Million Dollar Days
Welcome to Million Dollar Days with Robby Choucair & George Passas. Your go-to podcast for a deep dive into the world of Life and Business Mastery.
Join hosts Robby Choucair and George Passas, a dynamic marketer and a seasoned Entrepreneur, as they navigate through an array of intriguing topics ranging from the everyday to the extraordinary.
Robby brings his marketing expertise to the table, offering insights into the latest strategies and trends. George, with his extensive experience in business, provides a grounded, practical perspective. Together, they explore everything from the feasibility of alien existence to effective goal setting, and even the nuances of religion.
Million Dollar Days is not just about business acumen; it's an exploration of life's many facets, wrapped up in conversations that are as enlightening as they are entertaining.
Tune in and be part of our journey, where every day is a million-dollar day, filled with learning, laughter, and the pursuit of mastery.
Million Dollar Days
Unpacking Life's Lessons at 40
Balancing ambition with family life is a challenge many face, especially as we reach midlife. In this episode, Robby and George tackle the complexities of striving for success while ensuring that we don't lose sight of what truly matters—our families. They discuss the sacrifices that often come with ambition and the importance of being present for our loved ones, even when the demands of work are high.
Facing challenges head-on, from financial pressures to the COVID-19 pandemic, this episode is a masterclass in resilience and smart business strategy. We explore how they managed to protect their company and team during tough times, underscoring the value of financial oversight and strategic delegation. From nurturing young talent to ensuring a robust company culture with toolbox meetings and barbecues, their story is a blueprint for sustainable growth and team cohesion.
Ultimately, this episode offers practical advice on maintaining productivity without compromising your well-being. We share strategies for staying motivated and achieving your goals while keeping burnout at bay. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a corporate professional, or simply someone trying to juggle multiple responsibilities, this episode provides valuable insights into how to work smarter, not harder.
Hey, I'm 40 years old.
Speaker 2:Happy birthday. Thanks bro, Thanks. How do you feel 40.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel weird. I feel young as fuck. I don't actually feel old, the mind is not old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but when your feelings change anyway, your feelings change over a period of time. Yeah, you would feel different to how you felt when you were 30.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you, you talking mentally or physically.
Speaker 2:Both.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually feel quite good physically. I think I feel really strong lately because I've been training for a while. Mentally, I'm definitely more mature. I feel, though, I'm just getting started too. What do you mean From the perspective of you know? 40 years Like this is what this blows my. This was actually blowing my mind. The other day Took the dog for a walk and I'm like fuck, 40 years. 40 years have gone by in my life like that. Yeah, Gone.
Speaker 2:It's taken ages.
Speaker 1:It has, but it's. I've blinked and it's over, dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's gone. See, you can't get it back.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to get it back ever again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how old are you? Me yeah 33.
Speaker 1:Okay, 33 years have gone. If I said to you wait 33 years in this room, that's a long fucking time, it's a billion seconds. It's a long time, man, billion seconds. See what you did there. I like it. I like it.
Speaker 2:And for those of you that haven't been to a Builders Summit yet, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? What are you waiting for? This might air after the summit, by the way. Oh, will it? I don't know.
Speaker 1:Well, for those of you that attended, sure it's changed your life, yeah, but that little reference to a billion seconds in 33 years. You would know exactly what we're talking about had you attended one of the events. So if you haven't attended an event, get to an event. Just follow us on one of our pages. You'll see the details there. I'm not going to get into it now, but coming back to what I was talking about, like 33 years long time, 40 years, it's a long time, but it's like a blink and it's over. It made me question my mortality a little bit whilst I was walking, because I'm like, whilst you were walking, walking, yeah, the other night, I often think about shit when I'm on my own. The other day I was driving it would be weird if you didn't, no, but I'd go deep. It's not like I'm thinking about yeah, it's not like I'm thinking about. What's my favorite chocolate bar? I'm thinking deep shit. What is your favorite chocolate bar? I like plain chocolate, just like dairy milk yeah, dairy.
Speaker 2:Tell me what's your favorite. Oh, I like Kit Kats too. Oh, kit Kats are sick. Kit Kats top three.
Speaker 1:Oh, look, if we're going all like Tim Tams. That's sick Shit.
Speaker 2:Kit Kats and Tim Tams both belong in the fridge.
Speaker 1:I concur. I concur. So back to what I was saying. I was driving home from the Peninsula last weekend.
Speaker 2:That's not what he was saying. He said you were walking the dog.
Speaker 1:I was walking Whilst I was walking the dog, I was also driving the dog. We were talking about going deep, and then it went to going deep somewhere else. Okay, I was driving home. And I was also thinking like, okay, I'm driving home, it was an hour's drive, I was on my own. What if a car drove into me, like on the opposite direction? They fell asleep at the wheel, drove into me and I died right there and then it's done.
Speaker 1:But the question I was actually asking myself what would I regret? What would I regret If I had you know, it's like let's pretend time slowed down for that one second before I died and I was able to step up above my body, look at my life, and there was an angel there or whoever's there and says listen, george, you got one last gift before you pass away, just going to show you your life. See, every, all the great parts. Like, what would I regret not doing in that moment? And it made me think like I should, I should do those things I regret. Why am I regretting it? Get into it, like is it I couldn't pick it right there in that moment? Like if there was something I actually regret? But it did make me just think about it. Like what are the things that I want to be doing right now? What's stopping me from doing those things? Is there anything that's stopping me? Am I working towards them? Am I happy about them? What things?
Speaker 1:It always came down to life, things like spending more time with the kids or with my wife, or going on a holiday, whatever it was. Am I spending too much time at work? Am I not spending enough time at work? Have I not got the Ferrari yet? Have I not got the super yacht yet? Like, what are these things? What are what am I? What do I need to be doing? Yeah, cause I'm 40. Now, if someone said to you my grandfather just passed away and he was 80. Say, ah, 80. Good age. It's a good, yeah, good wicket. So if that's the case, I've got 40 left. Obviously, I've got at least 60, because I'm going to hit triple figures. But let's just say I'm halfway. I've got another life. Let's be serious, I've got another life to live. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:If you classify what you've lived as a life yeah, you got a whole, I've got another life it also means the if you looked at it from a like a scale, yeah, perspective. Yeah, like, yeah, I'm on the top anytime. That's yeah, that's right, that right. Like from a graph perspective, you're on a downhill trail. Yeah, you pass the 50% mark, mm, you're at the top of the hill. Top of the hill, you just passed the top.
Speaker 1:So it made me like again it comes back to what we talk about Stop playing so small, Think bigger. And yeah, it was just an interesting. I found it interesting because I've never really thought like that before ever. But now that I'm 40, that I hit the 4-0 last weekend, I was like, okay, it's interesting, interesting that I started to think like that.
Speaker 1:I understand where people have these midlife crises. Do you know what I mean? I don't see myself ever having one, but I understand why people would. Because they'd be filled with so much regret and unfulfilled dreams and aspirations that at 40 you would have thought, oh, I would have, I'm going to do this, going to do this, going to do this and potentially a lot of the time your life doesn't go in the direction that you think it does. You know, might be divorced, never thought that would happen. You might might have no kids. You might think you would have been married by now and you're not. You might've thought you'd have that multimillion dollar business or be living in the Bahamas by now. Who knows All these things you might have all these regrets.
Speaker 1:I understand why people where that mid-life crisis comes from now. Not that I'm in it and I don't get it. I'm just saying I can appreciate, I understand, like because I started to think like that fucking 40, you know, like, am I old? I don't feel old. That's the thing. Yeah, I still feel young. I still feel mentally to a degree I feel like I'm still a 25 year old, can go out, do whatever I want to do, but I'm also very mature now in a different way and responsibilities and all that sort of stuff that I've got.
