{"id":81130,"date":"2022-10-06T12:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=81130"},"modified":"2022-10-20T11:10:53","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T15:10:53","slug":"clockwork-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clockwork-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Clockwork: Book Overview (Mike Michalowicz)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Mike Michalowicz’s Clockwork<\/em> about? What is the key message to take away from the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Clockwork<\/em>, Mike Michalowicz presents a process entrepreneurs can follow to become hands-off visionaries. A hands-off entrepreneur trains her employees to take care of the hands-on work instead of overseeing the daily operations herself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is a brief overview of Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself<\/em> by Mike Michalowicz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For most small business owners, taking a four-week vacation is inconceivable. Overwhelmed with the hands-on work of running their company\u2019s daily operations, many entrepreneurs feel too burned out to achieve work-life balance\u2014let alone take a vacation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in his book Clockwork<\/em>, entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz claims a four-week vacation is<\/em> within reach for small business owners. To achieve it, they must abandon their typical, hands-on approach to leading their business. He argues that entrepreneurs can avoid burnout, achieve work-life balance<\/a>, and revitalize their businesses by committing to a hands-off<\/em> approach. <\/strong>This enables the entrepreneur to instead play the role of visionary, a role which suits their entrepreneurial spirit and offers the luxury of ample time off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michalowicz is an entrepreneur and the author of seven books on entrepreneurship, including Profit First<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>His ideas in Clockwork<\/em> stem from his experience becoming a hands-off business owner and coaching other entrepreneurs to do the same. He writes primarily for an audience of small business owners with multiple employees. However, some of his ideas on work-life balance and taking a hands-off approach to work are relevant to anyone<\/em> seeking to avoid burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll begin this guide by exploring why entrepreneurs are prone to burnout. Then, we\u2019ll turn to solutions by presenting Michalowicz\u2019s steps for becoming a hands-off entrepreneur with a healthy work-life balance<\/a>. Throughout this guide, we\u2019ll compare his ideas to those of other business experts, such as Gino Wickman, Jocko Willink, and Leif Babin<\/a>. We\u2019ll also supplement the author\u2019s strategies with additional actionables, such as how to prevent your employees from burning out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Problem: Entrepreneur Burnout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Michalowicz, burnout plagues many entrepreneurs. <\/strong>Burnout is when stress drains you of your physical, emotional, and mental energy<\/a>. Over time, burnout leaves entrepreneurs too depleted to run a successful business<\/a>. We\u2019ll begin this section by understanding why so many entrepreneurs burn out. Then, we\u2019ll explore why entrepreneurs\u2019 usual solution to burnout\u2014maximizing their productivity\u2014doesn\u2019t actually help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Entrepreneurs Suffer From Burnout<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Michalowicz argues that entrepreneurs suffer from burnout because they run their businesses using a <\/strong>hands-on approach<\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Hands-on entrepreneurs involve themselves in most aspects of their company\u2019s daily operations. This includes everyday tasks (such as corresponding with customers) and related decisions (such as when to proactively contact customers). Even entrepreneurs who delegate daily tasks to their employees are hands-on, since these entrepreneurs still make most of the decisions <\/em>behind those tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Research reveals that entrepreneurs experience a unique form of burnout<\/a>, partly due to the stress of making too many decisions<\/a>. This finding supports Michalowicz\u2019s claim that a hands-on approach (which entails making many decisions) contributes to entrepreneur burnout<\/a>. Entrepreneur burnout tends to manifest in the body and persist beyond work hours. Burned-out entrepreneurs typically experience both physical exhaustion and difficulty thinking clearly. By contrast, employee burnout tends to show up during<\/em> work hours. Burned-out employees feel unmotivated to do their best work and disconnected from colleagues.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Entrepreneurs Burn Themselves Out With a Hands-On Approach<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Michalowicz argues that entrepreneurs default to a hands-on approach because it feeds their self-esteem. <\/strong>When they handle daily operations and related decisions, they feel essential to their company\u2019s success. Feeling essential boosts their self-esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Traction<\/em><\/a>, Gino Wickman claims that entrepreneurs entwine their self-esteem with their business (and maintain a hands-on approach) because they see their company as an extension of their identity<\/a>. In order to grow their company beyond its early stages, entrepreneurs must abandon this notion and reduce their hands-on involvement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although a hands-on approach boosts self-esteem, Michalowicz argues that this<\/strong> approach also burns entrepreneurs out <\/strong>by distracting them from improving their business framework.