Beat the Sunday Scaries. Finally get things done. Win back control of your time. It’s possible when you become the CEO of your own life. Here’s how to do it.

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It’s Sunday and I’ve got that uneasy feeling in my stomach again.

There’s all this stuff that needs to be done.

And there’s no time to do any of it.

This feeling of existential dread that looms over me as I try to piece together how my Monday is going to go, and how the rest of my week will develop.

I feel … out of control.

And when I’m feeling out of control, my breathing gets fast, my mind races, and my stomach does the butterfly thing.

It’s the classic case of anxiety on a Sunday.

What we’re now commonly referring to as the Sunday Scaries.

It can get so bad that we end up ruining the last few precious hours of the weekend while mired in this state of fight or flight.

“If you live for the weekends and vacations, your shit is broken.”

– Gary Vaynerchuk

I’m not the biggest fan of Gary Vee, but this quote kinda sums up what’s happening.

We are so inundated and beat up by the constant onslaught of Monday through Friday that by the time we get to Friday night, we are drained.

But we still have tons of adulting, parenting, and just life to do, so we can never keep up.

By Sunday afternoon, we find ourselves hilariously behind on … well, everything.

And the anxiety, the guilt, the overwhelm, mount.

For many years, I had this same feeling.

If you’re reading this, you might have them, too (a whopping 70-percent of people experience the Sunday Scaries).

I realized that I needed to find a better way to take back control, to put things into better perspective, otherwise I would crumble.

And I’ve found through years of inner work and therapy that action does alleviate anxiety.

So I started taking action.

Today, we’re going to talk about why you should start treating life a little more like a business and how you can become the CEO of your own life.

It’s been a major factor in helping rid myself of the Sunday Scaries. And now I actually get a lot more done than I ever did, without the overwhelm.

Let’s get into it.

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You already are the CEO of your own life. It’s time to start acting like it.

Work.

Kids.

Social engagements.

Exercise.

Eating healthy.

Self-care.

Doctor appointments.

Countless notifications from your smartphone.

It’s all a dizzying array of responsibilities and tasks.

The modern adult is not equipped to handle all of this without breaking down and burning out.

Sure you get through it all and survive.

The emails are answered.

The kids get to the soccer game.

That presentation gets raving reviews.

But at what cost?

You’re likely hanging on by a thread. Where the hell can you find the time for all of this and perhaps one day actually have a few minutes to enjoy life along the way?

Here’s the harsh truth: You have the time (It really doesn’t look like it right now, I get it).

When you start seeing things like the CEO of your own life, you’ll understand.

We just need to focus your attention and priorities a little better

Starting today, you must now make it your life’s work to figure this out.

And that starts with you.

Think about when you are sitting on a plane, waiting to take off and the flight attendant starts the boring safety instructions.

There’s a significant part in the presentation that applies to this newsletter today:

“Should an emergency situation occur, you need to put your own oxygen mask on first, before attempting to help those around you.”

Why?

Because you need to be able to perform optimally in order to help others. And you cannot perform at an optimal level if you aren’t getting enough oxygen.

The same applies to your life.

You must take care of yourself and make yourself a priority before you can even begin to think about being awesome and juggling all of the family and career obligations without burning out like I did.

You’ll have more energy in your day if you make exercise a priority.

There’ll be far more clarity, purpose, and meaning when you spend time learning and improving your craft or learning a new skill.

Life is just better when you take time to be present with family, friends and even (some) coworkers instead of half-assing your conversations because you’re always checking your phone.

Imagine feeling better about the weekday grind knowing that there’s at least one or two things to look forward to after your workday is over.

You can do this.

Stop guilt-tripping your way out of it and start making a plan to actualize it.

Here’s the plan.

How to become the CEO of your own life

It starts by figuring out which pot on the stove is the biggest priority for you right now.

I like to break this down into four to five key areas:

• Health
• Career
• Self-care
• Knowledge acquisition
• Relationships (family, friends, even colleagues, etc.)

Do not worry about the time required just yet.

We’ve got to set our priorities straight first, then we’ll figure out the timing.

Take care of your hardware (aka, Health)

If you are struggling to get consistent with your eating, fitness, mental health or sleep habits, then maybe now is the time to really focus on this aspect.

List out the two to three behaviors to practice over the next quarter.

If you need help determining how to eat healthier, I’ve got tons of resources for you to explore.

And if you need time-efficient workouts that are perfect for a busy high-performing CEO like you, I’ve got you covered with minimalist routines that have helped me get into the best shape of my life at the age of 45.

Career forward

What do you need to do over the next 90 days to advance your current status, find a new position, or maybe even start your own business?

Figure out what it is that you need right now.

Almost 30-percent of workers blame their bosses for being the root of their Sunday Scaries.

