521. Build a Business That Won’t Burn You Out with Chris Ducker

The ONE Thing

NOVA Media

Entrepreneurship, Business, Careers

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hustle can help you finish a launch, but it can’t be your lifestyle. In this episode, Jay and Chris dig into what it really means to lead for the long haul: trading glorified exhaustion for intentional sustainability. Chris shares his 2021 brush with burnout—and the hard reset that followed—making the case that energy, not time, is a leader’s most valuable asset. Together, they explore where to start: sleep as a keystone habit, self-care as a leadership strategy, and putting constraints on work (think four-day weeks and planned sabbaticals) so impact—not busyness—wins your calendar. Chris walks Jay through his three-column Stop–Stay–Start audit to eliminate what isn’t working, amplify what is via 1% “micro moves,” and finally add in what’s missing. They also talk about making “hustle” a season with a clear end, why hobbies supercharge productivity and creativity, and how designing a business around your life creates better results at work and at home. If you’ve felt the warning signs of burnout—or you’re simply ready to work smarter for longer—this conversation will help you realign fast. Challenge of the Week: Do the Stop–Stay–Start audit—but only complete the STOP column. Write down everything in your work and life that isn’t working or bringing value right now. Circle three items you’ll stop this week and remove them from your calendar. *** To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods. We talk about: Why hustle should be a season, not a lifestyle How to run a Stop–Stay–Start audit to make space for what matters Shifting from managing time to managing energy Links & Tools from This Episode: Read The Long-Haul Leader by Chris Ducker Read Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker Read Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Watch: Why Smart People Stay Stuck in ‘Getting Ready’ Mode with Pat Flynn (Ep. 514) Free Resources Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email podcast@the1thing.com or send us an audio note at Speakpipe.com/the1thing. Produced by NOVA

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week, I'm chatting with Chris Ducker. He's my friend, a serial entrepreneur, and also a best-selling author.
0:06.5	His new book is called The Long Hall Leader, and I got to read the advanced manuscript. The book is coming out tomorrow as of the dropping of this podcast, and it is filled with lots of synergies with the one thing.
0:18.8	We talk about how we can set a sustainable pace,
0:21.3	how we can honor the different areas of our life, not just focus on productivity and work.
0:26.4	There's a lot of alignment here and lots of ahas. And if you listen carefully, right after the break,
0:31.7	I love it. He goes into a very simple three-step framework where you can eliminate a lot of
0:37.1	stuff that isn't serving
0:38.1	you in your life, you can amplify the stuff that is, and also start adding back the things
0:43.2	that are missing. So there's some simple practical frameworks in this episode from someone
0:47.4	who has pushed to the edge of burnout while trying to succeed at a high level. The lessons
0:52.5	he's learned that he can impart to you,
0:54.3	and we all could use to hear again and again. So let's dive into this episode with Chris Tucker.
0:59.7	I'm Jay Papazan, and this is the One Thing, your weekly guide to the simple steps that lead
1:04.7	to extraordinary here.
1:23.2	I'm so excited about your upcoming book. It comes out tomorrow, and in terms of when this podcast
1:28.8	is landing, I got to read an advance copy. I read it from cover to cover in one weekend. So great
1:34.9	job. I'm really excited to dive in and share some of these ideas with our One Thing listeners.
1:39.5	Thank you, man. I appreciate you getting through the entire book and that short space of time. Clearly, I did
1:45.6	something to keep you connected to the words, if nothing else. You tell great stories and as a one
1:51.2	thing advocate, right? I'm looking, I'm trying to spread those ideas in the world. So much of
1:55.9	your message resonates with the things that we're battling. You know, we have a lot of folks
2:00.4	struggling with the business trap. We like to say, we have a lot of folks struggling with the
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