Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself

by Mike Michalowicz

she sent me for a walk on the beach—without my phone. As I looked at the beachfront houses, I thought, “The people who vacation at those mega-mansions have it all figured out.” They had financial freedom. They could take vacations and not worry about work. They could enjoy themselves and come back to a business ticking along, still growing, still making money. That’s what I wanted.

But as I looked closer, I saw person after person sitting on their decks frantically plugging away on their laptops. I even saw people on the beach, with laptops perched precariously on their knees, scared of sand getting in the keyboard while they tried to shield their screens from the glare of the sun. The people I assumed had it all together weren’t any different from me. They were all working on vacation. What the f?

thought the cure for my workaholicism was better productivity.

If I could just do more, faster, I could find more time for my family, for my health, for fun, and to get back to doing the work I really loved. The work that fed my soul.

I was ...

In an effort to be more productive, I tried it all: Focus apps, the Pomodoro method, working in blocks. Starting my day at four a.m. Ending my day at four a.m. Lists on yellow notepads. Lists on my ...