Productivity Isn't Freedom

Plus: Cheering on Team USA in Person (!) and the Halfway Point of 2026

Author

Pat Miller
July 06, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Magic: I’m GOING TO THE WORLD CUP GAME TONIGHT IN SEATTLE…Story below…

Productivity Isn’t Freedom

On last Wednesday’s show I said something that doesn’t sound like a win. AI is making us busier.

In my Claude mastermind last week, every one of us said the same thing. We’re getting more done than we ever have, and somehow we’re more slammed than ever. Six months ago the business was simpler. Now we can do way more, so we do way more, and the work just concentrates. Same hours, heavier load.

Productivity doesn’t work the way we think. It doesn’t hand you free time. It raises your ceiling. Every hour AI gives back is an hour you get to spend on purpose, and if you don’t spend it on purpose, the work spends it for you. It fills the space every single time.

So you’ve got a choice, and this week is the perfect time to make it. You can pour that new capacity back into more, more, more, or bank some of it as freedom. Take the afternoon or take this Friday Off and mean it.

The robot made you faster. What you do with faster is still up to you.

Today’s Sponsor

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Tweet of the week

Three Things I’m Thinking About This Week

  • Go Team USA! - I tell my kids all the time - be a good guy and treat people right, it will come back to you in the end. This week: IT CAME BACK TO ME. A friend reached out and asked, “Hey, would you like to go to the World Cup Match on Monday - Team USA vs. Belgium.” A calmly answered “ARE YOU KIDDING OMFG< :OAIU {()U }_@)*@!!!!” They worked their magic and boom, my son David and I are in Seattle today to see the USMNT and share a once in a lifetime experience. Businessing with Pat Miller will be off the air until Wednesday while we cheer on the team. ‘Merica!!!! Details and pictures on Friday.

  • We’re halfway through 2026…Are you Satisfied with Your Progress? - I cannot believe the second half of the year is here. Did you do the thing you swore you’d do back in January, or did the year just kind of happen to you?There’s a lot of runway left to affect change in 2026.

  • SBOC Awards Open for Nominations - Our 6th annual Small Business Owners Conference is in September and at the event we offer something you just don’t get anywhere else - RECOGNITION FOR YOUR HARD WORK! We host an awards program that is open to any entrepreneur to be recognized in five different categories. The nominations are open on and they’re free to enter. Submit an entry for your business - or - nominate a client/colleague and they can enter. Good Luck!

Today’s Sponsor

Most small business owners are stuck renting their AI and automation from consultants who never hand over the keys, paying month after month for systems they don't actually own or understand. Automation Bird Dog flips that model, teaching you to build and control your own automations so the value stays in your business instead of walking out the door with a vendor. Book your free Automation Readiness Session with code OWNIT and find out exactly where automation can save you time and money starting this quarter.

Now, GO SELL SOMETHING!

Pat