The Missing Lesson

If what you are doing is working for you right now, stop here.

You don’t need this.

You are done.

But.

If you are still reading, I think I know why.

And let me be clear, this is not about an economy that was tough, then got REALLY tough.

The current economy is the only one we have; it is out of our power to change.

Option 1: We can wish it was easier.

Option 2: We can wish we were better.

As founders, Option 2 is all we have, and need.

As founders we are not prepared to outsource our destiny to politicians in the hope they may make some smarter decisions. History tells us otherwise. So we always go with Option 2.

The ugly truth of now.

What used to work well is not working like it used to.

Easy has gone away. (For now. It will come back)

The knee-jerk reaction to things getting tougher is to double down on effort.

In short, longer hours.

Now, the interesting thing about the knee-jerk reaction is it happens automatically without the involvement of the brain.

Hmmm.

Likewise, our reaction to tougher times is to work harder, longer hours, more weekends, less holidays.

That is our reflex reaction.

But the brain wasn’t that involved in the decision.

It is our version of kicking the knee in the air when someone taps the tendon just below the knee cap.

Burnout, here I come.

Right now, you are 5 days a week on your business. All in.

Then, for 2 days a week you are focused on family and friends. All in.

THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART.

There are ZERO DAYS for you.

Maybe, if you get lucky, you will have an hour or two in the sunshine.

And, because you are hard-wired to keep learning, you use that time to listen to another podcast.

Read another self-help book.

Do another course.

And so, the wheel turns.

The busy head gets EVEN busier.

Our quest for knowledge is relentless.

And understandable.

It is that knowledge that gives us our edge.

But I was on the same treadmill of busy, when I realised something was missing…

And that something was me.

In between work and home, there was no time for me.

Hmmm.

I was having a rare hour on the deck at home, just for me.

I was listening to yet another podcast.

Then I just had this weird feeling that my head was full.

I couldn’t cram any more knowledge in.

I took my air pods out and stopped the podcast.

That was a turning point.
I realised in that moment I didn’t need more knowledge; I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.
I phoned Mike Coulter.
I told him I thought we should re-think how we work.
He told me that he had quietly begun taking Mondays just for him.
He is always one step ahead.
He made me realise what I was MISSING. And that was the head space to let all my knowledge settle.
So I could have ideas, my best ideas…
THAT WAS IT…
I began taking Thursdays for myself.
And they soon become the day where I was having my best thinking.

Henry Ford pioneered the 5-day week to help workers get more rest and for him to make more cars.

But look around; you and I aren’t making cars.
(Assuming you are not Elon)

You are NOT on a production line.

You are in the knowledge business.

And as a founder, you work in sprints.

You launch.

You rest. (if you are smart)

But the TRUTH is you launch more than you REST.

That is the road to BURNOUT.

Henry Ford designed the 5-day week to stop his workers from going there.

Hmmm.

Our work has changed.

Yet, our way of working has not.

As founders, we make a living in the knowledge economy.

Our brain takes that knowledge we find and provides us with our unique insight on it.

And that is how we stand out.

For the brain to work best, it needs space to make sense of that knowledge.

The irony is we think we need more knowledge to have better ideas.

This is why we keep filling the ‘Busy Head’ with more alpha, just like I was doing when resting on the deck.

The opposite is what works best…

At home, I had been weeding a pond and it had gotten muddied in the process.

I then tried to take more weeds out to make it clear again, which made it even muddier.

Then it struck me… I was doing the same thing by cramming more knowledge into my already ‘Busy Head’, which was like adding more mud to the pond.

To get the pond clearer I had to do something most founders struggle with: NOTHING.

All I had to do was NOTHING.

When I simply gave the pond time and walked away, it became clear.

If I wanted to have the best ideas of my life, I had to give my head a day of nothing.

I had to let all that knowledge settle.

I had to replace the ‘Busy Head’ with the ‘Thinking Head.’

I had finally realised clear thinker’s win.

Clear thinkers make connections that ‘BUSY HEADS’ can’t even see.

I realised this was the MISSING LESSON that Mike and I had been on a quest for. And it was the missing piece in all the courses we had ever done. It was the final piece of the jigsaw.

I was having a rare hour on the deck at home, just for me.

I was listening to yet another podcast.

Then I just had this weird feeling that my head was full.

I couldn’t cram any more knowledge in.

I took my air pods out and stopped the podcast.

Henry Ford pioneered the 5-day week to help workers get more rest and for him to make more cars.

But look around; you and I aren’t making cars.
(Assuming you are not Elon)

You are NOT on a production line.

You are in the knowledge business.

And as a founder, you work in sprints.

You launch.

You rest. (if you are smart)

But the TRUTH is you launch more than you REST.