Speaker 1:I also feel that I'm just getting started Like man. I've had a good run and look at what's about to happen. You know we talk it's just exciting times in life and in business and everything. I'm just trying. I find a lot of positive in things these days, you know, following difficult periods and times. But now I look at it and I come across difficult situations. For example, in my business at the moment, as we talk, I've got three people away outside of my office, three people, two of them are on annual leave overseas and one of them quit. So I'm doing the job.
Speaker 2:That someone quit. Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I'm a bit surprised.
Speaker 1:It's only three. Yeah, so my PA quit a couple of weeks ago and she finished up. She actually finished up a couple of weeks ago, so she's been gone for a couple of weeks already. But I've had to do the job of five people because I've got two jobs really. I've got my consulting company and my building company, so I've got those two roles, let's call them and then I've got to cover the role of the project manager, contract administrator and my PA.
Speaker 1:And it made me think a little bit as well. Like I'm really like I'm on top of everything dude, like there is nothing that's stressing me. Well, like I'm really like I'm on top of everything dude, like there is nothing that's stressing me right now, that I'm like, ooh, I've got to do that. I mean, there's lots of things I've got to do that, but there's nothing that's so pressing that I'm out of control, my mind, I go home, I'm fairly relaxed, not stressed about anything. Things are getting done when they need to be done, and there's two things that have happened as a result of this. The first thing is I'm realizing my employees aren't as efficient as they could be because I'm doing all of their work and doing my own work and still on top of everything.
Speaker 1:Now, yes, I'm cut from a different cloth. I'm the owner, but in the same time I own the business. I'm always going to work cloth. I'm the owner, but in the same time I own the business. I'm always going to work harder than everyone in the room. I'd be very surprised if there was someone to work harder than me in the business. So that's the first thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at least at this stage of where I'm at. Yeah, because I work at nighttime too, by dear, I'll go home and I'll work when the kids are in bed. So there's that aspect. But then there's the other aspect of but if I'm doing all of this and their work and I'm still on top of everything, then why aren't they doing more? So it's a very interesting question that I'm posed to myself, and it's one that I'm definitely going to bring up with them when they get back to the office and say listen, guys, this is what I've seen whilst you've been away. You're busy, but you're not productive. There's too many things. You should be pumping out a lot more work than what you actually have been doing, looking at all the work that you have.
Speaker 1:So to me, I've got to see and that may not necessarily be their fault Maybe they do need a little bit of guidance from me as far as how they need to be more efficient in their role and be more productive, because I think they're busy, just not productive at the moment, because, I don't doubt it, they've got shit to do and they've always got something to do, but things don't get done in time because they're taking too long to do those tasks. And there's been a couple of instances where one of them I've asked them to do a task and they haven't done it by the due date, and it got to a point where I emailed a client and I told them hey, it's going to be done today this task, because they had asked for it quite a few times. I said it's going to be done today, you'll have it by close of business. I cc'd the person who needed to do the task because I'm not doing it. It's not my job. I told him in the morning you stop whatever you're doing. Nothing is more important than you doing this, because it was a good, decent task. It was four or five hours work. You stop what you're doing. This takes number one priority, short of an emergency. That's what you need to do today. I got in and I let him do it. I let him do it his way. I just told him what the parameters were.
Speaker 1:Come in 8.30,. I said you see my email. Yep, you got under control. Yep, no worries. 11.30, you started that thing, yet he goes. No, I'm just doing this and then I'm going to get onto it. Okay, 2.30. No, I let it go for the rest of the afternoon.
Speaker 1:3.30 comes along. He walks into my office to ask me something. He said you finished it. Yet I was like, nah, he goes. Have you started? I was like, nah, he goes, I'm going to stay back and do it. I said you're not leaving the office until you finish that role. You know that, yes, I go. I don't care if you're here until 12 o'clock at night. You are not leaving the office until you finish that job. Yeah, I'll get it done. He stayed back. Now he stayed back. Is that my fault? No, have I. He shouldn't have had to stay back. Do you know what I mean? He had ample time to do that and do all the other shit that he needed to do. So how come he prioritized other things and was busy but not productive. So I feel that I need to give him some tools and show him some things that he needs to do to improve his productivity, because you don't know what you don't know.
Speaker 2:Okay, so there's two things, was he just it was a shit job? Yeah, so so, but so sometimes, when it's like you can say I don't have time to get to the gym, you don't have time to exercise. Reality is you always do, you always do. Just don't prioritize it. You want to do it like're avoiding it. It becomes further down on your list, for whatever reason. You don't like it. It's painful. You hate the gene Whatever. Yeah, it's hard. Prefer to eat Whatever it might be. You know your leg hurts. This is the same sort of thing. It's being pushed back for a reason, whether conscious or unconscious. It's being pushed back for a reason, yeah, when we don't do what we know.
Speaker 1:We need to do.
Speaker 2:There's a reason why we're not doing it there again, without a doubt. I'm sure he wasn't just that. Correct me if I'm wrong. But the roles, they're not that reactive, they're a little bit reactive. You might get a couple of calls, yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah, but you don't get 175 calls a day. That are all problems, problems, problems. You know what I mean, correct. So the role isn't reactive to the point where you get caught up and you never have three hours to spare. You'll have days where you have a three-hour window to get some- Without a doubt, yeah, without a doubt.
Speaker 1:So for me, I looked at it and I said I think I need to teach them to time block Because I'm doing that now. I'm doing that now. I'm time blocking everything my whole week. So it's been a week since they've been gone. I've time blocked everything and I'm on top of everything. Everything is under control. I've just employed a new PA.
Speaker 1:How do you time block? So I use my calendar religiously. So I'm on my digital calendar on Outlook and I'll put times in there for things to get done. Meetings, obviously, will come into play. I consult and coach and mentor builders so they book in sessions with me during my calendar. So if I don't want them to book any sessions with me on a Monday, I block out my whole Monday because I know I have to do X, y, z. So, for example, on Monday, my PA starting the morning, I've blocked it out because I know I'm going to need to onboard her, show her a few things, do a few things with her so she can understand what needs to happen and then let her run her race. Then there'd probably be another couple of times where I need to do that throughout the week as well. The other thing I need to do, for example, is invoicing for projects.
Speaker 1:Are you doing task specific? Yes, at the moment, because I've got lots of things to do and then you know you can time block even so, the gym. So even this week right that I've been, I've got, I'm time poor this week, still prioritizing the gym. I've gone to gym three days, three times this week and I was in Sydney yesterday. So three like I've gone to gym three days three times this week and I was in Sydney yesterday. So three like I've worked three and a half days, really, once you take into consideration the gym. Three and a half days, five jobs, yeah, that's right. And I'm still on top of everything. Yeah, am I going to do some work tonight?
Speaker 1:Yeah probably, but that's okay. I'd do that most times anyway, unless I want to just chill out at home and, again, I don't expect my employees to be working at nighttime. However, it has shown me that I'm very efficient throughout the day.
Speaker 2:Well, you could even probably do a half day on a Saturday.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like, come into office, do an 8 till 12 and go, that's it and be like cool. I just worked half a day on Saturday, knocked it all out, so not have to work tonight for a game, that's right. You can go date night tonight or something. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it begs the question then that I had to look at. It's good to have your employees. Obviously you want to have them in your business and to grow the business and to do that. But then it gets to a point. Now, whether you're big or small and have 60 employees, like our last guests, or we've got 10 employees we still want them to be efficient and doing their job to the best of their capabilities. Now, I don't ever expect anyone's going to be 100% at work, but I do expect a high level of performance as well. In the same token, do you know what I mean? And I want high performers at the organization. I want them to be really good at what they do. I want them to be motivated and driven and accountable. So that's me wanting that, but I need to put things in place to give them the tools to be able to do that as well, and if that's education or if that's accountability, it's part of their KPIs. There's a few things I think I need to do in order to get them there.
