Summary of "It's a Good Life" with Brian Buffini

Episode: S2E348 – A Minute to Think with Juliet Funt
Release Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Brian Buffini
Guest: Juliet Funt, author, speaker, productivity expert

Episode Overview

Brian Buffini interviews Juliet Funt about her book A Minute to Think, focusing on how entrepreneurs and business leaders can reclaim creativity, conquer busyness, and perform their best work by intentionally creating “white space”—time without assignment. Together, they examine the dangers of "busyness as a badge of honor," the roots and consequences of relentless activity, and practical strategies for building moments of pause into life and work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Addiction to Busyness

• Cultural Badge of Honor: Busyness is seen as a status symbol, especially in highly demanding fields like real estate (A: 01:25).
• Misplaced Productivity: Most professionals spend much of their day on low-value tasks; in one study, real estate agents spent 37% of their time on errands versus only 3% on customer interaction (A: 03:02).

"Somewhere along the line in American culture, busyness became the badge of honor. In fact, we announce it when we meet one another." — Brian Buffini (A: 01:25)

2. The Fire and Oxygen Metaphor for Productivity

• Oxygen as White Space: Just as fire needs space and oxygen to ignite, people need unstructured time (white space) to allow their ideas and energy to spark (B: 04:31).
• Trademarking 'White Space': Juliet Funt has championed "white space"—time without assignment or digital interruption—for over two decades (B: 05:50).

"Everyone in your audience, every realtor, lender, every other entrepreneur listening, they wake up in the morning with this little spark... and then it is avalanched upon by a pile of low value touch points all day long and they're choked by their own aspiration and they don't ever ignite." — Juliet Funt (B: 04:31)

3. The Cost of Busyness: Humanity, Creativity, and Longevity

• Human Cost: Busyness robs people of creativity, humanity, and sustainable performance (A: 14:47).
• 'Strategic Pause': The absolute necessity of intentional breaks—not just as recovery, but as a means to spark creativity and focus (A: 15:39, B: 15:50).

"The busyness eliminates the humanity. The busyness eliminates the creativity. And the busyness, I believe, takes away the ability to be able to do it for the long haul." — Brian Buffini (A: 14:47)

4. The Hallucinated Urgency Trap (11:22)

• False Sense of Urgency: Many business emergencies are not real; they're “hallucinated.” Juliet points out three types of urgency:
  1. Not time sensitive
  2. Tactically time sensitive (genuine)
  3. Emotionally time sensitive (“the muddy one”—fueled by anxiety)
• Impact: Reactiveness and anxiety masquerade as productivity, even though they're counterproductive (B: 11:50–14:02).

"Hallucinated urgency is simply urgency that is not related to any tactical reality, but just comes from other places... our own anxiety being funneled into what seems like a workflow." — Juliet Funt (B: 11:50)

5. Implementing White Space: Practical Tactics

• The Wedge/Strategic Pause:

  • Purposeful insertion of open time—even 5, 10, or 15 minutes—between meetings or tasks (B: 15:50–17:17)
  • Mini-breaks to process, breathe, recalibrate, and reconnect to intentions

• Paper Anchor:

  • Write 3–4 core priorities on paper beside your computer (B: 17:18)
  • Avoid digital lists to reduce distraction/temptation

• Priority Management:

  • Limit focus to a manageable list (e.g., three major initiatives) instead of a sprawling to-do list (A: 18:35–19:52)

6. Strategic Reduction vs. Prioritization

• Reduction: Not just sorting/prioritizing, but actually removing items from your commitment list (B: 19:52)
• Can't Control Board: A military-inspired tactic of offloading uncontrollable worries to refocus energy on what can be changed (B: 19:52–21:35).

7. Emotional Health, Acceptance, and the Cause of Apathy

• Industry-Wide Apathy: Many real estate personnel are stuck because they’re waiting for external market conditions to improve, leading to inaction and apathy (A: 21:35).
• Emotional Processing: Acceptance (not just awareness or action) is vital for moving beyond loss/change—here, facilitated by white space (B: 23:08).

