The Power of Disconnecting to Reconnect.​
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Read time: 6 minutes

Hey, welcome back.

Last week, we talked about the importance of micro-actions and how they build trust in yourself over time.

​You can read that (and all past issues, here).

By the way, if you're finding these insights helpful, I've started collecting all these tools, resources, and one-sheets in the ever-growing 'Science of Success' vault. Check it out here.

Today, I want to talk about the opposite problem: what happens when your calendar is full… but none of it feels like it’s moving your life forward.

You’re busy. But you’re stuck.

The Real Reason You’re Always “On” But Getting Nowhere

The trap looks like this:

• You say yes to meetings that aren’t critical.
• You respond to every “urgent” message instantly.
• You measure productivity by how fast you reply, not by what you actually finish.

It feels like progress, but it’s just motion.

Your real work - the stuff that matters to you - keeps getting pushed to “tomorrow.”

The Cost of Other People Owning Your Time

Every time you give away your best hours to other people’s priorities, you:

• Lose the mental energy needed for deep work.
• Stay reactive instead of proactive.
• End the week wondering, “What did I actually accomplish?”

It’s not that helping others is bad.
It’s when their agenda always comes first, your own goals never get the focus they deserve.

Why Disconnecting Feels Uncomfortable

• Guilt - You don’t want to seem unhelpful.
• Fear - What if you miss something important?
• Habit - You’ve trained yourself to react instantly.

But here’s the truth:
No one will protect your time for you.

How to Take Back Control

Step 1: Audit your week​
Look at your calendar from the past 7 days.
Mark each block as:

• Green = directly moved your goals forward
• Yellow = neutral admin work
• Red = purely someone else’s priorities

Step 2: Protect your prime time​
Pick your best 1–2 hours of the day and make them non-negotiable for your own projects.

Step 3: Go offline for deep work​
Close email, silence Slack, put your phone in another room.

Step 4: Ship something small​
Make sure every day has one action that moves your needle forward - even if it’s tiny.

A Quick Story

Earlier this year, I realised my mornings were a write-off.
I’d start the day in my inbox and by lunch, my brain was fried.

So I made one change:
​No calls, no emails before 11 am.

First 90 minutes = my own highest priority.
Result? I made more meaningful progress in 3 weeks than the previous 3 months.

The Science Behind It

A 2017 study in Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes found that switching between self-directed work and externally imposed tasks kills your sense of progress and ramps up fatigue.

When you spend most of your day reacting, you don’t just lose time - you lose momentum.

Small Moves That Change Everything

Start tomorrow:

• Begin your day with your own work before checking messages.
• Say “no” to one request that doesn’t align with your priorities.
• Block one uninterrupted hour for deep work - no notifications.
• End the week by reviewing: did I lead my week, or did it lead me?

Final Thought

Being busy isn’t the goal.
Moving forward is.

And the fastest way to do that?
Stop letting everyone else’s priorities set the pace of your life.

SOS (Science of Success) Curated:

LinkedIn of the week: Most people forget titles.​
​

Podcast of the week: How Your Microbiome Influences Your Mind​

My Tweet of the week: How to feel better next Monday​

Research Worth Reading:

A 2023 field experiment (N=247) published in a peer-reviewed journal examined what happens when knowledge workers disable notifications for a full workday.

The results were striking: reducing notification-induced interruptions significantly improved performance and lowered strain. Importantly, individuals with lower fear of missing out (FoMO) and moderate telepressure, meaning they didn’t feel compelled to respond immediately benefited the most.
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Key takeaway:​
Notifications aren’t just annoying they’re productivity killers. Turning them off is not resistance or avoidance - it’s reclaiming your brain’s bandwidth for deeper, more meaningful work.

Want to test this yourself?​
Try turning off notifications for just one morning. Track how much progress you make on your most important task. You might be surprised at how much smoother and more focused your day unfolds.

​→ Link to stud​y​

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1-1 Coaching with Dan

In my goal to help more entrepreneurs/people who are looking to level up their careers, I've just started taking 1-1 consulting calls (only 1 a week)

Why book a call? Some of my expertise/success:

I've built 5 startups. 1 win, 1 fail, and 3 still going.

E-Commerce: Heights - with revenue over $15M a year.

Community: Foundrs, one of the UK's top founder communities

Podcasting: Leaders Media - bootstrapped media company that makes the UK's top business podcasts, Secret Leaders, with over 50M downloads.

Health/Mental Health: Managed to overcome burnout, insomnia, depression & anxiety in pursuit of success as I talk about in my interview with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO​

Angel Investing: I've invested in over 90 startups

Coached & Mentored: Certified coach & done lots of mentoring

Personal Brand: Have grown to 178k on LinkedIn and X (Twitter) in the past 12 months

So if you're interested in booking a session with me to talk all things business or building a personal brand, book for 30-minutes or 45-minutes. (limited spots).

Science of Success Vault

I'm building a vault of valuable tools, resources, and one sheets that I hope help you succeed.

These will be stored in the ever-growing 'Science of Success' vault - you can always access that here

Want to take your success (even more) seriously? 👇​
🧠 Fuel your brain and feed your gut, try Heights here (use code 'SOSDMS' for 15% off your first month of any subscription

🎧 Check out my podcast Secret Leaders here​

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