Productivity coach Greg Newlands shares his daily rhythm: 3-hour work blocks, gym time, and two disciplined 1-hour breaks at 2 pm and 6 pm, all tech-free. He argues that structured rest preserves mental sharpness and improves sleep, letting CEOs sustain high performance without burning out.
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Most hard-charging CEOs never give themselves permission to take breaks. They just keep going and going and going until they go off a cliff and burn out. In this clip from The Startup CEO Show, Greg Newlands, who's a coach to hard-charging entrepreneurs like the CEOs that I coach, talks about the importance of taking strategic breaks. Those small breaks enable you to keep going forever without burning out.
Yeah, a few things that come to mind on this. The first thing that was, or the first thing that came to mind was the fact that it's, I see it, business as a, as a marathon, not a sprint. So, and this is something I'm conscious of all the time myself. So if I'm thinking everything has to be done for tomorrow, then I'm going to work longer and I'm going to put a lot of pressure on myself and lots of, I'm going to sleep less as well. When I realize, okay, if I just take that time for him longer and I still work hard every day and I'm going to get to that goal anyway, then I can just take a little bit more. I can sleep a little bit more and the quality of my life is going to be better as well. And on top of that, I was working a lot. Maybe 2 months ago, I remember going to my girlfriend's after working a really full couple of days. And I was with her and I was so tired and I, I just felt, and she was looking at me almost like, like, come on. And I just felt as a man, I want to be a leader to, to my clients, in my, in my life, to my family, to my partner. And if I'm just only focused on work and I'm so exhausted that I'm useless or just not a leader to those around me, That moment triggered me and I thought, come on, you know, prioritize rest and recovery. So I'm, I am that leader to those people, but at the same time, when I'm rested and recovered, I can perform so much better at work. So I just feel like, yes, I do work till 12 sometimes, but because of the strategies I have in place, I still rest and sleep well. So something that really helps me is I have strategic rests through the day. And this is something I recommend to lots of clients. So I will do a, I'll wake up and I'll do a 3-hour work block in the morning. Then I will go to the gym. So the gym for me is a time where I'm going to train my body, but it's also a breakaway from my computer or my phone from work. Then I will do another work block and I will take another strategic break at 2. 2 PM. Now, there's so many times where I don't want to take that break. I'm, I'm, I'm in, I'm in it. But I realized that if I keep working and I don't take a break, I will then keep working all day and I'm so exhausted by the end of the day. However, if I take that strategic break at 2 PM, then I work again after that and I take another strategic break at 6 PM. I can then keep working till 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 at night. And I feel mentally sharp and energized and unfocused. So the quality of my work is actually better. It's more productive. And then I will sleep well because I'll relax before bed for an hour. Sleep, wake up the next day and I feel great to go again. So I'm able to keep going day after day with energy, with clarity, with focus. And still show up for the people around me, my clients, my partner, in a good way as well. So that's just some insight into what works well for me and what I've recommended to many clients as well.
I love it. Let's, let's go into that strategic break because I think for many folks watching or listening, they're like, oh my God, I can't, I just need to grind. I need to go from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting. Like, how long is your break?
So at 2 PM, 1 hour. 6 PM, 1 hour, that's when I eat. And obviously when I'm in the gym, it's 45-minute workout. By the time I'm there, come home, 1 hour. So key things for me is when I take a strategic break, it's no phone, it's no computer. And like I say, there's times when it's very, very difficult. I have to be very disciplined because I'm wanting to get my phone, send another message, maybe answer a client, maybe a proposal, whatever it is. I have to be very disciplined, but I know the benefit of doing that because I've tested this and I can work, like I say, longer with more focus and more energy. And then also what I do, Mark, is when I'm on that break, I will listen to music, just, just calm music. So you can go on Spotify and write calming music, spa music, yoga music, right? And you know, you're into yoga, so you understand this. So that allows my body to just relax, feel calm, and then I'm ready to go in my next work block. Sometimes I will— that strategic break involves me sitting on a sofa. Sometimes it's going for a walk. It's whatever I feel like I need. I'm very in tune with my body and my mind. Okay, Greg, what do I feel like I need in this moment? Do I just want to sit? Or am I going to eat? Or am I going to go for a walk? And I'll do one of those options with the music at the same time.
Hey, thanks for listening to the Startup CEO Show. If you'd like to connect with me, be sure to visit my website at markmacleod.me or follow me on LinkedIn at The Mark MacLeod or Twitter @MarkMacLeod_. And if you want to tune in again next week, be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you next time.