Speaker 2:Okay, a couple of things, I think. Have we talked about this in scorecards and stuff? No, no, no, we haven't.
Speaker 1:Not a scorecard.
Speaker 2:We did. I was talking to you about it. You remind me when I was talking to you about having a scorecard for each role? Oh yes, this is your KPIs. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. Singing in a fire, bro. Yeah, yeah, that's it. You know, they say something happens when you turn an age that ends with a zero. It's like something happens to you and it might be that reminder of mortality. Hmm, you know, I've been reading. I've just finished reading. Actually, I say reading listening to this book called the 48 Laws of Power Is it 48?
Speaker 1:Yeah, is it 27?
Speaker 2:No, maybe I bought a different book, 48. That was the 48. Yeah, I bought it.
Speaker 1:I bought it because you yeah, yeah, I bought it.
Speaker 2:I bought it because you told me I bought it, told you to listen to law 27, yeah, and if you want to find out why you go listen to law 27, uh, anyway, and in the book, have you listened to it, egan, half of it, yeah. So there's a lot of references to old stories, like like real stories, facts, yeah, like of old kings and emperors and rulers, you know, I mean, and I just listen and I'm like like stuff from like from uh, bc and all like you know, 1642 queen blah, blah, blah, whatever it was. And I'm like ruler in China, sun Tzu, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like the people are all dead, they're all gone.
Speaker 2:They're dead dude, Like they're gone, Like at one point in time. So there's a couple of things. One, at one point in time. This person was a big player, Like this was the ruler. You know what I mean. There's a word for it. I can't remember what the word is An empire, an emperor.
Speaker 1:That's the role. He's an emperor.
Speaker 2:Maybe I don't know. They say it heaps in the book and I was like these people were at the top and they're gone there, they made some decisions, whatever, and you know it's, how have them got the end of the people got guillotined, like, head chopped off. That was a normal thing. That's how we, just how they killed humans, dude, like they're like, yeah, we need to kill him, but how do we kill him? We chopped his head off and, boom, guillotine dead.
Speaker 2:There was a guy who was a guillotine operator. It was his full-time job, full-time Super. Who do these jokes? Hometime, yeah, annually. Time and a half on the weekends, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was like you just hear some of it like a guy who was a king died at 29, and you're like 29? And this guy was at the top of his you know what I mean and he had his head chopped off because someone turned on him or they went into a battle and the guy just ran through and you're like, and these guys are all dead, dude, like they're gone. But it wasn't that long ago, it was only like 200 years ago, 300 years ago, and it just reminds you, like, how many people were alive in that time that aren't written down in that book, like the people who were just, oh yeah, no, we heard about that so-and-so, got his head chopped off and they were just like going to work every day and like those people, it's like, who, like? Who are you going to be? And regardless of who you are, you're going, you are going. There is a few guarantees in life.
Speaker 1:Nothing's guaranteed except death and taxes. You like that one, Iggy I?
Speaker 2:don't know, taxes aren't guaranteed. Really, I don't know. That's how the saying goes. Anyway, that's what the ATO called me to my. Yeah, there's three things, isn't there three? There's three things guaranteed in life Taxes and something else, don't know, who knows, probably not guaranteed. Yeah, it's like you're going out, dude, yeah, and I think that the hitting a. How did you feel when you turned 30?
Speaker 1:I didn't think anything like this. I just had a child.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just my son was yeah, but weren't you like that's it when he's gone, or you don't remember it?
Speaker 2:I don't recall feeling that way it when he's gone, or you don't remember it, I don't. I don't recall feeling that way. But you're probably gonna feel different when you turn 50. Yeah, as you will when you turn sick. Like you don't mean, I think each one they say like each time because it's like a whole new, like I'm not it's. It's kind of stupid because you're just measuring time, that's right, but like it's like, oh, I'm not, like, I'm not in my 30s anymore. That's probably what you're thinking to yourself. Right, that's it. Like now I'm like I'm a 40 year old. Yeah, I'm a 40s.
Speaker 1:I said to her when I was at my birthday I was like I need to apologize to when I was 18, I need to apologize to everyone who was 40 and I thought was old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you probably feel exactly the same. Yeah, so what's going to change for you, like, what is it? You said you were deep in thought. You're now 40. What's going to be? What changes? Because if nothing changes, nothing changes. Nothing changes, right. So what's? What's the thing where you're like, oh, I'm like, okay, maybe I should start on this, or maybe I'm going to start focusing more on that, or maybe I am because you said you're deep in thought. Yeah, and thinking about stuff's great, but thinking about something, doing nothing isn't yeah.
Speaker 1:So our connection over the last couple of years has been sick, but more so because we've been pushing each other and challenging each other to go to that next level every single time. Do you reckon if we didn't become mates, you'd still be like that to this extent? Um, I think it's good having someone in your corner to go hey, stop fucking around yeah, I don't see all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you'll be like let's make a million bucks. I'm like only a million, it's like millions each, just to keep you on edge. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's good because it's that constant reminder that hey, don't play small dude. Yeah, I think it's like no, I don't think I would to haven't had a mate like that that continuously pushes yeah, it is always another level yeah, yeah, because we see each other a fair bit and we catch up, even on a, on a business perspective, on a weekly basis. Forget the podcast for a second, but this isn't really work.
Speaker 2:This is just fun, this this is just sick, this is it's all part of the plan.
Speaker 1:It is. It is. You think we're here to talk. We're here just to get you subscribed. Yeah, that's all it's about. Which is in the top right hand corner oh yeah, mid show, uh, mid podcast something different?
Speaker 2:hey, just mixing it up mixing it up, letting you know we'll catch you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at all points, that's it so, yeah, we catch up outside of that to from a business strategic point of view. So that's taken a fair bit of focus of, let's just say, the last six months, particularly really since we started the podcast. It's been a core focus of ours to really grow in a lot of our aspects of business, which is great. So when I was in deep in thought, I'm like, yeah, I've committed a lot to that aspect of my life, but I want to make sure that it doesn't come at a cost, at a sacrifice of other things you know, the, the, the family, the holidays, the connection, the friends I keep in the other day is enjoying now yeah, the enjoying now you know what I
Speaker 1:mean like I had a someone message me the other day and they were like this, this, this and there's like that, some bad stuff going on. Like I, I, um, I want to make sure that I'm still, you know, good, everything, a good husband, father, son, friend, brother, sister, like everything that's associated with that. Do you know what I mean? To the people that I want Like I don't want to have a regret say, fuck, I wish I spent more time. No, not even that. Let's just say I wish I spent more time. No, not even that. Let's just say I wish I made an effort to whatever go see Travel more. Yeah, travel more. Or I wish I made an effort to go see my grandmother you know what I mean, stuff like that, because the opportunity is there now, but everybody's so busy. Life is busy, yeah, every, never a dull moment. It's okay, like you take it for granted. I don't want to take things for granted. Now we talk about practicing gratitude, but I don't want to take things for granted that are there, because I know they're there.
Speaker 1:Even your parents, my parents, are in their late 60s, mid to late 60s. All right, they're at that age where I've heard of people dying in their 60s before 50s, down rain, oh yeah, everywhere, every Right. But they're an older generation. Now there could be a time where you get a fucking knock on the door and said, oi, sorry, they're gone. And you're like, fuck, I wish I saw them this weekend. Or I wish you know, it's been three weeks Been busy. And you look at that, no, it's very like again, hindsight's a bitch. And you look at that again, hindsight's a bitch. Just because you don't action, that doesn't mean you don't care. But I just don't want to be in that position.
