522: How High Achievers Begin to Find Balance, with Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt: Win at Work and Succeed at Life

Michael is the founder and chairman of Michael Hyatt & Company, which helps leaders get the focus they need to win at work and succeed at life. Formerly chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael is also the creator of the Full Focus Planner*.

Michael is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of several books, including Free to Focus*, Your Best Year Ever*, Living Forward*, and Platform*. His work has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Businessweek, Entrepreneur, and other publications. He is the author with his daughter Meghan Hyatt Miller of Win at Work and Succeed at Life: 5 Principles to Free Yourself from the Cult of Overwork*.

In this conversation, Michael and I discuss the challenge that many leaders face in finding balance. While many of us are motivated by achievement, Michael invites us to consider the value of nonachievment. We explore where to start and the benefits of being a beginner again through hobbies and other activities, unrelated to our careers.

Key Points

• There’s incredible power in nonachievement.
• Many high-achieving people tend to have two leisure modes: feeling weird, unsettled, and distracted when taking time off — or vegging out on screens after exhaustion.
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi advises doing something that’s not related to work at all to get you into a different mindset.
• Beware the belief that your hobby is your work. Spending more time on a hobby that has nothing to do with work can boost confidence in your ability to perform your job well.
• The challenge for high achievers in starting a hobby is that they must be a beginner again. Getting coaching to help get through these early stages can help.

Resources Mentioned

• Bonus Resources: Win at Work and Succeed at Life
• Win at Work and Succeed at Life: 5 Principles to Free Yourself from the Cult of Overwork* by Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

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• How to Reclaim Conversation, with Cal Newport (episode 400)
• Finding Joy Through Intentional Choices, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 417)
• How to Sell Your Vision, with Michael Hyatt (episode 482)

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