My First Million – "I Did Nothing For 2 Weeks. It Made Me Better At Everything."

Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Sam Parr & Shaan Puri
Podcast: My First Million (Hubspot Media)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sam and Shaan reunite after two weeks off—Sam for the birth of his second child, Shaan after attending his grandfather's funeral. They dive deeply into reflections on downtime, rest, the role of engineered breaks in productivity, and the idea of "flourishing" from an Aristotelian perspective. The conversation moves through personal stories about parenting, legacy, and belonging, offering both practical philosophy and actionable business inspiration. The pair also brainstorm business ideas, especially around community and combating loneliness, and share insights on how great creative minds actually work.

1. Opening: Life Updates, Birth, and Parenthood

[00:18 – 04:14]

• Sam shares the dramatic story of his new baby's arrival and his wife's water breaking at night.
• Shaan recounts attending his grandfather's funeral, choosing to start the episode on a happier note by asking about Sam's newborn.
• Discussion about the hospital experience (Sam’s wife needed a C-section), the emotional role of spouses, and humorous takes on men’s reactions during childbirth.
• Reflection about how having children changes perception of self, sleep deprivation, and admiration for women’s strength during labor:
  • "Women just somehow can fight like being tired and in pain, whereas I'm just gonna complain if I get anything less than seven hours a night of sleep." – Sam [02:52]

2. Paternity Leave & Masculine Perspectives on Bonding

[04:14 – 06:51]

• Shaan candidly confesses that his emotional connection with his newborns took time:
  • “It takes me like 15 months to love a baby. …I care for the baby before then. I wish the baby well…but do I crave like holding and touching?... The smell. I don’t even smell the baby. What do you mean?” – Shaan [04:23]
• Paternity leave structures: Both agree early time off is less productive and suggest spreading out leave (a week before and after birth, then more during regressions).
• The unique, low-key restfulness of being home quietly during downtime, and how such time is restorative in unexpected ways.

3. Reading to Win & The Power of Strategic Leisure

[06:51 – 08:29]

• Sam uses his downtime to read prolifically, focusing on books that help him synthesize “what works for winners” and avoid common mistakes.
• Promotes his resource: “Seven Books That Changed My Life in 2025,” not just a list but an explanation of how he reads and applies learnings.

4. Aristotle, Flourishing, and Virtue

[08:29 – 11:21]

• Sam shares his recent fascination with Aristotle, who predates the more currently popular Stoics:
  • "The Greek word is eudaimonia and it's this idea…there's like 12 or 14 virtues..." – Sam [08:31]
• Breaks down Aristotle’s “virtues as the golden mean”—too much or too little becomes vice.
• The idea that leisure for reflection (not just rest) is a necessary part of a flourishing life, citing Bill Gates’ “think weeks.”
• Both hosts discuss their struggles and realizations around scheduling “think time.”
  • "Dedicated think time, I think, is extremely underrated. ...I don't think I ever actually consciously spent think time." – Shaan [11:21]

5. Engineering Breakthroughs: Rituals of High Performers

[14:13 – 19:09]

• Sam and Shaan talk about “engineering breakthroughs” via slow mornings, workouts, journaling, unstructured conversations, and exposure to new ideas.
• Shaan’s research uncovers that top creatives (e.g., Aaron Sorkin, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin) leverage “engineered rest” (showers, aimless boating, long walks).
  • "Aaron Sorkin…takes eight showers a day. …Einstein would drift on a boat for hours…Darwin would walk laps and kick a stone to measure how long it took to get ideas..." – Shaan [15:16]
• “Engineered rest” often appears lazy but is core to real productivity.

6. Writing, Books, and "One Hour Books"

[19:09 – 25:34]

• Shaan announces his new book project and “One Hour Books,” designed as short, powerful reads that avoid filler—a response to his frustration with overlong business books.
  • "Can I create books that are…life-changing, but you can read it in one hour, a single sitting?" – Shaan [19:56]
• The inspiration: irritation turned into innovation (e.g., Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”).
• Shaan frames his mission as “create the TED for books”—immense value distilled for efficient absorption.

7. The Difficulty of Deep Work & Shonda Rhimes’ Process

[30:01 – 33:25]

• Sam and Shaan discuss obstacles to deep work in the age of constant notifications.
• Shaan quotes Shonda Rhimes’ vivid analogy for creativity and focus:
  • "Imagine a door five miles away and those five miles…that's you writing crap and doodling...every time I sit down to write, I mentally have to run those five miles past all that shit to get to the door..." – Shaan quoting Shonda Rhimes [30:48]
• The distinction between pros and amateurs: pros tolerate mediocrity longer in pursuit of breakthrough.

