A 4 Day Workweek Unlock?

LeaderBriefs: A Weekly Career and Personal Growth Blueprint

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Why Ryan Breslow Matters

Ryan Breslow, the fintech wizard behind Bolt’s one-click checkout revolution, isn’t your typical Silicon Valley billionaire.

At just 30, he’s built and scaled unicorns like Bolt, Eco, and Love, all while dodging burnout and preaching mindfulness in a cutthroat industry.

In a world where hustle culture is crumbling, Breslow’s blend of conscious leadership and relentless innovation offers a playbook for thriving amidst chaos.

Key Habits of Ryan Breslow below!

Work Like a Lion, Intense Focus, Ample Rest

• Habit: Breslow champions a “work like a lion” philosophy, short bursts of high intensity effort followed by deep recovery. He implemented a four day workweek at Bolt, prioritizing full presence during work hours and generous unheard of downtime to recharge.

• Why It Works: This approach counters burnout, a rampant issue in today’s always on work culture. By focusing fiercely for fewer days, Breslow’s team at Bolt reported higher productivity and engagement, proving balance fuels output. In a world where we generally do not see a finish line, this is a huge unlock.

• Actionable Step: Experiment with a four-day work sprint. Block one day this week for deep focus, mute notifications if you can, tackle your biggest task, and finish early. Then, take a full day off screens to rest. try and track your energy and output to see the difference. Learn more about four-day workweeks.

WTH are Conscious Culture Playbooks?

• Habit: Breslow developed a “Conscious Culture Playbook” at Bolt, a detailed guide blending mindfulness with performance standards. It covers everything from giving feedback to organizing tasks, ensuring clarity and connection across teams.

• Why It Works: In remote and hybrid work environments, misalignment kills morale. Breslow’s playbook fosters intentionality, reducing chaos and building trust, which helped Bolt scale to 700 employees while maintaining cohesion.

• Actionable Step: Create a mini-playbook for your team or personal projects. Write down three core principles (“be present in meetings,” “give specific feedback”, jazz like that). Share it with colleagues or hold yourself accountable weekly. Explore Conscious Culture

INSANE Prioritization Through “Hell Yes, Hell No”

• Habit: Breslow lives by the mantra, “If it’s not a HELL YES, it’s a HELL NO.” This decision-making filter helps him focus on high-impact opportunities and say no to distractions, from meetings to investments.

• Why It Works: In today’s economic volatility, leaders, employees and simple relationships face endless demands. Breslow’s clarity allowed him to pivot Bolt’s strategy, launch new ventures like Love, and avoid over commitment, keeping his vision sharp.

• Actionable Step: For one week, apply the “hell yes, hell no” rule to decisions.

  Before saying YES to a meeting, project, or even a coffee chat, ask, “Is this a HELL YES?” If not, politely decline or delegate. Notice how much time you reclaim. So often we say yes to distractions or because we believe we just “should” say yes. This will be hard at first, but addictive when you see the upside. I have been doing this for a while.

Breslow’s Four Day Workweek Gamble

In 2021, as remote work surged and employee burnout spiked, Breslow made a radical move, he transitioned Bolt to a four-day workweek, the first tech unicorn to do so. Many predicted failure, but Breslow bet on his “work like a lion” philosophy. The result was Bolt’s team reported higher engagement and productivity, with checkout rates for clients like Forever 21 soaring (63% for Bolt accounts vs. 40% for guests). This aligns with today’s trend of flexible work arrangements, where 65% of managers cite security and balance as top priorities. Breslow’s gamble proved that prioritizing well-being isn’t just “feel good”, it’s a competitive edge. Today we need that more than ever. Hell, even if we are just competing with ourselves.

Your Personal Quick Wins CHALLENGE

• Embrace Intense Focus and then goddamn Rest! Schedule a four day work sprint with one day of deep focus and a full rest day. This counters burnout, a top challenge in remote work, boosting productivity and mental clarity in today’s high demand environments. This might seem hard for some situations but try and adopt it into a daily SPRINT and REST at least.

• Build a Conscious Playbook: Draft three core principles for your team or your own personal work.

  In hybrid settings, where 60% of workers crave connection, this fosters alignment and trust, super critical for overall engagement and having a seat at the table, even though the restaurant is virtual. Having Core Principles you agree on brings unity like nothing else man.

• Apply “Hell Yes, Hell No”: Use Breslow’s decision filter for one week to prioritize high-impact tasks. With economic uncertainty driving 70% of leaders, families, businesses and entrepreneurs to streamline, this habit sharpens focus and preserves resources for when they are needed most! As mentioned I have used this concept often and not only does it feel good, like your protecting something, but it makes you decisive as hell.

Want to learn a little more? Sure you do!

Book: Fundraising by Ryan Breslow
A raw, practical guide to raising capital, packed with Breslow’s storytelling and strategic insights. Available on Amazon.

Podcast: Managing the Future of Work (Harvard Business School)
An episode on flexible work aligns with Breslows four-day workweek philosophy and offers data-driven insights. Listen here.

How it worked for me.

Last month, I tried Breslow’s “hell yes, hell no” rule during a chaotic week of back to back Teams calls.

Saying no to three super low value “check the box” meetings freed up about three hours, enough to finish a project I’d been blowing off for weeks. It was like decluttering my brain and getting out what was stuck in there, making me feel ultimately unaccomplished.

Imagine if you reclaimed that kind of time, maybe you’d finally start that side hustle or just enjoy a guilt free evening with the kids or friends. I scrolled on my phone. :(

JOIN THE PARTY, We are ALL EARS!

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