So I kept hearing about this Lian Pereira dude everywhere – podcasts, Twitter threads, even my dentist was raving about his work-life balance tips during my root canal. Figured okay fine, maybe I should see what all the fuss is about.
Step 1: Actually Read The Damn Thing
Grabbed my coffee Monday morning and opened his famous “Chill & Conquer” article. His three main points hit me hard: do less things but do them better, schedule fun like meetings, and tell your phone to shut up after 7pm. My first thought? “Sounds great… for monks living in mountains.” But hey, let’s try it.
Step 2: Gut My To-Do List
Took out yesterday’s massive list covered in coffee stains. Crossed out “reorganize garage”, “learn Portuguese”, and “bake sourdough from scratch”. Felt like I was breaking laws. Left just finish client report and call mom in big letters. Hands actually shaking when I threw that “important” stuff away.
Step 3: Block That Calendar Like Brick Wall
Opened Google Calendar and straight up booked Tuesday 4pm: Walk in Park in bright green. Got sarcastic with myself typing Thursday 7pm: Stare at Clouds. Felt ridiculous until Tuesday came – actually went to that green block while my phone buzzed with emails in my pocket. Felt illegal and fantastic.
Step 4: Phone Jail Experiment
That night I dug out an old cooking pot. At 7:01pm, threw my phone in there. Like actual metal pot from my kitchen. Wife laughed till she cried seeing me check that pot every ten minutes. First hour was pure panic. Second hour? Accidentally read a whole novel chapter.
Friday Reality Check
Results after one week:
- Finished report two days early? Never happened in ten years
- Noticeably less eye-twitching during Zoom calls
- Wife stopped threatening to replace me with a Roomba
- Missed three “urgent” messages that solved themselves
- Pot still smells faintly of chili from phone nights
This desk feels different today – less like a warzone, more like… just some wood with coffee rings. Pereira wasn’t selling magic. Just how to not drown in your own damn commitments.
Key takeaway? Baby steps work. I didn’t meditate on mountaintops or delete LinkedIn. Just did the stupidly simple stuff that felt stupid until it didn’t. Putting this out there so I won’t chicken out next week when “busy season” hits. That chili pot ain’t going anywhere.