5-Hour Formula: Live More, Work Less

5-Hour Formula: Live More, Work Less

menu close

[#12] Design Your Intentional Day

/ 21:23/E12
If I asked you to envision your perfect day — one that leaves you energized, satisfied, and fulfilled — what would it look like? Not a vacation or a lucky break, but a normal day. That’s the question at the heart of this episode.

Inspired by Heroic’s Brian Johnson and his idea of the Masterpiece Day (itself borrowed from legendary coach John Wooden), Alex shows how to design an intentional day that combines art, structure, and experimentation. This episode ties together all the big ideas from the 5-Hour Formula series — from time and vision to routines, habits, prioritization, productivity, and energy.

You’ll learn how to sketch your ideal day, build the rhythms that make it possible, and track your progress so you can live more days with intention — and fewer by default.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
  • Why your intentional day is an experiment, not perfection.
  • The “art” of sketching your Masterpiece Day (and how Alex designs his).
  • How structure turns your ideal day into reality:
    • Morning and evening routines (the bookends).
    • Habit design that makes willpower almost irrelevant.
    • Finding your ONE Thing with the 80/20 rule.
    • Using the Productivity Pyramid to protect deep work and eliminate waste.
    • Energy management as the ultimate multiplier.
  • The role of tracking: how small daily scores improve habits, energy, and results.
  • Why John Wooden focused on details — and how that applies to your day.
Today’s Experiment: Track Your Intentional Day

For this week’s experiment, start tracking just one thing from four categories. Keep it simple, do it for seven days, and treat it like a checklist:
  1. Core Work Activity — Pick the most important, trackable part of your work.
    • Example: client calls, writing sessions, or deliverables completed.
  2. Key Energy Protocol — Choose one driver of your energy.
    • Example: 7+ hours of sleep, morning walk, or hydration goal.
  3. Habit Tracking — Reinforce one small, repeatable behavior.
    • Example: “When I sit down at my desk, I’ll write for 10 minutes.”
  4. Free Time Objective — Pick something you’ve said you don’t have time for.
    • Example: practice Spanish for 10 minutes after dinner, or play catch with your kids.
Do this for a week. Next week, add one or two more. Over time, your tracker becomes a blueprint for your intentional day.

Key Takeaway

When you track your day, you live it with intention. And when you stack enough intentional days together, you begin to see your masterpiece take shape.

As John Wooden said: “Make each day your masterpiece.”

Example: Alex’s Intentional Day Tracker
  • Work KPIs → Client meetings requested: 15 / Booked: 3
  • Energy Protocols (1–10) → Sleep: 9 | Move: 10 | Eat: 7
  • Habit → “When I sit at my desk, I write for 10 minutes.” →  Yes
  • Fun → Spanish practice for 10 minutes after dinner →  Yes
 References & Resources
  • Brian Johnson — Heroic (Masterpiece Day concept)
  • John Wooden — Make Today a Masterpiece mantra
  • James Clear — Atomic Habits (habit design)
  • Gary Keller — The ONE Thing (80/20 principle)
  • Alex Pang — Rest and Shorter
  • Matthew Walker — Why We Sleep
  • Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz — The Power of Full Engagement
 Connect with Alex
[#12] Design Your Intentional Day

headphones Listen Anywhere

More Options »
Broadcast by