In this solo talk, George Kao challenges the common solopreneur mantra of "go with the flow" by revealing its Taoist roots, which actually emphasize disciplined alignment with nature’s reliable rhythms. He shares his personal productivity system built on regular, intentional rest: 30‑second micro‑breaks every 10–15 minutes (energy reboots), a two‑hour midday pause for nap, lunch, and exercise, and a monthly week‑long retreat free of meetings and content creation to foster long‑term thinking. Kao argues that sustainable, joyful creativity over decades depends not on relentless pushing but on purposeful pausing, likening disciplined rest to a field that must lie fallow before yielding a bountiful crop. He invites listeners to adopt a softly, lovingly disciplined approach to work and rest, mirroring nature’s dependable cycles.
Chapters
A lot of solopreneurs tell me, George, I just want to go with the flow. Usually what they mean is they don't want to have a schedule. They want to just work when they feel like it and rest when they feel like it. But what most people don't realize is that the idea of go with the flow comes from Taoism. And Taoism is actually deeply disciplined. It looks to Mother Nature as the ultimate mentor. And if we look at nature, it is not chaotic. The sun doesn't wake up and say, I don't feel like rising today. And gravity doesn't say, hmm, I don't feel like working today. And aren't we all glad? Because we all depend on nature's perfectly reliable rhythms. For years I struggled with productivity because I was always waiting for the feeling or the inspiration to strike. But over time, I realized that true joyful productivity means aligning with a reliable rhythm. So I've trained myself to work on a regular rhythm. And yet, and this is the part that most people miss, I also rest on a regular rhythm even when I am not yet tired. For example, every 10 to 15 minutes during my workday, I take a micro break of 30 seconds. This is when I put my hands down from the keyboard, take a few deep breaths, and then I do a quick energy reboot. You can google energy reboot to find my article and video about that. Basically, it takes 30 seconds to reset my system so that I'm ready to work with more purpose and joyful productivity again. Also, in the middle of my workday, I take a two hour break for a nap, lunch, some exercise, and then once a month I take a full week off of meetings and creating content where I have a lot more spaciousness and time to also dream and think longer term thoughts. Are these breaks because I'm lazy? Well, I'll let you decide. But for me, it's because I want to stay joyfully productive for at least another 20 years. Because I believe that sustainable creativity isn't based on how hard we can push, it's based on how well we can pause. So I encourage you to align your work and your rest with rhythm. Be softly and lovingly disciplined, just like nature is, including with rest. Because a field that has rested is the only one that can give you a bountiful crop.