Speaker 1:Or, as I said, if it's me that it happens to and I got hit by that car and it ran me off the road and I drove off a cliff, I don't want to be on the way down going. Fuck, I wish I went on that holiday. Oh, I wish I'd gay. You know what? Last night I was sending emails when I should have been playing with the kids. I wish I'd played with the kids last night instead of sending that fucking email off or that quotes. You know what I mean. So that's where I was thinking. That's where my mind was going. So I want to make sure that, with all the sick shit that we're doing and it is sick that it doesn't sacrifice. It's not at a sacrifice of things that are important to me, to my values, of course, yeah there's a price.
Speaker 2:There is a price. Make sure you're happy to pay the price.
Speaker 1:That's it yeah, and how much to pay? Don't pay it, that's it. And then that's where I look at it too. I am happy to pay the price and I think it's part of my role. No, no, I think I genuinely believe it's a father's, a husband's, a man's sacrifice to do that and provide that life for his family. We have to sacrifice for the good of our family, and that means us not being around all the time, not at it, and people will look at that. Go oh, oh, you're being whatever it is, misogynist, yeah, ego, maybe, whatever it is. However, they want to see that it's not about that at all. It's no, no. If I don't do that, I would love to just hang out with my kids all the time, take them to school every single day, pick them up every single day.
Speaker 2:Okay, here's my challenge to you why can't you do that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could do that, but it's that sacrifice. It's a different sacrifice then, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but like so why can't you? Where do your kids go to school Locally? Yeah, so why don't you do that? Why don't you go and out of your day at the start and half an hour at the end? Yeah, and even if it means you wake up an hour earlier every day to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you and me both know that half hour isn't a half hour. Yeah, the consequence of that half hour is significant. It'd be two hours, I also think and it'll also be okay. Then I get back, start my task and then, oh, I've got these phone calls, so that's where that is. Well, you do one, you do one, yeah, yeah, and I could definitely do that, definitely do that. I'm just saying, look, it's not like I could do that. I don't think that's something I'm yearning to do to go pick up my kids from school. You know what I mean. However, and especially because my wife can so easily do that at the moment because she stayed home so she can easily go and do that aspect it's kind of silly for me to sacrifice that time here to go do something which hasn't got a huge positive effect in my personal life. Do you know what I mean? I'm just using that as a random example about picking up skids. It's not something that I yearn to do, but in saying that, I'm in the process of putting on a general manager that will allow me enough time to go do that, because, hey, I don't need to be here 24-7 now. So, yeah, I'm going to take the kids to school tomorrow, because I know shit's still happening here and going on there. But I've had to build up to that. I've had to sacrifice to get to a position where I can put a general manager on so I can now go do a three-month holiday overseas. Because now, right now, if someone said to me you said to me, george, next month, let's just take the month off, dude should catch on fire here Like, oh, I can do it. Yes, I could take four weeks off, but my laptop's coming and probably two of the three days every second day I've got to spend a whole day on the computer or whatever it might be. Do you know what I mean? Things don't just stop because I want to take a four-month holiday or a three-month holiday, whereas if you have people here and processes in place, yeah, I could do that then, and then you go okay. Well, all that effort that I had been working towards has paid off because now I can spend a three-month holiday with my family overseas.
Speaker 1:The problem I think people fall into is that is their intention when they start a business, like, yes, I want to do this, I'm going to make enough money where I can go to the holidays. I can go do this, I can go do that, but that two, three, five-year block that they give themselves turns into 30 years and they miss the boat and they don't ever do that holiday. Or they retire and then they're old, they're wasted, they're gone and they go on boat and they don't ever do that holiday. Or they retire and then they're old, they're wasted, they're gone and they go on that holiday when they're 65 years old. And that happened to a family friend of mine where, very sad, they'd worked very hard their whole lives, beautiful family and kids, had grown up, everything and then they retired. Within a year they were diagnosed with a terminal disease and passed away a couple of years later after they retired and started to enjoy their life.
Speaker 1:I don't want that. I want to start enjoying it now, today, right here. I've done things this year that have been in line with that. When I planned that amazing trip to Vegas, I did all these things. All these things that we were going to put into place to do have happened as a result of me working really hard to achieve those things. So I'm willing to pay the sacrifice because I see that I've got that goal in mind and it's not a goal.
Speaker 1:That's like 15 years down the track when my kids are in their 20s. Because my kids are in their 20s, they're not going to want to do that with me now. It'll be a different holiday again with me and my wife at a different age, in our 50s. You know what I mean. So we've got to do it. I want to do these things now that I because I said I'm young I still have those ambitions, I still have those goals and those aspirations and I want to spend that quality time, selfishly, with my kids and with my wife because I'm going to remember those times. My kids obviously will enjoy it and love it, but I'm going to remember that time with them more than anything. That's what I want to take to my grave. So if I was driving off the cliff in 15 years and I know I've put that in place, but cool, let's go there. The cliff's cool, I'm ready.
Speaker 2:So that's what I was thinking in my deep thought. So I'll ask you again.
Speaker 1:What? Do you know what I'm doing? I'm going to continue the way that we're going. As far as how I'm operating in business, I'm going to make sure that always being present at home is a big thing, and I said I've recently turned my phone off when I get home and put it on a silent mode. It automatically does it so I don't get distracted. I want to be present when I'm there and I also want to plan to have these times away. So I'm going to next week.
Speaker 1:Actually, funny enough, I'm going to print out a 2025 calendar in a big A1 sheet of paper and I'm going to plan all the events that we're going to be doing for Builder Elite. I'm going to plan all the Sick. Yeah, I want to have the whole year planned out, from now for next year and then the rest of this year too, but I want to think 25 for the time being. Look at my calendar and then reverse, engineer that again and go cool. Here are the holidays. We're going to do a big holiday here. I'm going to do little holidays here. I'm going to do day trips here. I'm going to do interstate trips here. Whatever I'm going to do, I'm going to have that whole thing planned out, then it can be something that I can look and plan with my kids and my wife and say, look, where are we going on holidays? And then it can be something that I can look and plan with my kids and my wife and say, look, where are we going on holidays? We'll do a day trip where we go down to the peninsula or the Mount Dandenong or wherever we go. And then we can do a weekend trip where we go to Hobart or Sydney or Adelaide, or maybe I just take my son to the football to go to a Hawthorne game in Tasmania Just a weekend, me and him. And then maybe I take my daughter to go do something she wants to do wherever it might be. But having those little trips, I think, will fulfill that cup. It's not that it's not fulfilled, it's just that it's not planned at the moment. So I want to plan it and actually stick to that plan and go.
Speaker 1:This is our year and for it to be jam-packed, really busy with business, with events, with life, all that sort of stuff. So that's what I'm going to do about. I'm going to continue on my current path. I'm going to be present. I just don't want it to be at a huge sacrifice. It does need to be a sacrifice, as you said. You can't not have a sacrifice, you can't have all these things. We're not going to get a chopper without doing sick shit and taking risks. You have to do it, dude. Have to do it, but I want the payoff to be celebrated with my life and I think if I get to a point in time let's say, we get to another 10 years and we're in the exact same spot, we're episode 500 and and we only have whatever this, this, this is a habit more than something that's enjoyable you know, or it's not.
Speaker 1:This doesn't serve a purpose anymore. I don't want to be in that position. I don't want to be in the same position that I'm at now. Doing this, we go oh man, chop it. You know we're going to get the chopper in the next five years. Like, what the fuck have you done for the last 10? What have you done for the last 10? Yeah, you still don't have the chopper. Do you know what I mean? That's what I. That's where I would say something's not right there.
Speaker 2:And I think that happens for a lot of people. And then do they still believe they will or do they start to accept that they will? I think they accept that they don't.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people at 40 have accepted their life where it is A lot of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I've been reading this book now called Psychology of Money and I'm going to completely fuck this story up. But he talks about do you know exactly what I'm going to talk about? And he talks about it's early in the book, it's like chapter three or four. Yeah, he talks about enough. He talks about what is enough and he says they give the example of some Indian guy, gupta, something.