Maybe it’s time to either address this with your boss (if you’ve got that kind of relationship).

Or find a new boss.

And if that isn’t the answer, maybe it’s time to become your own boss.

Sit down with your journal and ask yourself the tough questions about your current situation.

Is it possible to make a little less money if it means you get back a little more time? Only you can answer that.

Don’t give me shit about being broke.

I grew up on food stamps, so I understand the importance of paying rent.

But it’s still a question worth exploring if that extra time is possible and would lead to better mental health, or maybe even your own business eventually.

Don’t be an asshole to yourself, either. Use one of my favorite journal prompts for personal growth and reflection:

What advice would you give to a good friend in this exact same situation?

Be specific.

Find the clarity you need.

Knowledge acquisition

What courses could you take to help you improve your current situation?

Books to read?

Maybe you need to hire a coach for the next few weeks to provide some accountability.

It can be something for your personal or professional life.

CEOs are always going to conferences, reading and looking for ways to improve their knowledge base.

You must do the same for your own personal growth as you step into the role of CEO of your own life.

Networking (aka, relationships)

For many of us, we get so laser-focused on the first few pillars and end up realizing that we’ve lost sight of our family and loved ones.

I like to slow things down over the summers when my kids are home from school so I have more time to play and take advantage of things like the museums and culture here in New York City.

For you, maybe it’s just blocking out time to be more present.

If it seems a bit “ick” to have to specifically schedule the time for your kids and/or family, understand this:

I’d rather spend one hour of blocked out, present and focused time with my kids rather than eight hours of half-asses, distracted time bouncing between kids, emails, calls and my phone.

Get over the stigma.

Block the time out if you need that kind of dedication or reminder.

Self-care

And then the final category is for the hard-charging CEO types that take care of everything else but their own mental health.

You can have the body of a Greek God, strong family and an incredible career, but be completely burning yourself out in the process and on the verge of collapse.

Maybe the next few months require a refocus.

I see plenty of CEOs doing all kinds of fun experiences with their unlimited money. They understand the value of taking time away for fun.

We ain’t got that Zuckerberg budget, I get that.

But, get creative with it.

I play video games almost daily as a way to unwind.

Can you schedule in time for more play or fun, engaging things?

Or maybe even find more time for an extended bath? Spa? Massage? Even a walk?

What do you need to provide some relief, relaxation and fun?

Prioritize yourself, and be unapologetic about it.

Where do you get the time for all of this?

You cannot prioritize everything, everywhere, all at once.

This is what the best CEOs understand so they can move things forward.

This does not mean that you ignore two or three pots on the stove while turning your attention to just one.

It just means that two or three other pots might need to be on a gentle simmer for a bit while you really focus on the pan that needs to saute so you don’t overcook your meal.

All these damn metaphors, Pete. Get to the damn point.

Find one thing out of the pillars above that will be your main focus over the next 30, 60, 90 days.

Your job is to then block out the time in your calendar every single day to ensure that behavior is happening.

Be intentional with your time.

Make these new habits as easy as possible to achieve.

Example: If working out is your thing this month, and you are new to doing it, starting with some big goal of training five to six days a week for 60 minutes at a clip is going to be way too intimidating and you’re going to burn out and quit.

Start smaller.

I’ve started some of my fitness students out with just one to two sets of high rep bodyweight squats (like 50-100 reps at a time) and then used the momentum to build that up into a more full body routine over time.

If learning something new or advancing your career is the focus, can you break it down into one daily action?

Maybe one chapter of a book or module of a course per day or week.

Just 15 minutes per day if you really need to save time.

The important thing is that you set your intention

Schedule it.

Yes, even the personal priorities.

You are the CEO of your own life and CEOs time block out their days. Sometimes down to the minute.

It’s through this structure that you’ll eventually find more freedom.

At minimum, each burner on the stove should require about 15 minutes of your time per day on average.

Over the course of a year, 15 minutes per day adds up to almost 91 total hours of time.

Imagine where you’d be if you spent 91 hours over the next 365 days focusing on your fitness, career, relationships and self-care consistently.

You’d be unrecognizable.

But people get really impatient and overestimate what they can do in one month while underestimating the results you’ll see from compounded interest in one full year.

CEOs play the long game, too.

CEOs do not multitask

It’s been proven that multitasking is not productive.

Focus on one specific thing at a time.

This doesn’t mean that by putting fitness on the back burner, you ignore your fitness altogether.

It just means that it’s baked-in and requires less focus and energy than it did when you were adopting the behavior. You have more mental bandwidth now.

As the CEO of your own life, you can now rotate to another pot on the stove.

Maybe from fitness, your relationships become the biggest priority.

For how long have you been juggling everything all half-assed, just hoping shit doesn’t fall … until it eventually does anyway?