<\/em> <\/strong>A business framework includes the company\u2019s mission, employee roles, and routines for measuring and modifying daily operations. When entrepreneurs busy with hands-on work neglect to improve their company framework, small issues grow into crises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When small issues grow into crises, an entrepreneur enters crisis mode<\/em>: They work long hours to address crises on top of their usual hands-on duties. Crisis mode burns them out, leaving them ill-equipped to fully resolve these crises. Eventually, the burned-out entrepreneur loses their motivation for running their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate, consider this hypothetical small issue: There\u2019s a slight decline in the number of customers who enter your company\u2019s store. If you\u2019re not absorbed in hands-on work, you could improve your business framework by researching and designing novel ways to attract new customers<\/a> (such as promoting your business on social media). By contrast, if you\u2019re immersed in hands-on work, you\u2019d be too busy to make these improvements. Eventually, the small issue would swell into a crisis: a long-term or sharp decline in customers. You\u2019d enter crisis mode as you scramble to resolve this larger issue, burning yourself out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Michalowicz emphasizes how a hands-on approach harms entrepreneurs <\/em>by burning them out, other experts illustrate how a hands-on approach also harms your employees <\/em>and your relationships with them. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, authors of The Dichotomy of Leadership<\/em><\/a>, argue that when your employees notice your overinvolvement in daily operations, they become passive<\/a>. Instead of innovating and developing independence<\/a>, they wait for you to assign them tasks. Over time, their passive role demotivates them and limits their growth. In Ego is the Enemy<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Ryan Holiday adds that a hands-on approach can breed resentment among your employees<\/a> because they may find your overinvolvement domineering.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Productivity Tricks Fail to Fix Burnout<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Next, we\u2019ll explore how entrepreneurs typically try to fix their burnout\u2014and why it fails. Michalowicz argues that entrepreneurs misdiagnose burnout as a <\/strong>productivity<\/em><\/strong> problem, rather than a result of their hands-on approach<\/strong>. They mistakenly believe burnout is a productivity problem because an abundance of books and apps promise to help them organize their day, work more efficiently, and avoid distraction. These resources give entrepreneurs the impression that they\u2019re burned out because they\u2019re not productive enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Despite Michalowicz\u2019s claim that productivity apps don\u2019t address the true problem of hands-on entrepreneurship, it\u2019s likely productivity tricks will continue to entice entrepreneurs in the future: Experts predict that the global market for productivity apps will continue growing<\/a> at an average annual rate of 9.1% over the next 10 years.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore two reasons why productivity tricks fail to alleviate entrepreneur burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 1: Productivity Tricks Don\u2019t Reduce Your Work Hours<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

First, Michalowicz argues that productivity tricks fail to fix burnout because they train you to work<\/strong> more efficiently<\/em><\/strong> instead of working<\/strong> less. <\/em><\/strong>With both routine, hands-on tasks and crises to manage, hands-on entrepreneurs always have more work than they can squeeze into their days. Even if they learn to maximize their efficiency, they continue to fill their schedules with these additional tasks. Entrepreneurs don\u2019t need support working more efficiently<\/em>; they need support working less.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Entrepreneurs aren\u2019t the only people who tend to pack their schedules with work. In Four Thousand Weeks<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Oliver Burkeman argues that all people living in industrialized societies engage in this habit<\/a> because our society values productivity over free time. He looks to history to explain why: During the Industrial Revolution<\/a>, business owners began treating workers\u2019 free time as a means to an end<\/em><\/a>. These business owners provided workers with free time only so they returned to work recharged and ready to be maximally efficient. This emphasis on free time as a strategy for increasing productivity, rather than as something to enjoy, still persists today.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 2: Productivity Tricks Don\u2019t Prevent Crises<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Second, Michalowicz claims that productivity tricks fail to fix burnout because they don\u2019t <\/strong>prevent<\/em><\/strong> crises.<\/strong> As previously noted, crises emerge when entrepreneurs busy with hands-on work neglect to address fractures in their business framework. Productivity tricks may teach entrepreneurs to handle crises more efficiently, but they don\u2019t teach you how to prioritize designing a framework that prevents crises from arising in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Solution: Become a Hands-Off Visionary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Instead of wasting their time on productivity tricks, entrepreneurs need a solution to burnout that addresses its real<\/em> cause: their hands-on approach. Michalowicz argues that entrepreneurs can avoid burnout <\/strong>and<\/em><\/strong> revitalize their businesses by becoming <\/strong>hands-off visionaries.<\/em><\/strong> <\/strong>This type of entrepreneur is hands-off<\/em> because they train their employees to independently handle daily operations. They\u2019re visionaries<\/em> because their role is to keep an eye on their company\u2019s issues, envision new possibilities, and make improvements to their company\u2019s framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In The Dichotomy of Leadership<\/em><\/a>, authors Willink and Babin argue that a hands-off approach works for any<\/em> form of leadership. Like Michalowicz, they advocate for an approach in which you empower your team to assume greater responsibility so you can focus on overseeing big-picture concerns.<\/a> Their argument that this style works for any<\/em> type of leadership suggests that you can practice a hands-off approach and accelerate your mastery of it in areas of your life beyond your business. For example, practice using a hands-off approach when organizing a family reunion by delegating tasks to other family members.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hands-off approach offers an entrepreneur three advantages over a hands-on <\/em>approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n