Greg here! Welcome to The Middle, the mid-week newsletter where I share real stories and recommendations directly from me to you.

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The Discipline of Dialing it Back

By Greg Scheinman

I’ve always thought I was pretty lazy. Not in the traditional sense of being a slouch or avoiding work, but in the way I craved space, time and freedom. I used to see that as a flaw. If I didn’t want to grind 24/7, didn’t want to fill every waking hour with some kind of hustle, didn’t wake up every day with a checklist the length of a CVS receipt, that must mean I wasn’t ambitious. Right?

That’s what I used to think.

But recently, I saw a post on LinkedIn from a guy I know and respect. He was sharing how he and his wife have been working seven days a week for a while now. Super intense schedule, always on. To “keep it all together,” they decided to take a much-needed eight-day trip to Japan.

And all I could think was... really?

No disrespect, but going halfway around the world for what’s essentially a high-effort vacation can’t be the answer to a life that’s packed to the brim every other week of the year. That’s not a break. That’s a temporary pause on a schedule that’s already out of control.

The world we live in rewards constant motion. There’s a badge of honor in being overbooked. Especially for men, we’re taught early on that success comes from being busy, staying late, waking up early, doing more, always more. Even when we talk about burnout, the answer we’re given is usually another productivity hack, a better supplement, or some magical morning routine.

What we don’t talk about enough is sustainability. Or longevity. Or balance.

We just keep adding. More workouts. More skincare. More gear. More apps. More stuff. Bigger homes. Faster cars. Better everything.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned: the solution isn’t found in addition. It’s found in subtraction. In dialing things back.

Doing less, with more focus. Cutting out the noise. Creating room. Not because you’re lazy, but because you’re disciplined enough to protect your energy and intentional enough to know what actually matters.

That space you’re craving? That desire to not be busy all the time? It’s not a character flaw. It’s not weakness. And it sure as hell isn’t laziness. It’s wisdom. It’s a sign you’re paying attention.

The goal isn’t to crush every hour of the day with a new task or a new opportunity. The goal is to do what matters most, and to have the space to enjoy the life you’ve built when you get there.

And here's something no one tells you until you figure it out on your own: working more doesn’t always mean earning more. Training harder doesn’t always mean you’ll be healthier. You get better by being deliberate. You get stronger, wealthier, and more fulfilled by giving yourself time to think, rest, recover, invest, and connect with your people.

Time is the one thing you can’t manufacture. And yet most of us treat it like it’s unlimited.

So when I hear about dads in midlife grinding seven days a week and thinking a single family vacation is going to magically hold things together, I can’t help but shake my head. Every week, I talk to men who’ve “won” at life on paper but don’t feel like they’ve arrived anywhere. They can’t sit still. They can’t relax. They can’t stop doing.

They don’t know how to act like they’ve made it, because they’ve never actually defined what that looks like.

At some point, you’ve got to be able to just sit with yourself, with nothing on the agenda, no guilt, no pressure. Just you and a book, or a walk, or a moment of quiet, and be totally good with that.

That’s not laziness. That’s freedom.

The life you want doesn’t come from working endlessly. It comes from choosing wisely, focusing intentionally, and having the guts to stop chasing things you never really wanted in the first place.

And sometimes it just means sitting on your ass and doing nothing on purpose.

If you want proof, watch Matt LeBlanc happily being a pro at doing nothing:

Matt LeBlanc being a pro at doing nothing 😂😂

In health,

Greg

FITNESS LATELY….

In our Sunday Issue of Midlife Male I shared a strength training split that has become one of our most popular fitness pieces. We’ve had nearly 500 readers check it out already and I wanted to share it again here in case you missed it.

I am currently on a three-day full-body split. It works because between family, career, travel, and everything else, it’s manageable. Plus, with full-body workouts, you don’t have to worry about missing “back & bi’s” because you’re hitting everything each session.

Pair this workout with walking, rucking, yoga, swimming, cycling or whatever keeps you moving. And don’t forget recovery. 

Want to try it? 

Here’s the essential MLM-approved program that I’m using right now:

Midlife Male
52. Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. Coach. Student of the game.
Still walking the walk.