When I was 18, I made $200 per hour running a business with my dad. At that age, I thought I’d cracked the code to becoming a millionaire. One day’s earnings covered my rent, utilities, and expenses for the entire month.

But then, everything changed.

I had a conversation with my grandfather—my first mentor in business—that altered how I thought about time, money, and value forever.

When I asked him how to make a million dollars, he said something simple, yet profound:

“To make a million dollars, either work 40 hours a week at $500/hour or 20 hours at $1,000/hour. Not all activities are created equal.”

At first, I thought his advice was overly simplistic. But the deeper I dug, the more I realized: he was right. High-value activities create massive impact, while low-value tasks keep you stuck.

Over the years, I’ve developed a repeatable system based on his wisdom. This system has helped me systematically increase the value of my time to $1,000 per hour—and beyond.

Here’s how you can do the same.

Step 1: Understand the Value of Your Activities

Not all tasks are created equal. Some activities are worth $10/hour, while others create outcomes worth $10,000/hour or more. The key is identifying which activities fall into each bucket.

Here’s a simplified breakdown:

• $10/hour: Cooking, cleaning, answering emails, running errands.
• $100/hour: Managing ad campaigns, creating systems, or talking to sales prospects.
• $1,000/hour: Building sales funnels, creating content, negotiating deals.
• $10,000/hour: Hiring key talent, refining messaging, cutting costs.
• $100,000/hour: Radical innovation, building a platform business, creating economic moats.

Insight: The higher the value of the activity, the longer it takes for the payoff. A $10/hour task pays off immediately, but $100,000/hour activities might take years.

Step 2: Track Your Time

Before you can optimize your time, you need to know how you’re spending it. For one week every quarter, track your activities in 30-minute increments. Use an alarm to remind yourself and log every task—no matter how small.

Once the week is over:

1. Categorize each task into one of the value buckets.
2. Calculate your average hourly rate by dividing the total value of your activities by the hours worked.

For example, if you discover your average hourly rate is $250/hour, that’s your baseline. Your goal? Systematically increase it.

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Step 3: Delegate, Delete, and Double Down

Here’s the framework that changed everything for me:

1. Delete

Look at tasks below your target hourly rate. Ask yourself, What would happen if I stopped doing this entirely?

• Example: I used ChatGPT to map out first, second, and third-order consequences of quitting certain tasks. If the risks were minimal, I stopped doing them.

2. Delegate

If you can’t delete a task, delegate it. Hire someone whose time is worth less than yours to handle these activities.

• Example: I delegated ad management ($100/hour) to a freelancer so I could focus on creating products and building partnerships.

3. Double Down

Spend the time you’ve freed up on high-value activities. Focus on tasks at or above your current hourly rate to create compounding value.

Step 4: Iterate Quarterly

Every quarter, repeat the process:

1. Track your time for one week.
2. Categorize your activities.
3. Use “Delegate, Delete, Double Down” to optimize your schedule.

With each iteration, your average hourly rate will climb—sometimes by hundreds of dollars per quarter.

Step 5: Learn from the Best

To truly level up, surround yourself with people operating at the level you aspire to. If your goal is $10,000/hour, study entrepreneurs and leaders already working at that level.

Pay attention to how they spend their time, then replicate those patterns in your own business.

The Long Game

The results won’t come overnight. High-value activities take time to pay off. But if you stay consistent, track your progress, and continually optimize, your time will become exponentially more valuable.

The secret millionaires and billionaires know? It’s not luck—it’s leverage. What you do with your time, and the number of people impacted by your work, determines everything.

If you’re ready to start optimizing your time, I’ve created a tool that simplifies the process. [Download it here.] Or join the Flywheel Group, where I’ll teach you exactly how to implement this system step by step.

Your time is your greatest asset. Invest it wisely.

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