The Most Expensive Real Estate in the World
The most expensive real estate in the world is the six inches between your ears.
Quick side note…I'm writing this right now sitting in church.
And…I probably shouldn't be. (But my add kicked in and I had to get this story out)
For the longest time, I was letting my to-do list live in my head, rent-free.
And it was a terrible tenant.
Trashed the place, again and again .
You know the feeling.
You're there.
But you're not really….there.
Your proximity is present.
But your presence is a ghost.
Let me be clear: I am not writing this because I have some secret formula.
I'm writing this because I am in the middle of the battle, just like you. This is me, sharing what's working right now.
The other day, I hit a wall.
So I did something radical. I asked ChatGPT for something fun and interactive to do on a Saturday with my son.
It recommended we build a paper airplane so we did.
It was, objectively, a terrible paper airplane.
It flew like a brick.
But for ten minutes, the world disappeared.
No meetings.
No fires.
No calendar alerts.
Just me, my oldest son, and a piece of paper that was failing at its one job.
And it was the most ROI I’ve gotten on ten minutes in years.
That clumsy airplane taught me something:
presence isn't passive.
It has to be engineered.
So here's the simple system I'm trying. My working theory for getting my brain back.
It’s a simple two step play that I’m committed to every weekend so I can be where my feet are.
Step 1: The Eviction Notice.
Every morning, I do a full brain dump. This is about clearing out the digital noise to make room for what’s truly Human Powered.
I open up ChatGPT and give it this exact prompt:
Act as my executive performance coach. I am going to provide a raw, unfiltered brain dump of everything on my mind—tasks, ideas, worries, and appointments. Your job is to process this chaos and organize it into a clear, prioritized action plan for today. Structure your response in four parts:
Top 3 'Win the Day' Priorities: List the three most critical tasks that will make today a success.Categorized Action List: Group all other tasks under logical headings (e.g., Emails to Send, Calls to Make, Deep Work, Errands).Mindset Reframe: Take any worries or anxieties I listed and reframe them into positive affirmations or actionable questions.The 'Parking Lot': List any ideas that don't require action today but should not be forgotten.
The goal is to get this out of my head and into a system I can trust.
Then, I let it all out.
Step 2: The Analog Anchor.
This is the key.
After the download, my phone goes OFF.
Not silent.
Off.
And I find one simple, real thing to do. Make custom coloring pages. (By asking ChatGPT before hand to create coloring pages with my kids favorite characters)
Build another brick-like airplane. It doesn't matter.
The result?
I'm finding that the world doesn't end when I disconnect.
Shocking, I know.
But I am showing up better.
I'm more creative when I'm working, and more me when I'm not.
I'm realizing the goal isn't to be a great entrepreneur and a great dad.
The goal is just to be a great dad. The rest seems to flow from that.
So, here’s my challenge, from one work-in-progress to another:
Find your paper airplane this week.
Find one moment to trade distraction for depth.
See what happens