You’re completely burned out, losing productivity, creativity and probably really exhausted physically and mentally.

Stop that shit.

Your brain works better when we prioritize and compartmentalize our projects.

Treat these focal points like seasons

Many businesses will have their own approach to the calendar year versus the fiscal year by setting quarterly goals.

Do the same as the CEO of your own life.

I started treating the school year as the start of my actual year.

Hey, it’s my life, I get to do whatever the hell I want.

Since both of my Interns are in school now, it gives me a bit of order and clarity to sync up that way.

The many activities of the school year are going to affect my own personal schedule anyway, might as well lean into it.

The Fall is the beginning of the new year for me. I sit down and break down what I’d like to achieve while my kids are in school.

Summer is the end of the year and a chance to slow down, be with my kids, take time off and recharge.

And the Winter and Spring months vary depending on what priorities I’ve set on my own stovetop.

Usually for my health, I’ve been eating a bit out of whack over the summer, taking it easy and a little lax with my rules.

So when the “new year” starts at the beginning of school in the fall, that’s when I enter into a bit of a calorie deficit to lose some fluff.

By the holidays, I’ve leaned down and can relax with a diet break and enjoy myself with friends and family.

At the start of the actual calendar year in January, I might need a few weeks to reprioritize things just to knock off some excess holiday weight.

But then I use the dead of winter to eat closer to maintenance, maybe even add a bit of muscle.

By Spring, I’m thinking of upcoming vacations and beach season and I might get into more of an aggressive cut to lean down again before my kids go on Summer vacation.

I do similar things with my business approach.

• Taking a week or two at the start of my new year (again the beginning of school in September) to plan things out.
• Then drive hard for a few months into the holiday season before backing off to relax before picking up again in January to push a bit harder.
• When Summer comes I step back for about eight to 10 weeks to relax a little.

You don’t have to do it exactly like me.

Find what rhythm works best for you.

You are the CEO of your own life: Your business, your rules.

Weekly planning

Every week, I map out my tasks, objectives, and projects that need to be prioritized.

I identify the many obstacles that could potentially get in my way.

Then I time block out the next few days so I accomplish my daily/weekly goals.

I’m like the head coach creating a game plan.

Or the CEO charting a path for her company.

Every single week, you should be sitting down and mapping out your next seven days.

What is on the horizon for you?

As a parent of two kids, there are a ton of events and obligations to consider and navigate.

Throw in the holidays.

Toss in some social obligations with loved ones.

Sprinkle in those random extracurricular work functions (travel, calls, meetings, pitches, etc).

You need to have a  plan for all of this.

And you still need to be prioritizing your health and mental wellness, too.

On top of everything, there needs to be space carved out for eating and moving well while taking rest and finding time for family and fun.

Some weeks, you’ll have more time for those things.

Other weeks, you’ll have to perform the minimum effective dose of each.

But either way, you must make time for everything.

And you do that by planning.

Every Sunday I sit down and look at the calendar, determine my priorities and start blocking out time to protect my focus so I can execute.

I even block out the time for play.

Weekly review

Likewise, you should be spending a few minutes every single week reviewing how things went for the previous seven days.

• Did everything go well according to your plan?
• Where can you improve for next time?
• What worked really freaking well last week that you’d like to replicate for next week?

The review and planning session do not need to take up any more than about 10-15 minutes total.

But that short amount of time will save you hours during the break.

One of the biggest reasons for the Sunday Scaries is uncertainty around the many tasks required of us.

Being the CEO of your own personal “company” with plan and review sessions will provide way more clarity and alleviate a ton of that anxiety.

Family meeting

If you are in a relationship, it means you’re not the only person you need to consider.

Make sure to meet with your partner at least once per week for a few minutes to go over their schedule and priorities, too.

There may be some overlap.

Or you might find a few additional things that you need to add or remove from your own plate.

Every weekend, my wife and I will go over the school calendar and then our own schedules.

We make lists of the things we’d like to get done around the house, for the kids … and then for ourselves.

We even assign tasks for each other or determine how to best divide and conquer.

For instance, one week there was a special event at school for my son’s class, but I had a dentist appointment.

My wife attended the school event while I had the pleasure of getting my mouth mangled by the hygienist.

Side note: What’s up with all of the medieval torture devices at the dental office anyway?

You are more in control of your life than you think you are

But you keep waiting for permission from others to fully take the reins.

Stop that right now.

Start mapping out what you want your day to day to look like and don’t stop working until you achieve that.

You are the CEO of your own life.

It’s time you start acting like it.

I hope you found this useful. If so, I’d appreciate it if you sent this newsletter to one person you think would benefit from my writing today.

And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “CEO of your own life” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Until next time,
Pete