That is the road to BURNOUT.

Henry Ford designed the 5-day week to stop his workers from going there.

Hmmm.

Our work has changed.

Yet, our way of working has not.

As founders, we make a living in the knowledge economy.

Our brain takes that knowledge we find and provides us with our unique insight on it.

And that is how we stand out.

For the brain to work best, it needs space to make sense of that knowledge.

The irony is we think we need more knowledge to have better ideas.

This is why we keep filling the ‘Busy Head’ with more alpha, just like I was doing when resting on the deck.

The opposite is what works best…

At home, I had been weeding a pond and it had gotten muddied in the process.

I then tried to take more weeds out to make it clear again, which made it even muddier.

Then it struck me… I was doing the same thing by cramming more knowledge into my already ‘Busy Head’, which was like adding more mud to the pond.

To get the pond clearer I had to do something most founders struggle with: NOTHING.

All I had to do was NOTHING.

When I simply gave the pond time and walked away, it became clear.

If I wanted to have the best ideas of my life, I had to give my head a day of nothing.

I had to let all that knowledge settle.

I had to replace the ‘Busy Head’ with the ‘Thinking Head.’

I had finally realised clear thinker’s win.

Clear thinkers make connections that ‘BUSY HEADS’ can’t even see.

I realised this was the MISSING LESSON that Mike and I had been on a quest for. And it was the missing piece in all the courses we had ever done. It was the final piece of the jigsaw.

This is you rethinking your week.

You have ONE DAY for YOU.

The week becomes: ‘Four. One. Two.’

Four for business. One for you. Two for family.

That is 52 days a year for you.

Which is a lot more than zero.

That is a lot of head space to have your best ideas.

Sorry, Henry Ford.

The 5-day a week will only lead you to BURNOUT.

And, importantly, it means you can’t create any HEAD SPACE for you to have your best ideas.

Your best ideas are needed now. Tough economies require your best.

You have to OUT-THINK your competition.

Not OUT-WORK them.

Remember this.

Every bone in your body will tell you to keep doing the 5-day a week grind.

Especially now.

That resistance is what you will have to defeat.

Don’t worry.

We have science and studies to back this up.

This is for the logical side of the brain which is currently in panic mode.

Who said it was going to be easy?

Even for someone who loves learning as much as me, I had to accept that I didn’t need more knowledge.

WHAT I NEEDED WAS MORE CLARITY ON THE KNOWLEDGE I ALREADY HAD.

I had to give my head space.

Creativity works by connecting unrelated dots together.

But a ‘Busy Head’ can’t connect those dots. It doesn’t even know they are there.

So, the leaps of imagination are not jumped, so our best ideas are not had.

The ‘Busy Head’ was going to stop my business from thriving.

I had to get off the treadmill of my own making…

Bolt. Out. Of. The. Blue.

I put it down to beginner’s luck.

Then the same thing happened the next Thursday.

And the next.

The ideas kept coming.

It was either pure luck, or there was something to this.

But that wasn’t even the best bit.

Thursday became my day.

My safe harbour.

I felt like a weight lifted.

I had not had such clear thinking in years about my business.

I felt like I was winning again.

And the ideas just kept coming.

MY THURSDAY MEETING WAS NOW NOT CANCELLABLE.

Even, in a short few months, it had become my most important practice.

Don’t get me wrong.

Busy is a tough, sly and cunning opponent.

And it will try and guilt you into stopping this.

Don’t give in.

Have one day for you.

Your business needs you to be at your best.

Not your most tired and stressed.

This is the battle we must win.

Like I said, in tough economies, the automatic reaction is to work longer, work harder.

It is understandable.

And we have all done it.

But in these times, clear thinkers win.

Because great ideas have a bigger impact on your business than how long you can work.

You have enough knowledge.

Decades of non-stop learning.

You need some head space to make sense of it.

Clear thinkers win.

EMBRACE THE COUNTER-INTUITIVE.

Having a day ‘for you’ will feel very odd at first.

You may feel lazy.

You will feel guilty.

You would rather stick to the treadmill of the 5-day week.

Because BUSY is tough opponent.

But, know this, busy is a form of laziness.

This is the battle we must win.

Like I said, in tough economies, the automatic reaction is to work longer, work harder.

It is understandable.

And we have all done it.

But in these times, clear thinkers win.

Because great ideas have a bigger impact on your business than how long you can work.

You have enough knowledge.

Decades of non-stop learning.

You need some head space to make sense of it.

Clear thinkers win.

EMBRACE THE COUNTER-INTUITIVE.

Having a day ‘for you’ will feel very odd at first.

You may feel lazy.

You will feel guilty.

You would rather stick to the treadmill of the 5-day week.