Speaker 2:Gupta. He was like worth a hundred mil. A hundred mil, yeah, a figure that very few people in the world will ever get. But he wanted a billion. So bad His thing was he wanted to be a billionaire. So fucking bad that he actually committed a crime, did insider trading and got caught, went to jail, lost everything, lost everything. And then he gives another example of a guy and he says you've got, you know you're doing really well for yourself, but you're always beaten by this guy who earned like you're doing. You might make 50 mil this year, but this guy made 700 mil. How are you ever going to beat him? And he says I might not have made money, more money than him, or I might not have more cars or anything like that, but I've got one thing he doesn't. He's like what's that? He's like I've got enough and he doesn't have enough, and he's always chasing, and I've, and they talk about not being content but more so, acceptance.
Speaker 1:Always grateful, never satisfied.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know, dude, it's fucking weird that you brought this up, because I have this at all, um, but yeah, I literally listened to that in like two days ago, yeah, and I was thinking about that and I was thinking and then in the last episode that just came out on the podcast, you say you talk about how someone was telling you that they can't have these things. Like, when's enough going to be enough? Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they said it to me. They're like oh, you know, you're doing so well, this is their experience. When's enough enough In their eyes? They're looking at me and going George man, you've got so much in your life. Like, look, this is amazing. Like when are you going to slow down, George? That's his perspective of me. When are you going to slow down? You've got so much? I'm like dude, I'm just starting. I didn't feel like I just had enough. But you see, it was interesting to see his perspective on things, because if he was at my level he would be like oh man, I'd just pull up stumps, just like I'm done, let's retire. It is interesting, I bet that. I mean it comes down to ambition as well, what that individual wants. But what does that mean? But it doesn't necessarily mean that person that's at, you know, 700 mil doesn't have enough.
Speaker 2:No, I think in that case, in that story they were referring to it. Yeah, and it's like I've heard a few concepts of people saying, like you know, all these entrepreneurs, like you guys think you're freedom chasers, you guys are in a rat race. You're just in a different rat race. Yeah, you don't know it. Then you're like okay, but aren't we all always chasing something? Yeah, isn't that life? Yeah, do you know what I mean? And once you get it, you chase it. Yeah, isn't that life? Yeah, do you know what I mean? And once you get it, you chase it. If you don't chase it, what are you doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because then it goes down to the other, like what are you doing? What are we doing here? Even the people that live off-grid, they're still chasing something. Yeah, everyone is chasing something. They're chasing being off-grid.
Speaker 2:Freedom. Yeah, that's it. I'm a free spirit.
Speaker 1:I live off the land. I do this, dude, you're still chasing that. Yeah Right, you're chasing your feeling. It's just different, exactly, it's just a different thing that you're chasing Absolutely. Yeah, I like my time alone in that space, particularly when I'm driving. I think a lot when I drive, if I'm not listening to this podcast, obviously, but even then I'm thinking. But, yeah, it gives me time to reflect and that's when I can go. Cool, I need to take some, as you said, you need to take some action with that. Maybe I do need to look at this, need to look at that and move from that perspective.
Speaker 2:Would you do everything you're doing now if you had everything you wanted?
Speaker 1:yes, just yes. I would keep going this way if I had everything I wanted, I would, but it would just be a different version of it. So, for example, say, in the construction company, I would probably do my own developments more than client work, but I'd still be building and I would still be doing events unless I got sick of it and masterminds and have people part of my training, unless I got sick of that. And so, look, I'm done now for a bit. Maybe just have a couple of high-end coaching clients, that's it. Maybe that I mentor, but yeah, I would still do it because I enjoy it a lot now at the moment.
Speaker 1:Who knows if I'll still enjoy it in 10 years' time or 15 years' time. Maybe I won't like being a speaker anymore on stage. Get sick of it. I don't see myself, though, heading down that. Or maybe I, just because it's like, I'll reach, say I reach the ceiling of that aspect of where I'm at there. In 10 years time, maybe I'd look at it and be like I don't front of anything less than 10,000 people. But that's an ego thing though, too, isn't it?
Speaker 2:The quantity.
Speaker 1:Yeah sometimes.
Speaker 2:Wouldn't you rather speak to 10 billionaires?
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly 100%.
Speaker 1:In a border with 10 billionaires, that's right In front of 10,000 people that applaud you. Yeah, without a doubt, without a doubt. So that also got me thinking as well, aside from the mortality and all that sort of stuff, but other things related. Coming back to business, I'm doing the job of five people at the moment and someone might say, well, if you continue that way, you're going to burn yourself out. Yeah, for everyone not watching this, me and Robbie are just smiling at each other now, because that was the segue into what the actual topic was going to be for today, and that's talking a little bit about burnout. Have you ever been burnt out? Not just, I mean, we're going to be specific in business now. Have you ever been burnt out at work or in business? You can be burnt out working for someone you have really Cool, cool, thanks for joining in guys.
Speaker 2:See you next week. Not the answer you were expecting. No, I didn't think you would say yes, so it wasn't the answer you were expecting?
Speaker 1:Yes, it wasn't.
Speaker 2:That's right. I think I have.
Speaker 1:When you're an employee or as a owner.
Speaker 2:When I was working in real estate, yeah, cool, yeah, I just got to the point and I don't know if it was burnout, I don't know if it was just over it, I don't know if it was just I felt like I was doing everything I could do and I wasn't getting the results. I wanted everything I could do and I wasn't getting the results I wanted. And, and that's a that's a fucking. You know when you don't, you know when you don't have money, you think money's going to solve all your problems. And then, when you get money and it doesn't solve your problems, that's a fucking different level of problem, because you start to think what now and that's where I was at with this was like not the money thing, but it was like I've tried it, like I went to the trainings, I applied to coach, I've done this, I've done. I don't know what else to do here and I'm not getting what I want. You know, I mean I've changed brands.
Speaker 2:I went, and this was also in the middle of covid, yeah, so the middle of covid, yeah, so the middle of COVID, everything. And I kind of got to the point where I just sort of hit a wall. Yeah, and I would find that I was getting annoyed. Very short-fused, like a buyer would be like how many square meters is this home? And I'd be like, oh my gosh, it's like a completely reasonable question, yeah, and I would find myself getting frustrated at that. And then it's like a completely reasonable question, yeah, and our farmers are getting frustrated at that. And then it's like If you look, at the brochure.
Speaker 1:You'll fucking find it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like you're having those thoughts and it's like, but it's a completely reasonable question. This guy's going to spend a million plus bucks with you. Like, what a fair question. Yeah, and it's like that's pissing me off. Why, maybe everything's not okay. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That was when I left real estate, so that's good that you identified that, because a lot of people would often stay in that role for the next 15 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know They'd just be fucking miserable. I reckon I know people that are still in a role where they don't quite enjoy it or they have those similar types of traits. But I turned to the Tony Robbins event shortly after that and then I thought okay enough, and then I resigned within two weeks.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's really good. I don't think I've been burnt out. I mean, I find times when I was really the most busiest I've been working for someone was when I was at Multiplex building the convention center and we were working seven days a week for like a month. But I remember working like a whole month, worked every single day like, and up early too, so it wasn't like an easy thing. It was up at up at 5 30 on site, at 6 30 and just straight into it and that was a blur.
Speaker 2:Huh, yeah, it was, that's what it was. You look back and you're like what the fuck's been happening for the last two weeks? Exactly, and I was being.