8. Procrastination & The Third Kind

[33:25 – 34:57]

• Reference to Paul Graham’s philosophy:
  • Procrastination #1: Simply not doing the task
  • #2: Productive-sounding procrastination (to-do lists, faux work)
  • #3: The “good” kind—ignoring anything not related to your life’s task (like Einstein’s mismatching socks).
  • “That’s what it requires to be great, is you have to do that. …You have to avoid the first two types, and you have to focus on the third type of procrastination. And that’s gonna be annoying to a lot of people.” – Sam [34:57]

9. Legacy, Immigrant Mentality, and Building What Outlives You

[36:10 – 50:29]

• Shaan recounts powerful stories from his grandfather’s life as an Indian immigrant, emphasizing the generational belief in greatness instilled by his father:
  • “The best thing my grandpa ever did as a dad… he gave me this belief from the very beginning, he brainwashed me that I was special…There was no evidence…” – Shaan [38:04]
• Tales of sacrifice, hustle, and passing down a positive, ambition-building attitude.
• Marcelo (Real Madrid) story: His grandfather’s belief, sacrifices, and unwavering encouragement fuelled his rise.
• Sam reflects on lacking such a lineage, his craving for “tribe” and belonging, and how those without close-knit family traditions or legacies feel the loss.
  • "I've been desperate my whole life for like a sense of belonging because I never had that as a kid." – Sam [50:48]

10. The Business of Community, Loneliness, and Belonging

[52:45 – 62:56]

• Shaan introduces Little Blue Books—a century-old publishing phenomenon (200–500M sold), drawing parallels to his “One Hour Books.”
• Then, they shift to modern loneliness and businesses built as a solution:
  • WeRoad – Travel for young professionals, creating belonging via adventure trips with strangers (now friends/lovers); $160M/year, 30% margins.
    • "It's traveling for 20, 30, and 40-year-old professionals…seven to fifteen…young people like you are going to go on that exact same trip..." – Sam [58:28]
  • Comparison to booming run clubs, exercise classes, book clubs — businesses that “sell belonging.”
  • Note on EF Tours ($11B revenue): The scale and opportunity of built-in community.
• Insight: In an era where information is abundant and cheap, belonging is the new scarcity.

11. Closing: Love for Immigrants and Personal Legacy

[64:25 – End]

• Sam reiterates his fascination with immigrant stories. Shaan jokes:
  • "It's almost racist how much you love immigrants." – Shaan [64:38]
• Sam explains his affinity for the “immigrant mentality," the drive to belong and to build against the odds—even humorously likening himself to being the “them” rather than the “us.”
• Final reflection on the meaning of real legacy—not just achievements or businesses, but the enduring attitudes and values ("build what outlives you"):
  • "Frankly, I find that to be the most admirable thing a man can do is to build what outlives you...It's legacy...I live a certain way because this guy lived a certain way." – Sam [49:28]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Women just somehow…can fight like being tired and in pain, whereas I'm just gonna complain if I get…less than seven hours of sleep." – Sam [02:52]
• "It takes me like 15 months to love a baby…" – Shaan [04:23]
• "Dedicated think time, I think is extremely underrated. …I don't think I ever actually consciously spent think time." – Shaan [11:21]
• "Aaron Sorkin…takes eight showers a day…that's where he has his best thoughts." – Shaan [15:16]
• "Can I create books that are…life-changing, but you can read it in one hour, a single sitting?" – Shaan [19:56]
• "The best thing my grandpa ever did as a dad…he brainwashed me that I was special." – Shaan [38:04]
• "I've been desperate my whole life for like a sense of belonging because I never had that as a kid." – Sam [50:48]
• "In a time where [information] is scarce, this [Little Blue Book] can sell 500 million copies…Now what's scarce today? …Belonging." – Shaan [57:55]
• "Frankly, I find that to be the most admirable thing a man can do is to build what outlives you." – Sam [49:28]

Key Themes

• Rest and reflection are critical—engineered downtime is not wasted time.
• The power of legacy, the transmission of belief, and the immigrant drive to succeed.
• Belonging is a new scarcity/opportunity in a world oversaturated with information.
• Shorter, sharper knowledge products—books, communities, experiences—are rising.
• Amateurs stop when it gets hard; pros keep going, tolerating mediocrity on the way to breakthroughs.

Useful for Listeners Who…

• Want practical ideas on engineering rest and thinking time for breakthroughs.
• Are considering how to build community or tackle loneliness as a business.
• Seek inspiration on writing, reading habits, or distilling large knowledge into small packages.
• Value stories about family legacy, parenting, and generational belief.

Segment Guide (Timestamps)

• 00:00 – Life updates and childbirth stories
• 04:14 – Masculine perspectives on bonding & paternity leave
• 06:51 – Rest, reading habits, and learning from winners
• 08:29 – Aristotle, flourishing, and leisure
• 11:21 – Think time and the struggle for reflection
• 14:13 – How to engineer breakthroughs (“engineered rest”)
• 19:09 – The challenge and goal of Shaan’s “One Hour Books”
• 30:01 – Deep work, distractions, and overcoming mediocrity
• 33:25 – Paul Graham’s procrastination and focusing on life’s task
• 36:10 – Legacy stories: Immigrant experience, generational belief
• 52:45 – Little Blue Books, business of micro-content/products
• 57:55 – Community and belonging as new business opportunities
• 64:25 – The beauty and drive of immigrant mentality; closing thoughts

Summary by an expert podcast summarizer – perfect for anyone wanting the best insights from this episode without missing the heart and humor of Sam & Shaan’s conversation.