Hustling is Stupid. Try this instead.

Years ago, I did this crazy thing and started a blog.

At least it seemed crazy at the time.

I had no idea what I was doing. But I was proud of what I was creating. I was proud of the body of work I was starting to build.

But I wasn’t making any money. So I talked with a business coach, and she said excitedly, “You should become a copywriter!”

I said, “What the hell’s a copywriter?”

A Google search, some heavy duty reading, and a few tutorials later, I stuck out my shingle.

Today, I’m the CEO and Creative director of thinkCHARM, a digital marketing agency that provides online business management and marketing services for entrepreneurs around the world, from creatives and coaches to B2B SaaS companies.

Because of these things, you’d think I probably work a lot, right?

There are times I have worked a lot. My old startup job required stupid amounts of hours. There are times that I will put in a full 40 hour work week, and yes, it may surprise you to know that I think a 40 hour work week is a very full, very long week.

Between the high level work I do, I have two small children, and frankly, I value my sanity. 40 hours is too much for most of us. Based on those things, a lot of people have asked me how I’ve created the kind of business I have with the parameters I’ve given, which are very strict because the whole reason I started this business wasn’t just because I was ultimately unsatisfied with college.

The whole reason I even started college was that I didn’t want to be that young mom who never saw her kids, worked constantly, got stuck, and had no options, so there I was. As soon as I realized that college was just prepping me for an unfulfilling, 9-5 job I didn’t want anyway, that was it for me. I had to find a different way to do it.

That was when I started to research what it would take to become a writer and really make a go of this.

It took me 4.5 years to finally come to a point where I could support myself fully. It required a lot of learning, failing. I’ve failed SO. Many. Times. I’ve launched to crickets. I’ve started lots of different businesses. I’ve given them away, sold them, ended them. At this point, I’ve written 7 books.

I do not work 40 hours a week. For the most part, I usually work 20. I spend a ton of time playing with my kids. And I’m focused on creating a business that supports the life I actually want to live. I’m not interested in working all the time like I was before. And the most interesting part of all of this is as soon as I stopped working so much, that was when my income went through the roof.

I started having to take much more calculated action. It required me to have a strategy to move forward in a way that was both intuitive and intelligent. By combining those things, I’ve managed to create a business I’m exceedingly proud of with clients I adore working with. We say no to people all the time. We get to be choosy about where the money is coming from. That still feels unreal. Before, I just had to get money through the door. This year, I’ve told people I wasn’t a good fit for them, I’ve fired clients who treated me and my people like shit, and I have zero regrets.

Before, that would have had me in tears. Now, it’s got me like, “Thank god we dodged THAT bullet.”

Now, I run a company rooted in my values, maintaining a diverse workforce, paying a living wage, ensuring my employees can maintain the work/life balance they desire, helping support their businesses.

What does this all mean for you? I think you can have this, too. I think you can skip the 4.5 year growth curve and I think you can create work that supports your lifestyle and start creating a life that is truly and uniquely yours and work is just a part of that.

I think the corporate and 9-5 lifestyle is ludicrous, total bullshit, and nobody enjoys it. I don’t think we should spend so much time outside our families and communities, I don’t think that we belong in boxes all the time where we’re getting cancer from sitting. I don’t think that we should be eating on the go. I think we should be able to come to the table, enjoy the people we care about, and create the great work we’re here to accomplish.

That’s why I wrote Stop Working So F****** Much.

Stop Working So F****** much is for the entrepreneur ready to take back their time. It’s equal parts lifestyle design and business strategy, automation meets smarter delegation, optimization and maximizing your focus when you have it.

Inside, you’ll learn:

• How to automate the parts of life and business that are a pain in the ass
• Why personality is integral factor in creating your best business and life
• How to delegate, hire, and automate the smart way

My challenge to you is that by the end of this book you’ll be able to do more of the things you want to be doing most. You’ll be able to start building out more of your ideas, turn your business into something you’re proud of, stop working so damn hard, and stop the ridiculous hustling.

Seriously guys. Hustling is stupid. I think it’s something you should only do once in awhile and only when you have to. It’s not sustainable. It’s not a place where we should all be all the time just to get by in an insane environment where it’s just the expectation that you’ll be producing all the time.

You can do better. We can do better.