"I don't have 30 minutes."

A client said it on Tuesday. His wife is a month away from giving birth. He has a toddler at home, a corporate job, and a business he's building on the side.

Training, he told me, is "the first thing that will go the minute the baby is here."

He's 20 lbs overweight. He came to me because he was worried that once the baby comes, he's going to completely lose it.

You'd think he needs someone to keep him accountable. To ask every week whether he's done the workout and eaten right.

I don't.

When he shows up to the call ready to share he hasn't done something he planned, the energy to work through things isn't there.

We gotta switch gears.

So, we focus on his obsession - the business he's building. I get him to share a little more, and a little more. You can see him light up, the guard is down, his energy is completely different. He's not anxious, and he's not feeling pressed to give answers.

Then I bring the conversation back: "How do you think we could solve the logistics issue this week?"

And I just let him talk. He has all the answers. All of a sudden, he realizes there's a store next to his house. He doesn't have to make a trip to Costco every time something is missing.

Training was the same. The stuff from the baby's room moved to the basement, where his equipment is. It's difficult to train in there.

So I asked him: "Would reducing it to a complete, biggest-bang-for-buck minimum make it easier?"

Pushups, inverted rows, goblet squats. 3 rounds. 15 minutes. 3-2-1 reps away from failure.

Here's what I believe: whenever you have an obstacle in the way, you simplify, and you simplify again, until it's stupidly simple to execute and doesn't waste mental bandwidth.

We got off the call. An hour later I saw he'd knocked out his workout and rated it "locked in."

It wasn't about discipline. It was about the right angle.

I don't believe in accountability for accountability's sake.

P.S. If there's a date coming you're afraid will wipe you out, that's the Restart Audit. 45 minutes, you and me, let's see if we can break down the patterns that kept you stuck.

​Book your Restart Audit >>​