The Productivity Pyramid: Free Up Time, Get More Done
/24:48/E9
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.
