The 'I Prioritized Something Else' Reframe
Ban 'I don't have time' — you prioritized something else, so choose deliberately.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 86%
This reframe removes 'I don't have time' from your vocabulary and replaces it with 'I prioritized something else.' It's fine to prioritize Netflix or time with your kids — the mental shift just forces honesty about the trade-offs you're actually making, and often reveals you're prioritizing suboptimal things. From there, the fix is consistency: block off recurring time daily or weekly, because if it's not in the calendar it won't happen. Big projects like 'write book' never get an uninterrupted eight-week block, so you break them into the smallest actionable step that fits a 15-30 minute window and let momentum compound.
Origin
Nick offers this as his answer to the most common objection he hears — 'I don't have time to start a side hustle' — and admits he's still guilty of the trap himself, including with his own to-do list item to 'write book.'
Core principles
- 01'I don't have time' is a lie that hides a choice.
- 02Honesty about prioritization reveals suboptimal trade-offs.
- 03Consistency beats intensity — block time daily or weekly.
- 04Break daunting projects into the smallest actionable step.
How to run it
- 1
Swap the phrase
Remove 'I don't have time' and say 'I prioritized something else' instead.
Pro tip This isn't about guilt — prioritizing your kids or rest is legitimate; it's about honesty.
- 2
Audit your priorities
Notice where the honest reframe reveals you're prioritizing suboptimal things you'd rather trade away.
- 3
Block recurring time
Carve out consistent daily or weekly time for the side hustle and put it in the calendar.
Pro tip Even a half hour first thing in the morning or 15 minutes after the kids sleep works if it's consistent.
Watch out If you don't block it off in the calendar, it won't happen.
- 4
Shrink the task to fit the block
Break daunting projects into the smallest actionable step you can start in a 15-30 minute window.
Pro tip Instead of 'write book,' outline chapter one — one bite at a time builds momentum that compounds.
In the wild
Nick admits his to-do list says 'write book' — a task that will never get an uninterrupted eight-week block — so the only way forward is breaking it into the smallest step, like outlining chapter one, that fits a short daily window.
→ Progress happens one bite at a time as momentum and motivation start to compound.
Common mistakes
Waiting for a big uninterrupted block
Large projects framed as monoliths never get their ideal time window, so they never start; only small consistent steps move them.
Is it for you?
Best for
Full-time workers trying to carve out time to start a side hustle.
Not ideal for
People who genuinely have structured all their time and need capacity, not honesty.
From the transcript
“I want you to remove the phrase I don't have time from your vocabulary. Instead of I didn't have time, the phrase that you need…”
“If you don't block it off in the calendar, it's not going to happen.”
From the episode
Nick Loper: Side Hustle Secrets Every Aspiring Entrepreneur Needs to Know
Nick Loper