Speaker 1:The funniest part of that was, after all your hard work, after all your efforts, after everything you did, they rewarded me with a redundancy. That was a blessing in disguise. Well, it was. Yeah, absolutely it was. But at the time I was like fuck, it was a bit flat. After that, after all this hard work we've done and you've given us a redundancy, I got a job straight away, but still, as I said, and with a better company at the time, it was a good move for me anyway. And so that's probably the one time I felt just just tired more than anything, and I felt I remember going home and just like on the couch sleeping. This is early twenties or in my mid to early twenties, so full of energy, still probably still went out on a weekend as well. It's probably didn't help why I was tired the next day. Yeah, so, and then, similar to you, I think, during COVID in my own business, I remember I don't know if the word was burnt out- yeah, I don't know if my I was, just I was.
Speaker 2:I knew I was done Like I was not holding myself to the level I should have been.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I don't think I was burnt out during COVID. I think I was just flat during it just because of the situation and everything that was happening and the pressure, but not burnt out. But I've seen people to the extent where they work so hard that, yeah, they've got no energy to function. It may not be just to the point of exhaustion, just even to function as a human being. Well, they can't talk to anyone. Yeah, like as in, you won't engage in meaningful conversations. They'll be short, brief, not nice to be around. So it could be in that aspect too. Do you think it can be a risk save for entrepreneurs or business owners when you start your business? Do you reckon they underestimate what it takes to be successful?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I also understand why that there is a need to talk about things like this. But I also think the problem it's just like when we spoke about mental health, and if you focus on the problem, the problem will expand. Yeah, do you know what I mean? So if I sit there saying I don't want to get burnt out, you know, when you're like everyone knows someone like this oh, no, I can't do. I can't do that. I can't do that, I'm going to get sick. If I do that, I'm going to get sick. If I do that, I'm going to get sick. See, I got sick, I told you. And then you're like dude, you made yourself sick. Like you said, I'm going to get sick. So many times that you got sick. It's like I don't. I almost. If I see people think people don't work too much, now, yeah, I think I feel okay. Yeah, that's all I think. If I feel okay, you can't tell me what like, yeah, oh, you can burn out, I'll be fine. Yeah, you're gonna burn it, that's right, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:You're gonna burn, you're gonna burn out.
Speaker 2:Watching me, I don't even hear watch out um but yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I just put a post up about that not long ago. I think it was him, did he? Yeah, it was, it was him. It was on the lines of if you're, if you're young and you don't have many obligations in your life, you should work a hundred hour week like go out there, work, work 100-hour week, just crush it, just be an animal. You can do that. Yeah, you can do that. And then there were some comments there. This comment this is everything wrong with this current generation. And comment Everything wrong with it saying this mindset is what leads to burnout, or some shit like that. It said like that and I looked at it and I was like what's burnout? It's fucking-. Is it mental or physical exhaustion? That's probably how I would define it.
Speaker 2:Okay, if you are going to war, let's Dude, mentally I've been living in the 1800s from this fucking book, swear to God. And if you're going to war, like, okay, cool, hey, they're coming to cause. This is what people don't understand. Life wasn't as good as it was 150 years ago. Now, like, we've got him really good, really quick. Yeah, it's got him really comfortable.
Speaker 2:And if we were about to get overtaken, would you be like, hey, I'm not doing more than 40 hours of war. Yeah, you got to fucking fight for your life and you're going to fight, and you're going to fight, and you're going to fight until you either get your head chopped off or you chop someone else's head off. Yeah, and that's the game. And people think that, no, but where was burnout then? That's right. Where was depression then? People down? Oh no, I can't. I'm mentally exhausted. Yeah, forget about working out. Yeah, do you know what I mean? And I think life hasn't changed that much from that aspect. We haven't changed as humans. Yes, that much do you know what I mean? And I think people just I'm not saying it's not real, but I think if we, they buy into the narrative too quickly you know why?
Speaker 2:because it's a fuck. It's a reason for you not to get what you want oh, I was burnt, was burnt out.
Speaker 1:That's why I didn't yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't want to do that because it was this person, it was that factor, it was this cost escalation, it was whatever it was. Yeah, a thousand and one things. It's always your fault. Everything is always your fault, 100%. And it's like even this week and the next two weeks to follow, I've not once said I'm going to be, I'm so, I'm too busy, I'm way too like I've spent. No, no, I've got this. The whole time I've said that and I have felt less stressed as a result. Like people are saying I've got the job. I'm wearing it as a badge of honor at the moment.
Speaker 2:All right, here's another thing. If you are that busy or you're burnt out, like how long do You're that tired? Like go take a nap. Like, why do we buy into this thing that you need two days off my weekends? You know I can't stand now when someone says, no, I need my weekends. And I'm like you understand that this is a made up concept. I don't really hear people say that you understand it's a made up concept. I need my weekends. What does that mean? Yeah, you need two days off. What do yeah? Like, why do you buy into this fallacy? Do you know what I mean? Like, think about what you're saying. Why two? Why five and two? What the fuck is that about?
Speaker 2:Who came up with this science? Yeah, do you know what I mean? Why isn't it six and one? Why isn't it 27 and one? Yeah, have one day off a month. Why can't you oh, you know what have fucking 27 days off a month? Yeah, like, why does it have to be the way you think it is? Do you know what I mean? Five and two, or you're going to burn out, work eight hours or you're going to burn out. Who tested this? Yeah, do you know what I mean? Like, where's the science here, man, like it doesn't make sense, dude, and I feel like people use it as an out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so then we talk at length. As far as doing a four-day work week, yeah, but I don't think that's about burnout.
Speaker 1:I think that's about doing what you want.
Speaker 2:I feel that the whole concept around it, though I think that's about doing what you want, dude, and if you are passionate.
Speaker 1:I'd love to have Elon answer that question. Do you know what I mean? Because he's such a big advocate for saying no, it's cool, you work your four-hour week, you do your 32 hours, I'm going to do 120. Yeah, but I don't think and then come and talk to me when you've fucking done this and I've done that.
Speaker 2:Yeah but you need to look at it like this If I'm building an organization where most people want that thing and I can serve it, I'm going to have more people than you. Who's going?
Speaker 1:to win More people than me at the organization yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have more people lining up. I'm going to have better talent. I'm going to have more team. I'm going to have you know what I mean? 120 hours and I work 60 after that. I still win, because it's leverage. I'm leveraging people. You're tight. You've only got so much time, dude. Yeah, that's right. Even if you work every waking hour and you sleep two hours a night, you can only do 70 hours. Do you know what I mean? That conversation about the four-day work week is a different conversation.
Speaker 1:That's creating the problem, but it's, that's, but it's not, but it's also saying who created that rule, though, like you're saying about the five and the two, oh yes, four and a three yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So it is just, it is playing on but that's buying into people's bullshit that they need that extra day off. You know what I mean. Yeah, isn't it? Yes, that's what it's saying. Oh well, I'm going to get the lifestyle back, so forget what the owner is saying for a second. Like from your perspective of yeah, I'm going to leverage all these people's experience that are now going to work for me while, sure, doing 140 hours. That's cool, but Elon also has probably people, I dare say, that do their 120 hours get remunerated quite well for it.
Speaker 1:Imagine you could have just as many people. Say, we had two companies and I had just as many people employed as you. Yet my people wanted to do 100 hour weeks and they were just as motivated as me to do that shoot. They get paid a fuckload more than your blokes. They could be happy at that. Again, what's to say? Oh, you find every single person cut with a different cloth. Surely, elon. If Elon goes out there and says listen, you can work directly for me, but my requirement is you got to work 12-hour days. Half of your day is with me. He could probably get an army of people to do that. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, just to have the opportunity to work with him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't see anything more with that.
Speaker 1:No, I don't either, but I'm saying his company-.
Speaker 2:So how many of us have the leverage of a brand like Elon Musk?
Speaker 1:I know, I know, but I'm just saying let's forget all that sort of stuff. Let's just say you've got 20 people and 20 people that's your cap. You can't it's against the law for you to employ.
