Podcast Summary
Help Wanted – “How To Know What’s Worth Your Time”
Release Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur Editor in Chief)
Co-Host: Nicole Lapin (Money Expert, intro/outro only)
Episode Overview
In this solo episode, Jason Feifer tackles a universal issue for ambitious professionals: how to stop feeling overwhelmed by commitments and make smarter choices with your time. He introduces a practical framework for evaluating what’s truly worth your energy, illustrated through real-world examples and insights from leaders. The theme centers around creating boundaries for ambition and focusing on what truly matters to advance your goals.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why We Say Yes Too Often — and Its Consequences
- Jason identifies the common cycle: Enthusiasm and ambition lead people to overcommit, resulting in overwhelm and fatigue.
- “You’re ambitious, you’re enthusiastic, you don’t know how to say no. Then you get overcommitted and overwhelmed.” (00:36)
2. The Counterintuitive Rule: Say No to Something Old Before Saying Yes to Something New
- Jason shares a core principle: Before accepting a new responsibility, purposefully end or step back from an existing one.
- “Before you say yes to something new, you should say no to something old.” (00:50)
3. The Story of Saying No: Samantha’s Career Decision
- Jason recounts a story from John Goodman’s book Unhinged Habits about Samantha, a talent agent who turns down a lucrative promotion to preserve her work-life balance.
- “Ambition isn’t wrong, but chaotic ambition without boundaries is a fire that burns your life to ash while you stand there holding the match.” — Samantha via John Goodman (02:13)
- Memorable reflection: Jason lauds this as his favorite line from Goodman's book, underlining the dangers of unbounded ambition.
4. Organizational Wisdom: Amazon VP’s Commitment Filtering
- Jason references Mary Beth Westmoreland, Amazon VP of Technology:
- When starting new projects, her team always eliminates an old one.
- “We ask our teams, what’s the most important thing that we need to spend time on to make the biggest impact? Sometimes that means we’re going to stop doing things that are not making the most difference.” — Mary Beth Westmoreland (03:00)
- Jason suggests applying this practice on a personal, not just organizational, level.
5. A Personal Framework: Three Questions to Determine What’s Worth Your Time
Jason shares a three-question strategy to clarify priorities:
1. What’s not making the most difference?
- Example: Jason realized his online community’s operations took time but didn’t deliver on his current life or career goals.
2. What would happen if I stopped doing that thing?
- He emphasizes looking beyond the discomfort of endings to the lasting benefits gained.
- “Endings are not just about one moment. They are about all the moments afterward.” (05:23)
- Jason felt relieved when imagining his life post-community.
3. What purpose did it serve?
- Assess whether a commitment has already fulfilled its role in your life.
- “Everything serves some function. It taught us, trained us, expanded us... The purpose had been fulfilled.” (06:15)
6. The Encouragement to Move On
- A former community member’s note affirmed the value of letting go:
- “As a business owner, you’ve shown me that it’s okay to try something new and that it doesn’t have to be forever. It’s okay for that thing to evolve or not. And ending one thing doesn’t mean the end of all things.” (07:05)
- Jason repeats Goodman’s caution: Boundaries allow ambition to serve you, not destroy you.
7. The Ultimate Permission: Prioritize Yourself
- The core message: Allow yourself to start and stop projects. You aren’t obligated to continue everything indefinitely.
- “The only project you really need to keep going is yourself. So say yes to that. Everything else is up for discussion.” (08:04)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Boundless Ambition:
“Ambition isn’t wrong, but chaotic ambition without boundaries is a fire that burns your life to ash while you stand there holding the match.”
— Samantha via John Goodman, quoted by Jason Feifer (02:13, 07:48) -
On Making Decisions:
“Before you say yes to something new, you should say no to something old.”
— Jason Feifer (00:50) -
On the Benefit of Endings:
“Endings are not just about one moment. They are about all the moments afterward.”
— Jason Feifer (05:23) -
On Permission to Move On:
“Ending one thing doesn’t mean the end of all things.”
— Jason reads from a former member’s message (07:05)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:36 — Problem: Overcommitment and overwhelm explained
- 00:50 — Key Principle: Say no to something before yes to something else
- 02:13 — Story & quote from Unhinged Habits (Samantha’s career decision)
- 03:00 — Amazon VP’s approach to project selection
- 04:45 — Jason introduces the three-question framework
- 05:23 — Reflection on the aftermath of endings
- 07:05 — Letter from former community member about closure
- 08:04 — Final takeaway: Only keep “the project of yourself” going
Episode Takeaway
This episode empowers listeners to be intentional with their commitments by regularly evaluating old and new projects against clear personal goals. Jason reminds us that giving ourselves permission to move on is not just acceptable, but necessary for focused ambition and a fulfilling life. Boundaries, not busyness, lead to true progress.