[tylerneylon]

I have lots of help. I write during work hours (so kids are at school). At work I delegate as much as possible to a team of great people; hiring a good team has been critical. I sometimes hire a sitter to support some exercise time, and other times I bring my kids with me to a running track. I hire housecleaners to clean regularly to help me keep my home nice and organized. I don't currently have a personal assistant, but in the past I did and that was helpful for getting "life things" done. My kids and I have gotten used to a culture where we alternate between independent time (so I can, say, read a textbook for an hour while they play) and together time. I've found that my kids enjoy independent time when they know they will regularly have focused attention from me, so I try to give them that (reliable focused attention, ideally 1:1). I do have less time to work than I did before kids, so I spend a portion of my energy planning ahead or delegating.

[throwaway2037]

Reading your comments, I think you have super human level of energy. Not to take anything away from your experience, but that isn't much help to the OP who is likely much lower energy. I observe the same in myself. Each year that I age up, the gap in energy between myself and peers grows larger. They keep getting fatter, slower, lazier, less innovative/intelligent. Me: Yes, a bit, but far slower than others around me. The last five years has been striking -- the distance. More and more people ask me: "How do you do it?" Or "When will you slow down?". For years, I thought something was wrong with me and my brain. Now, I understand the gap better. To be clear: This does not mean that I am _absolutely_ smarter than my peers (or a better worker!) -- I am only talking about "energy levels". Ask yourself: How does Elon Musk work 80/90/100 hours per week in his early 50s? Probably a lot cocaine and caffeine. Plus, he has super human level of energy. When I listen to Cal Newport's style of working, I think: "Oh, hey, that's me!" Of course, I'm not a university professor and successful author of many best sellers. But the energy level is similar.

[triceratops]

To be fair at his level of wealth, there's very little, other than bodily functions and basic hygiene, that he needs to do for himself. You can get a lot more work done when you don't have to worry about cooking, laundry, cleaning, driving anywhere, childcare, random paperwork and administrivia, home maintenance...

[throwaway2037]

Yes, his mental load must be so much lower than someone who needs to juggle all of those tasks. Hat tip for the term "administrivia" -- I never saw it before!

[iamcurious]

>Ask yourself: How does Elon Musk work 80/90/100 hours per week in his early 50s

My guess is that he is exaggerating, he has a track record of doing that. Or that what he means by "work" is actually way more layback than what a cashier at costso means by "work".

[mtelgon]

what is your take on caffeine consumption?