Speaker 2:Okay, I can say well, why are you looking at it per person, not per hour? What's that? Your output rate? Yes, If you have the same amount of people and your people do more hours, you have a higher output. Yeah, that's right. So why can't if you work twice as many hours? Yeah, yeah. So if my guys are doing 30 hour weeks and your guys are doing 60. Yeah yeah. Five hour, five days? Yeah, if my guys are doing 30, your guys are doing 60, why can't I have twice the amount of people? Twice the amount of people. Twice the amount of people. It's against the law. What world is this In this scenario? It's against the law yeah.
Speaker 2:Because then it becomes the same amount of hours output.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I get that If you of people Correct Because that's what it's.
Speaker 2:I think Hall-Mosey says this. He goes productivity is output per unit of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and this is what I'm getting back at the earlier conversation with my productivity. I don't feel that my employees are maximizing their productivity, so I need to find out what that means for that to happen, because maybe, arguably, you go cool, I'm going to let you leave at 12 pm on Friday. What's the benchmark as? In what level of productivity do they need to have? Yeah, like what do you?
Speaker 2:compare it to, because you can say that I'm comparing it now to me doing their work.
Speaker 1:Is that fair? Absolutely, oh really. Yeah, well, I've done, don't forget. I've done their job before, yeah, when I was an employee and I know what I can and can't do in a day. And now that I'm looking and doing their work, I'm like, okay, well then, how come now these things aren't getting done in a timely manner. So I need to sit down and have this conversation with them and say what do you need to do in order for you to get this done in this amount of time?
Speaker 2:So you feel like you're doing a 40-hour work. What they deem a 40-hour work week in like 10 hours, yeah, yeah it's not that, but let's just say that's the case.
Speaker 1:15 hours, yeah, whatever it is, whatever, whatever, whatever that number works out to be, even if it's a lesser percentage than that, I'm still doing it quicker, and I've still got to do other shit too. Now, yes, I get it, I'm really good at my job. I'm fucking done. However, my time is limited as well, and also, I am efficient at what I do, and I need to see now them and have that conversation with them and go guys. This is what I've found in my three weeks of no one being here. This is where I see holes. What do you need in order to get this done sooner?
Speaker 2:Okay, so, touching this back, this goes perfectly into the poor day work week, yeah, and I was speaking with someone that we know about that and they actually don't have. So their thing isn't and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this, but their thing isn't pretty sure I'm right about this, but their thing isn't. That's something I'm not too sure oh yeah, um, their thing isn't focused around time, it's focused around tasks, yeah, and it's like oh, these are your tasks for the day. I know that you should be able to get these done in eight hours, working at eight percent efficiency. If you get them done in six, you can go home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe that's something I need to look at. Maybe that's something I need to look at. Maybe that's something I need to look at Because if you can get all these packages so, for example, I've got a job I say, if you get all of these things done at the end of this week, you can have Friday off. Maybe that's something that could happen. Because at the moment they're coming in. If they don't do that, if I say you've got these packages by the end of the week.
Speaker 1:They'll take the whole week to do it. That's the whole premise around the four-day thing.
Speaker 2:It's like I'm going to give you 40 hours worth of tasks. What I know takes 40 hours and you're going to do it in four days and you get three days off. Do you know what I mean? That's right. So he's actually not getting less work done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. And Do you know what I mean? That's right. So he's actually not getting the less work done. Yeah, that's right. And this is what I want to look at. Yeah, I want to see how I need to get them to be more productive and if that means potentially going okay, if you can get all of these tasks done on this time, cool, you can leave early on Friday or you finish. You don't have Friday off or whatever.
Speaker 2:So you hear that Bruce Paschal offering. Just pass on offering four-day work weeks.
Speaker 1:Four-day work weeks apply within and get rejected without.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's next With what? You'll start letting people work from home, fuck.
Speaker 1:Don't insult me like that. I just employed this PA starting on Monday and one of the questions was or one of the criteria? I laughed when I wrote it because I thought about you One of the criteria. I laughed when I wrote it because I thought about you. One of the criteria was I literally wrote it in there this is a there is no opportunity to be working from home. Are you okay with this? In this role, there won't be an opportunity for you to work at home. It is an office, it is an office-based role. Are you okay with that? And if anyone that answered no got instantly yeah, but honestly for for pa.
Speaker 1:I get that yeah, but also even in the other stuff that they'll be doing in the business, I need them here and look, if they needed to, I could get them to work from home. You should have vas and stuff. Yeah, potentially in the future you'll I'll probably need to have a chat with you about that when the time comes, but I think my next step is this one and then the one after that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, admin person to do the remote stuff.
Speaker 1:It's hard. I don't have that many Until I get my system to operate cloud-based. That's your problem. It is. It's very much my problem. It's not my problem. The software I use for my construction company I think is the best in the industry. It is, I don't.
Speaker 2:It is Period no construction company I think is the best in the industry. It is, I don't.
Speaker 1:It is period no, no, fucking, oh, no, okay, no, no, not this sponsor. No, no, because they. They did something that annoyed me the other day, so I'm not going to give a shout out. See, don't piss your fucking clients off. Uh, anyway, but their software is fantastic. So, huh, yeah, that's right. No, no, they're good, they're all right, they're all right. They, what was I going with that?
Speaker 1:Oh, they do have a cloud-based software version of what I use, but it's just not there yet, because I've got my bookkeeper uses both. She uses the server-based version for me and the cloud-based for one of her other clients and she goes don't swap yet, there's too many bugs in it. So I'm just waiting for that moment where it goes yep, we're really good at this now, and then I'll look at going cloud-based, for sure. For sure, because I think it will be more efficient in the business. And that's another thing I've been looking at now that I'm doing everything is where can I be more efficient? Not just for me, but for everyone else, particularly for me. What do I need to do to be efficient? And one of those is simple thing is like we have an account email where all invoices go in and out.
Speaker 1:Not recently last year I made it a rule that no invoices are to be sent to individual people because things will get lost in translation. Everything has to funnel in through a central email account. That's it. If it doesn't go to. If you the contractor, if you're doing work for me and you send it to my employee and the invoice gets missed because you didn't send it to accounts, too bad, you're going to get paid next month. Now You've missed the pay run. I'm not going to go back and find your email and do this and do that. You missed it. Everything you want your invoice to get processed has to go to accounts. So that was a little thing that I made efficient.
Speaker 1:Now, the other thing that I'm doing once, because I know everything goes in there A my inbox is a lot less cluttered, so I've told anyone that sends me an invoice. I respond back to them. Don't send me future invoices or you have to send them to accounts. Please remove me from future invoices or you have to send them to accounts. Please remove me from future invoices, because I delete them. I won't even look at it. And if they keep doing it and I've actually said this to one person I send you invoices I can't remember that shit, I don't know.
Speaker 1:It's all automated. Now, though, you gotta just direct debit off the credit card anyway. This person just kept like they because I had it on zero. You know how you put your emails in zero, and it just sends it to you. I responded back to them. I said if you don't remove me from invoices, I'm going to block your email, I'll block your email account and I won't get any emails from you at all, even for correspondence. Take me off. Anyway.
Speaker 1:Coming back to it, another little thing I just had a simple tray system where I print out the invoice and I put it in whichever tray it corresponds to credit card supplier, contractor and I don't process them right there. And then, when I get it, I just print it, file it and then at the end of the day or at the end of the week I'll take them, and I'll process them on the weekend or at nighttime. So I've got my time to do that, but just having a simple, efficient process in place to manage that has saved me a lot of time, a lot of time. Otherwise, I would be processing invoices every single moment of every single day, and I'd have to be sorting through stuff. I'd have to go oh, has this been done, has this been done? Whereas now I've got a system there, so I'm going to teach that system to the new PA.
