The hack Tim Ferriss uses to prioritize self care without compromising productivity

#Bossbabe hustlers know the challenge of compromising either self care or getting through each to-do list item—hey, there just aren’t enough hours in the day, right?!? But according to Tim Ferriss, the productivity guru behind The 4-Hour Work Week, there’s a hack that allows you to have it all.

During an interview with Arianna Huffington in the latest episode of The Thrive Global Podcast, Ferriss opened up about how he manages a constantly jam-packed schedule. It turns out he just asks himself a simple question when he’s feeling anxious or overwhelmed: “‘What might this look like if it were easy?’ In some sense, that question is my life raft,” he said.

“‘What might this look like if it were easy?’ In some sense, that question is my life raft.” —Tim Ferriss

Ferriss said this easy self-care hack helps him check in with himself to ensure his mental health comes first. Plus, it serves as a grounding reminder that not everything he does needs to be a masterpiece.

“If you’re creating, say, an interior design or architecture, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a gothic cathedral,” he said. “Maybe you want to look for more of a sort of Scandinavian/Japanese aesthetic with very few moving pieces, metaphorically speaking, and you see what you look for.”

Basically, if you focus on what you’re most passionate about, you’re likely to stay mentally healthy and productive. According to Ferriss, those passion projects are the ones that get you excited and “grease the wheels for everything else.”

Learn why feminism and self care should go hand in hand. Or check out how Nicole Kidman squeezes self care into her schedule.