"I think that is a function of white space: to become emotionally current with what's true in your world and really take it in." — Juliet Funt (B: 23:08)

8. Personal White Space Practices

• Short Pauses ("Wedges"): Five- to ten-minute breaks, walks outside, creative activities (B: 24:00–25:25)
• Annual Retreats: Dedicated time alone without digital devices for yearly reflection (B: 24:00)
• Intentional Abstinence: Periodically going without entertainment during routine tasks (B: 24:00)

"For me, white space is also abstention. It is walking through the airport without a podcast... and it's just choosing to abstain from fillers." — Juliet Funt (B: 24:00)

9. The Thieves of Time (28:00)

• Research-Based Categories: Four core positive attributes turn into “thieves” when overused:
  • Drive → Overdrive
  • Excellence → Perfectionism
  • Information → Overload
  • Activity → Frenzy

"The four things: Drive, excellence, information, and activity, became thieves." — Juliet Funt (B: 28:29)

10. Immediate White Space Tips ([32:01])

• Interval Email Checking: Designate specific times to check email.
• Yellow List: Collect non-urgent ideas/thoughts for others on a list to discuss at convenient times instead of constant interruptions.
• Re-entry Day: Block off a whole day after vacation for catching up, allowing real disconnection during time off.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fire and Oxygen (White Space):
  "That space we call white space... just means time without assignment. It's that open, fluid, flexible time that used to be in between things... now it's just completely co opted by busyness." — Juliet Funt (B: 05:50)

• On Team Overwhelm:
  "How many initiatives are you working on? She goes, 23! … What are the three that matter the most right now to the company?" — Brian Buffini (A: 18:35)

• On Busyness and Creativity:
  "Busyness eliminates the creativity... the ability to do it for the long haul." — Brian Buffini (A: 14:47)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 01:25 | Busyness as badge of honor in American/entrepreneurial culture | | 04:31 | Fire needs oxygen; metaphor for “white space” | | 11:22 | Hallucinated urgency explained | | 15:39 | Strategic pause and how to implement “wedges” | | 17:18 | Using a paper anchor for daily priority setting | | 19:52 | Difference between prioritization and reduction | | 21:35 | Dealing with apathy and focusing on what you can control | | 23:08 | Emotional acceptance, white space, and moving forward | | 24:00 | Juliet’s personal white space practices | | 28:00 | The four time thieves and how they sabotage productivity | | 32:01 | Juliet’s top quick tips for white space and re-entry days|

Actionable Takeaways

• Build White Space: Schedule short, intentional pauses—even 30 seconds—to recalibrate.
• Paper Anchor: Use physical notes to lock in your day's true priorities, not digital tools prone to distraction.
• Reduce, Don’t Just Prioritize: Eliminate rather than reorganize—to focus and prevent team overwhelm.
• Set Boundaries: Use interval email checking and collaborative “yellow lists” to reduce interruptions.
• Embrace Acceptance: Make peace with current realities through reflection and intentional “white space.”
• Beware Time Thieves: Notice when drive, excellence, info-seeking, or activity cross into overdrive or perfectionism.

Juliet Funt’s Final Top Tips ([32:01])

1. Interval Email Checks: Schedule email checking to limit constant distraction.
2. Yellow Lists: Collect thoughts for colleagues in a list rather than interrupting.
3. Re-entry Days: Place a buffer day after vacations for smoother transitions and less stress.
4. Remember: Small changes—tiny wedges of time—can spark creativity and relieve busyness.

The Good Life, According to Juliet Funt

“Space and time to do what I want, go slow, be with my kids.” (B: 34:52)

Book Recommendation:

• A Minute to Think — Juliet Funt
• Other recommended read: 10x is Easier Than 2x ([34:05])

This episode offers both inspiration and practical tactics for anyone feeling overwhelmed by busyness—especially entrepreneurs—reminding us that creativity and effectiveness are born not from perpetual motion, but from intentional pauses.