Speaker 1:This is how I want you to do it. This is how I want you to process everything Done, and I'm going to tell the boys when they get back hey, this is how you're going to start processing your invoices. You're going to time block once a week to process all of your invoices at different times of the week, so you're not all on the server on the same time or on this program at the same time, because I've got one user license. So that's it. And then that way we operate, we're good. Everything's hunky-dory, just a little thing. So it's good that I'm actually having this experience now, with no one in the office, because I can start looking at efficiencies and really survey what's going on and where the bottlenecks are, and what I mean by bottleneck for those of you who don't know. Just something that slows the process down, where everything becomes jammed in and holds things up.
Speaker 2:There you go. Processes in your business, huh, yeah. Speaking of processes, there's this process where, whenever you're watching something, you the uh, the button in the top right hand corner. You press subscribe. Are you sure it's in the top right hand corner, red button, tough writing yeah, I thought so. That's, that's got totally. Um, yeah, guys, this podcast only reaches people by you sharing it. We don't do any advertising. We're going to sponsor someone for this episode, but we didn't, because I got shit service Missed out. You missed the boat. I want to call them out.
Speaker 1:I don't know which one it is.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, if you got anything out of this, if you know you need to be setting processes in your business, if you've recently turned an age that entered the zero, then you need tired your life and had a midlife crisis like this video, like this podcast, subscribe, share it that's how we can grow the channel. Send us a message, send george a message, and say I don't dislike to turn 40. I turned 40, 40 years ago. Yeah, failed out 80-year-old listeners. You're going to be on 80 listeners to this podcast.
Speaker 1:I reckon they'd be missing out. If they're not, I reckon you're right Missing out. You don't have much time. You have one hour. You got 40 episodes to catch up on.
Speaker 2:Stop fucking around 40 episodes to catch up on, but you know what?
Speaker 1:That 80-year-old could also be living another lifetime.
Speaker 2:It's true.
Speaker 1:What's to say? They're not going to get to 100, man, what's to say? They're not going to get to 110?
Speaker 2:You know they say literally my mental state is in the 1800s and they reckon people back in the days used to live longer.
Speaker 1:Oh, really, yeah, I thought now that we got the highest life expectancy.
Speaker 2:Life expectancy, since we've measured stuff. But they reckon that some people back in the days used to lift like 180. Either that, but it was also much more difficult for them to track if the person was telling the truth. They'd have birth certificates and stuff. No idea. So they're 180. Fuck you. Or you look 27. Do you know what I mean? And it's like like apparently there was a thing, though like supposedly at a different time. Um, there's all sorts of conspiracies around this shit. Yeah, that we can have a whole episode on.
Speaker 2:Oh, I think you said you wanted to talk about that once yeah, someone said to me that, um, someone said to me that people get dementia and alzheimer's from artificial light like computer screens. Oh, really, yeah, and I'm like dude, that's a big theory. Yeah, but you don't like flat earth? Yeah, yeah, that's just dumb, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's just dumb. Do you know what I've realized? It is why I can't handle shit. When I say shit, I mean just stupid shit. It's when it's illogical. When something is illogical, I just I switch off. Yeah, but what is switch off? I'm like what the fuck are you talking about? Do you know what I mean? Like whenever you see this stupid shit about identifying as a different gender or fucking a lamp, whatever it is, I'll look at that and I'm like that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. It is so far from anything that could make sense that you have a mental illness. There's something not right with you. And then when you talk about the flat earth people and this and this and this, it's-.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we are becoming Because we don't have as much to worry about. Today, we are focusing on the things that don't matter as much. That's right, we are focusing on the things that never matter as much.
Speaker 1:That's right and that's why you said it. I think you said it earlier today in this episode. It's like we've got it. Yeah, you did. We've got it easy, man, We've got it easy. We've got it easy. You can worry about being a lamb.
Speaker 2:It was 1800, like it's only 200 years ago, not ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right, and people were getting hedge chopped off. That's right. And now it's like that doesn't happen. Now, how bizarre is it for people to get hedge chopped off? Now it's like it's a moment I mean, I didn't go outside and see it. It's the most animalistic thing ever, whereas back then it was like uh, after, yeah, you don't have to eat. That guy would probably know the people he chopped their heads off. Yeah, you probably know some of them. Yeah, he'd be like yeah, it was the game. Man, sit down, sorry bro your hair looks good though.
Speaker 1:Uh, speaking of getting comfortable, the other day yesterday actually, I was in the. I was flying home from sydney and I sat next to a gentleman. I was in business class. He was fucking massive, he was big. He was so big that he couldn't pull out the tray to put it in front of him to place food on. Do you know how you pull out the tray on the side of the seat? Yeah, yeah, in the business section. Yeah, it sits in the armrest. It sits in the armrest. You pull it out from the side and it slides in front of you and it folds out, slides in front of you. He was that big, he couldn't do that. That's big dude. That's big, it was big.
Speaker 2:That thing's far.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, like so close, yeah, no, no, no, I looked at myself because I pulled it out, because I can, life's good. I pulled it out and I looked at the lady. There was a lady two seats down from me, on the opposite side, on the other window, and she was big too, like really big, obese. Both of them were obese. They weren't there together, but they just happened to be big people. Maybe they should be together.
Speaker 1:I don't know how that would work, but that's cool and same thing. She could get her tray out, but with difficulty, like it was harder. Suck it in, yeah, a little bit. And it's funny like I see people like that and I go you've given up. You know, it's too, life's too easy for you to be like that. Yeah, that's right. You don't have to run from a saber tooth diet and buy food, yeah, as much as you want, that's it. You don't have to run, fight for your life. You don't have to go to war, you don't have to do anything. You just go to coles tonight and get some more chocolate bars so good so good, um, but yeah, I'll look at.
Speaker 1:It's funny just now that, as I said, I'm in that different time in my life that I'm prioritizing so much in in professional and personal health that I look at that stuff now. I really look at it, like even the boys that we had on last episode. Great good on them that they're pushing the boundary and they're really giving it a red hot crack and I appreciate that. I appreciate it and I look at that and I applaud it. Well done, good on you.
Speaker 1:I try to give them a bit of wisdom too, like when I was talking about the family life and all that sort of stuff. They're like yeah, I'll pick up the phone and do this, put it away. Put it away. Understand that there is that blend that you need to incorporate into your life. Like when you blend your podcasts and subscribe to this one, you can subscribe to others. Just listen to this one more than the other ones. That's all. That's all we ask. That's all we ask. Share it with people that you know, that you love, that you care about, because that's who is going to be affected the greater community, because you know we do this weekly. We haven't missed a beat yet, actually, we shouldn't say that, we shouldn't say yet, shouldn't say that I shouldn't say yet it insinuates that it's going to happen.
Speaker 2:It won't, it won't, that's it. It's got enough in the bank now where, even if it was going to happen, like even if we didn't get a chance to record.
Speaker 1:I would just launch an old episode and do like this. You should do like a snippet of the best parts or something like that.
Speaker 2:Like a compilation thing. Yeah.
Speaker 1:On today's episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could just say, today's episode we did, we're going to talk about this, this, this and this, and then it's like, yeah, can't be fucked, yeah, it's easier, it's right, and miss out on this one.
Speaker 1:Not a chance, I know. Thanks a lot coming in today and listen to us and listening wherever you're doing it. You should be doing both.
Speaker 2:If you are dedicated, yeah, alright.
Speaker 1:You should be doing both. You should send us an email to tell us to open up a different social media account so you can watch it there too. I don't think we have a LinkedIn account for Million Dollar Days, do we? No, We'll get onto that too. Give us some pressure. Say look, I only consume content on LinkedIn and if you're there, I'll listen to every episode and we'll do it.
Speaker 2:Let us know and we'll make it happen.
Speaker 1:That's it. Thanks a lot, guys. Look forward to seeing you soon. Have a great rest of your day and have a million dollar day. Thanks guys, See ya.
