Why my "working just 10 minutes per day" claim is a crock
Published: Tue, 06/01/21
A story with many lessons embedded within.
Here is the scoop:
The product title is “10-Minute Workday.”
And it was deliberately worded for many reasons.
One of which is I knew, before it even launched, it would trigger a bunch of emotionally damaged goo-roo casino wanderers and other assorted trolls. Specifically, the ones who have been burned before — multiple times, due to buying into nonsensical biz opp claims — who would proceed to unpack all that resulting pent-up bitter angst on my program without even getting the facts first, simply due to the title alone.
At one time, there were even a gaggle of them whining about it on Reddit.
On the other hand, there are legitimate people who ask if the claim in the title is possible.
Like for example, KJ, who asked:
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Hey Ben,
I'm intrigued by what you do. You're challenging all my assumptions about work and money... what the heck man?! Anyways, do you really make your money with a 10-minute workday? I'm skeptical but I want to live the dream. Happy to hear from you. Thanks
===
The short answer:
Possible? Yes.
But probable?
That depends on the business using it, how hard they work, how seriously they take things, how ambitious they are, how much time they invest to build it, and a whole slew of variables outside my control.
The longer answer:
It took me some 9 years to get there.
I also did not invent any of it (it is primarily direct response marketing and info publishing 101), had to figure it out on my own, and simply arranged it all into a roadmap that is now that program. But for about 6 years (approximately August 2011 to late 2017) straight… I not only lived the proverbial 10-minute workday lifestyle, after a decade of burning the candles at both ends completely burned me out… but there were times when it was probably a ten second workday.
Many days I did literally nothing at all, just recycling past emails.
I even timed it one month for S&Gs.
I timed how long it took to write and/or recycle at times the emails to sell my offers that month, and the time it took to write that month’s issue of my “Email Players” newsletter, and guesstimated how long it took to answer daily routine questions via email, etc.
In that case, in that particular month, it came out to less than ten minutes per day, on average.
So yes, it’s clearly possible.
How probable that is, again, is up to the business.
In my case, I write content much faster than the average polar bear.
That said, all that changed in last quarter of 2017.
Specifically, 3 things happened:
1. I finally emerged from burnout.
After which I realized I was extremely bored, and noticed it was starting to negatively affect my life — personal and business — in ways I won’t go into here
2. I started consuming a bunch of Dan Kennedy trainings.
Which inspired me to overhaul my business plan to become a more aggressive book publisher, create more offers/write more books/build more email campaigns for affiliate offers, and have a more secure business, etc
3. My ego reared its ugly head.
That year, I saw how close I was getting to having my first 7-figure in (gross, not net…) sales year, and wanted to make that benchmark.
Which I barely did, by about $2,000 in sales, give or take.
Since then, I’ve left the 10 minute workday lifestyle in the dust.
I am up and working by 3:00 am most days.
I also take a 10 mile walk 3-4 of those days, during which I do a lot of content-creation, customer service, and business planning on my phone - as I walk - in my other ventures over at Learnistic and our upcoming SocialLair social media platform (launching next week). And then after that, I often work even more later in the afternoon, and once in a while right up to bed.
I do not do it because I “have” to, though.
I was financially well-off by most standards doing the 10-minute workday schedule.
No, I started doing it because I WANTED to.
I loved having the 10 minute workday lifestyle.
But once you do what that course teaches, and do the hard work to learn it, get it up and running for however many weeks or months (or years, I will tell you now, it ain't "easy") it may take, and finally working for you… it makes for a rather boring existence if that’s ALL you do each day. Plus, while that program is still the exact foundation I tell business people to follow when starting out from scratch and still would do myself if starting over again… my ambitions grew beyond the results possible just following that methodology.
Nowadays, if anything, I am always adding to my day now.
I stopped trying to run from a life of hard work and embraced it even more.
It finally dawned on me I am not content unless I am working all day.
It energizes me.
Even on my so-called vacations, I still take care of business on my phone.
I’ve managed entire launches while on little weekend road trip vacations, from the hotel room or the bar I was sitting at… just answering questions, sending links to buyers (if a premium was promised from buying), and monitoring everything to make sure all is well. Sometimes even tapping out emails or creating some quick content on my phone.
It’s an ironic twist how there was a time when I kept wanting to get my workday smaller.
I even used to joke when speaking at seminars:
“I want a NINE minute workday…”
Now?
Even though I could do so, I don’t want to.
That’s why I heavily invested in 3 mobile app SaaS companies over the past 16 months, after I was getting to the end of the road as far as writing more books. In fact, now that my Social Lair book is launched, most likely I am going to be writing fiction, for fun, for a while. My next ambition is to add a new "wing" on to my business selling my fictional works and all the related comicbook, merchandising, and other offers that will entail.
We shall see.
But fiction or business, my work load will not shrink.
If anything, it will expand.
Anyway, so that’s the scoop on my 10-Minute Workday claim.
It sounds like a crock to some people I hope.
And that’s deliberate.
But if you aren't some buggy-eyed, feening biz opp addict who thinks you can build a business without months and years of hard work & developing new skills, you can learn more about it here:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/awai
NOTE:
You can't buy it today.
But, you can get on the notification list.
And when you do you’ll get my One Sentence Business Plan PDF.
You can use the info in the PDF whether you ever buy 10MWD or not.
It’s what I wish someone had handed me 20 years ago.
Ben Settle