Because BUSY is tough opponent.

But, know this, busy is a form of laziness.

How to RETHINK your working week so that you win, and your business wins.
How to tame the ‘Busy Head’ and replace it with the ‘Thinking Head.’
How to design your 4-day week. (Not someone else’s.). And stick to it.
How to ‘Incubate' your best ideas by walking away.
Learn the Myth of the 8-hour day and why that will help you to not work longer.
Why counter-intuitive ideas work. For example: working less can produce more.
Why well-being won’t wait. And yes, you can grow your business without burnout.
Aren’t you tired of being tired? How to learn to rest, so the energy and fun come back again.

The ‘Missing Lesson’ is a new way of working.

So you can grow your business without burnout.

In a few moments, it will all be yours.

Lifetime Guarantee.

How to RETHINK your working week so that you win, and your business wins.
How to tame the ‘Busy Head’ and replace it with the ‘Thinking Head.’
How to design your 4-day week. (Not someone else’s.). And stick to it.
How to ‘Incubate' your best ideas by walking away.
Learn the Myth of the 8-hour day and why that will help you to not work longer.
Why counter-intuitive ideas work. For example: working less can produce more.
Why well-being won’t wait. And yes, you can grow your business without burnout.
Aren’t you tired of being tired? How to learn to rest, so the energy and fun come back again.

The ‘Missing Lesson’ is a new way of working.

So you can grow your business without burnout.

In a few moments, it will all be yours.

Lifetime Guarantee.

David Hieatt. Bankrupt at 16. Thrown out of college at 18. Joined Saatchi and Saatchi at 21. Had a ball. Left advertising to go back to Wales. Started howies in 1995. Sold it to Timberland. Left. Started The DO Lectures, which was voted one of the top 10 ideas festivals in the world by the Guardian. And in 2012 started a company making jeans called The Hiut Denim Co. in his hometown of Cardigan. A town that used to have Britain’s biggest jeans factory. Its purpose is to get 400 people their jobs back. As of today, it now employs 27 people.

Mike Coulter. After an award-winning career as an advertising copywriter, Mike Coulter was an early, very early, adopter and advocate of social media. (He was the 11,700th person to spot the potential of and sign up for Twitter in 2006.) In 2016, at the start of a long and fruitful association with The Do; Mike worked on the hugely influential ‘Side Projects Report with us, which was the catalyst and inspiration for him to train and qualify as an enthusiastic evangelist, ambassador and coach for Stanford University Professor BJ Fogg’s ground-breaking Tiny Habits method of behaviour change. In 2019 Mike went to California to do further training with Professor Fogg in ‘Behaviour Design’. Skills and insights he also generously shares with our community and courses on a regular basis.

This shouldn't work. But does.

The surprising way to grow your business without burnout.

This shouldn't work. But does.

The surprising way to grow your business without burnout.

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge;
I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

And, so had Mike.

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge;
I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

And, so had Mike.

‘Be the master of Dopamine. Or the slave to your distractions.’

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser."
— Robert Brault

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser."
— Robert Brault

You can’t put a price on the value that DO brings you. It’s exceptional.

You can’t put a price on the value that DO brings you. It’s exceptional.

When will I have access to the course?

How does this differ from your other courses?

This course is very different from every other one we have done because it deals with time away from work, but that said, it is the missing lesson from all our courses. It exists to help you to develop a clear thinking practice.

How long do I have to complete this course?

It's yours for life!

What if I purchase and don’t see the value?

I have a team and I’d like them to do the course. Do you do group discounts?

Are there any prerequisites for this course?

Only an open mind.

SALES CLOSED

This shouldn't work. But does.

The surprising way to grow your business without burnout.

This shouldn't work. But does.

The surprising way to grow your business without burnout.

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge; I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

And, so had Mike.

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge; I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

And, so had Mike.

‘Be the master of Dopamine. Or the slave to your distractions.’

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser." — Robert Brault

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser." — Robert Brault

You can’t put a price on the value that DO brings you. It’s exceptional.

You can’t put a price on the value that DO brings you. It’s exceptional.

When will I have access to the course?

How does this differ from your other courses?

This course is very different from every other one we have done because it deals with time away from work, but that said, it is the missing lesson from all our courses. It exists to help you to develop a clear thinking practice.

How long do I have to complete this course?

It's yours for life!

What if I purchase and don’t see the value?

I have a team and I’d like them to do the course. Do you do group discounts?

Are there any prerequisites for this course?

Only an open mind.

SALES CLOSED

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge;
I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

I realised I didn’t need more knowledge;
I needed more clarity on the knowledge I ALREADY had.

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser."
— Robert Brault

‘We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser."
— Robert Brault