—with confidence.

One of the biggest barriers to productivity is overcommitment. The ability to say no – a skill the authors emphasize – is crucial to maintaining focus on meaningful tasks. When your TIME is clearly defined, it becomes easier to push back against activities that don’t align with treasured or investment time.

Erica and Mike practiced this during the most chaotic periods of Ari’s treatments. With endless demands on their schedule, they had to make tough calls about where their energy should go. Declining unnecessary obligations wasn’t easy, but it gave them the bandwidth to focus on their priorities.

Say no confidently when requests don’t align with targets or values. Whether it’s resisting volunteering for non-essential tasks or sticking to personal boundaries, this habit protects your focus for what matters most.

Examples

• Refusing tasks that don’t match long-term priorities.
• Politely declining extra obligations like bake sales or non-critical requests.
• Setting clear boundaries for work and personal life commitments.

6. Periods of deep focus are game-changers.

It’s easy to fritter away minutes checking emails, bouncing between tasks, or succumbing to distractions. Mike introduced the concept of “sprints,” focused blocks of work time lasting 20-90 minutes. By eliminating interruptions during this period – no emails, no social media – he multiplied his productivity.

After one sprint, take a short break, then dive into another. This relay approach keeps energy up while ensuring each work session remains high quality. Mike and Erica learned to make hospital waiting room work productive by applying this concept repeatedly.

Deep-focus blocks can be scheduled into anyone’s day. With practice, sustained attention becomes second nature, leading to faster and more effective results, regardless of where you work.

Examples

• Structuring work with four sprints in a day, separated by breaks.
• Turning off phone access entirely during these focused bursts.
• Using hospital downtime as a space for writing and business planning.

7. Energy comes from balance in mind, body, and spirit.

Sustaining productive habits requires more than discipline; it demands energy. Mike and Erica credit their ability to stay energized to a balance between nurturing their minds, bodies, and spirits. For the mind, straightforward decisions like consistent breakfast choices conserved mental capacity.

On the physical side, exercise and good sleep played a major role. Mike’s commitment to improving his fitness after Ari’s passing helped him lose weight, bolster his energy, and build momentum. As for the spirit, meaningful work and cherished relationships fueled their motivation to keep moving forward.

Without recharging all three domains, long-term productivity begins to falter. Prioritize these essentials, even when life feels overwhelming.

Examples

• Developing simple daily routines to reserve mental energy.
• Incorporating exercise and healthy meals for stamina.
• Finding joy in treasured moments with family to revitalize the spirit.

8. A positive attitude is always a choice.

The Schultz family faced unthinkable challenges, including Ari’s passing. They could have let their grief consume them, but instead, they chose a hopeful path forward. This wasn’t about ignoring pain but about actively working to find joy and purpose again.

One idea they explore is using “free won’t” rather than free will. This means stopping yourself from harmful habits – overeating, drinking, or wallowing in negativity – and replacing them with healthier choices. In Mike’s case, focusing on fitness helped him recover physically and emotionally.

No matter how hard things get, small positive actions can lead to recovery. Choosing hope over despair doesn’t diminish struggles but reminds us that healing is possible.

Examples

• Using free won’t to stop drinking excessively and regain control.
• Focusing on physical health to aid emotional recovery.
• Setting micro-goals as stepping stones back into productivity.

9. Micro changes make a big difference.

Extreme productivity doesn’t require huge immediate actions. Instead, Mike and Erica emphasize small, incremental changes. Whether through shifting routines, committing to one new habit, or tackling small chunks of big goals, micro changes make long-term achievements possible.

For the authors, small changes often involved practical steps. Signing up for a fitness class created accountability. Writing down clear objectives turned vague ambitions into achievable goals.

Transforming your life starts with manageable adjustments. Micro goals build momentum while reducing overwhelm, making even overwhelming situations feel within reach.

Examples

• Starting small exercise routines, such as a 15-minute walk.
• Setting singular, daily writing goals to build their books.
• Using signed commitments to stay accountable for self-improvement.

Takeaways

1. Categorize your day into Treasured, Investment, Mandatory, and Empty time; focus on maximizing treasured and investment activities.
2. Break large life goals into small, actionable daily or weekly steps. Write these steps down.
3. Use focused sprints of 20-90 minutes to work without distraction, then take short breaks to reset your energy and attention.