What if you could work fewer hours—and actually get more done? In this episode, Alex introduces the Productivity Pyramid, the framework behind the 5-hour workday that helped his company increase productivity, revenue and retention all while working less.

You’ll learn how to:

• Eliminate the most common time wasters that secretly drain your workday
• Understand the cognitive cost of distractions and multitasking
• Shift from a “busy” mindset to a results-driven work culture
• Use the One-Day Time Audit, a simple experiment that reveals exactly where your time is going

Whether you're working 8 hours, 10, or even 12+ hours a day, this episode will help you reframe how you think about productivity—and give you the tools to reclaim your focus, your time, and your energy.

Topics Covered:

• The surprising origin of the 5-hour workday
• The three levels of the Productivity Pyramid
• Time Wasters vs. Distractions: What’s the difference?
• Why attention residue and decision fatigue hurt your performance
• The myth of multitasking—and why it wastes 28% of your workday
• 3 key strategies that transformed Alex's work culture
• How to run the One-Day Time Audit to reveal your biggest productivity leaks

This Episode's Experiment:

The One-Day Time Audit
Track your time in 15-minute blocks for a full workday using 3 columns:
→ Activity – What you did
→ Distractions – What pulled your focus
→ Observations – What stood out

Run the audit, review your patterns, and see what happens when you become truly aware of how you’re spending your time.

Resources Mentioned:

• Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive
• The One Thing by Gary Keller
• Stanford University Productivity Study
• Harvard Business Review study on task prioritization
• UC Irvine research on attention recovery time

Connect with Alex:

Have a breakthrough from the time audit? Found your biggest time waster?
DM Alex on LinkedIn — he’d love to hear how this experiment changes the way you work.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-gafford-09b2b87/

Stay Tuned:

Next episode: Alex dives into the top layer of the Productivity Pyramid—Proactive Strategies, including time blocking, AM/PM routines, and how to protect your energy for deep, focused work.

In this episode of the 5-Hour Formula, we’re diving into the truth about prioritization—why most people get it wrong, and how the most successful people in the world approach it differently.

Spoiler: they don’t start with to-do lists. They start with better questions, better boundaries, and better systems.

If you want to work fewer hours while getting more of the right things done, this episode is a must-listen. I’ll walk you through the three big ideas that have transformed how I plan my weeks and protect my time—and how you can do the same.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why personal time must come first—and how to put it on your calendar like a pro
• How to use the Focusing Question from The ONE Thing to identify your highest-leverage task
• Why weekly planning is more powerful than to-do lists
• What it means to prioritize using elimination, not just discipline
• The mental model behind “lead domino” actions that create exponential results
• How to say “no” gracefully but firmly (with help from Gary Keller and Greg McKeown)

Weekly Experiment:

Take action by following this 3-step experiment:
Block time to plan your week (offsite and undistracted)

1. Prioritize personal time first (if it matters, it goes on the calendar)
2. Protect your ONE Thing (your most impactful work block of the week)

Pro Tip: Color-code your personal time. Make it pop.

Resources + Mentions:

• Book: Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Book: The ONE Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
• Domino Effect Demo Video: Watch this 5mm domino knock over a 100-pounder
• Tim Ferriss Podcast with Gary Keller (on how to say no)

Recap of the 3 Big Ideas:

1. Prioritize Personal First — Your health, family, and values are made of glass. If they break, they don’t bounce back.
2. Start with One Thing — Identify the lead domino. The ONE action that makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
3. Eliminate Ruthlessly — Say no to the trivial many so you can say yes to the vital few. If it’s not a heck yes, it’s a no.

Join the Conversation:

Have you tried planning your week this way? DM me on LinkedIn or leave a comment—I’d love to hear how this experiment works for you.

Episode Summary

In this episode, I share the single most powerful strategy that changed everything for me during my Five Hour Workday experiment: habit design. I explain how I went from running on willpower to designing my day with intention using a simple formula that helped me stick to the habits that mattered most.

I talk through:

• How I learned to automate willpower so I could focus on what matters most
• The one simple formula I now use to design new habits
• Why identity is the foundation for habits that actually stick
• How I applied the four laws of habit design to change my behavior
• How I stopped relying on motivation and started building momentum through tiny wins
• Why celebrating my habits helped hardwire them faster
• How long it really took me to install habits (hint: it wasn’t 21 days)

What I’ve Learned

1. Start with Who I Want to Become

I used to set goals based on results I wanted. But real change happened when I asked:
“Who do I want to be?”
When I tied my habits to identity—“I’m a reader,” “I’m a Spartan athlete,” “I’m a present father”—my behaviors started to align naturally. Each time I acted in alignment, I’d say:
“That’s like me.”
It was a game-changer.

2. I Use Algorithms to Make Habits Stick

I follow a simple structure:
When [trigger], I will [behavior]

Examples from my day:

• When I get into bed, I will pick up my book and read one page.
• When I sit at my desk, I will review my vision statement before opening email.
• When I finish a call, I will stand and stretch for 60 seconds.

This formula helped me remove decision fatigue and lock in powerful, automatic habits.

3. I Design Habits Using the Four Laws

From Atomic Habits, I follow these steps when building a new habit:

1. Make it obvious – I leave visual cues (like my book on the nightstand).
2. Make it attractive – I pair habits with something I enjoy (like listening to a podcast while working out).
3. Make it easy – I start tiny. (One page, one push-up.)
4. Make it satisfying – I check a box, celebrate, or simply say “That’s like me.”

To break a habit, I reverse the rules:

• I make the bad habit invisible, unattractive, difficult, and unsatisfying.
• Example: I removed social media apps from my phone and created friction to log in.

My Weekly Habit Design Experiment

At the end of this episode, I guide you through a 3-step process to create your own habit:

1. Ask Two Questions:
   • What’s one thing I need to stop doing?
   • What’s one thing I need to start doing?
2. Write Your Habit Algorithm:
   • When [trigger], I will [behavior]
   • Add: “That’s like me.”
3. Anchor It to Identity:
   • I want to be an energizer, so I work out in the morning.
   • I want to be a world-class advisor, so I review my vision before opening my inbox.
   • I want to be a lifelong learner, so I read one page each night.

Even better, I celebrate each habit—mini fist pump, smile, or just a simple affirmation. This tiny celebration gives me a little dopamine hit and helps the habit stick faster.

Resources That Helped Me

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham
• BJ Fogg’s Behavior Design Lab at Stanford
• The ONE Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan