Why It’s Important for the You to Read
If you’re a 40+ real estate investor and operator feeling the weight of market shifts, personal losses, and the daily grind, this isn’t about enduring another tough week—it’s about crafting a day you can repeat endlessly, where small shifts compound into immediate clarity, energy, and focus. You’ll learn how I turned chaos into a sustainable routine that freed up time for health, deals, and growth, without the overwhelm. This is education on building your personal OS, not a pitch—apply it, and watch the fog lift.
What ever you do, live it your best.
The Designed Day: A Simple Roadmap to Stop Surviving and Start Seeing Results From Hour One
Fellow operators,
There comes a moment when the hits keep coming, and you realize survival mode isn’t cutting it anymore. For me, it was a brutal stretch: losing my dad, watching my dog die and carrying her out in my arms, navigating $3M in capex during supply-chain hell and inflation spikes, stabilizing 8,000 sq ft of vacant retail only to have a tenant file bankruptcy and a 12-unit apartment unraveling amid market turmoil—all while closing my first $15M in multifamily and commercial over these few years. The weight was real: foggy starts, crashing energy, that constant undercurrent of “how do I just get through this day?”
Many of us in our 40s know this feeling. You’ve built a solid track record—flipping homes, sourcing deals—but post-pandemic shifts, political noise, and personal curveballs have you grinding harder for less fire. It’s easy to think it’s just “life now,” but that’s the trap. The real issue? Leaking energy on autopilot, where bad days stack into unproductive weeks, and your edge dulls. Instead of reliving chaotic days until some vague “results” appear, what if you designed one repeatable day where wins show up from the first hour? Sharper focus by noon, steady drive through afternoon calls, deeper rest at night. No waiting weeks for change—immediate shifts that build momentum.
This isn’t about overhauling everything. It’s a simple roadmap I pieced together from necessity: energy in to match energy out, tailored to how we’re wired as quick starters and visionaries. I’ve lived it through renos, acquisitions, and pivots, and it freed up 14 hours a week that used to vanish in fog and fatigue. Now, those hours fuel better deals, partnerships, and even helping others. Here’s how it works—educating you on the why and how, so you can model it your way.
First, let’s address what holds most back:
Myth #1: Real change takes months—I don’t have time for that.
Reality: Small, strategic inputs deliver quick wins. A 45-min lift spikes testosterone and clears mental haze within hours, not days. Stack a few, and by evening, you’re sleeping deeper, waking sharper. It’s compound interest starting immediately. flip the excuse, exercise is energy producing.
Myth #2: Health tweaks are separate from business—I’ll fix it when deals stabilize.
Reality: They’re intertwined. Low energy tanks your productivity and you know it; optimized hormones sharpen it. Get your bloodwork done, stop guessing. This is the number 1 foundational item you can supplement and do immediately to change how you feel overnight. You are now 40 its time to replenish what has been depleted (test T, vitamin D, DHEA etc)—you will see a turnaround in 30 days, but the daily habits bridge the gap with results from day one.
my daily supplement stack
Now, the roadmap: A designed day you repeat over and over. Total added time? Under 2 hours, scattered naturally. No rigid schedule—just anchors that fit around your work. Results aren’t delayed; they unfold as you go: better posture from lifts, sustained focus from good food, reset energy drain from bike rides or quick cold plunges.
Wake Anchor (First 30 Min): Get outside for fresh air (even Michigan winter dark mornings—step outside). Hit the gym first thing: heavy compounds like deadlifts and squats. 45-75 min, 3-4x/week. Why? Builds strength, posture, and endorphins fast—feel the mental lift by the time you get to your project or on your calls.
Fuel Anchor (Post-Movement): 5-6 eggs with blueberries and half an avocado. Simple, no decisions. Why? Steady protein and fats avoid blood sugar crashes; antioxidants cut inflammation. Notice the energy hold steady through mid-morning, no more 11 AM slump.
Momentum Anchors (10 AM & 3 PM): 30-min mountain bike blasts—trails if possible, or in your neighborhood otherwise. Why? Quick cardio resets dopamine, for me it combats tech drain from emails and Zooms etc. Take a partner call mid-ride; ideas flow freer outdoors. Get outside daily. Pattern interrupt.
Focus Anchor (Post-First Activity): Delay coffee until after your wake anchor. One strong black cup. Why? Prevents ADHD-like loops; caffeine hits cleaner, extending focus without jitters. for me the delay in time helped a lot.
Recovery Anchor (9 PM): Magnesium glycinate + 3 mg melatonin. Dim lights, no screens. Why? Lowers cortisol for deep sleep; wake feeling restored, not wrecked.
The easiest breakfast (* use Celtic salt on avocados)
Repeat this day. From the moment you start—say, that first fresh-air step—you’ll sense the shift: less “how do I survive this?” and more proactive flow. Test it for 72 hours: Sticky-note it on your counter as a reminder. By day three, the compounding hits—14 hours a week reclaimed from fatigue, now poured into sourcing off-market gems or testing new streams.
Tie this to your business like I have: With partners handling ops and managers running assets, you’re nose-in, hands-off on $3-5M deals. This designed day amplifies that leverage—outdoor bike rides become strategy sessions, steady energy means sharper negotiations and thinking. It’s not just about closing more deals; it’s freedom to enjoy the wins, like quick Texas trips each quarter for business growth or helping investors a few steps behind.
Your personal OS is like a business: Invest small upfront (gym membership + supps = cost of one night out), and it spills over—healthier body, clearer vision, resilient mindset. Use tools like ChatGPT to tweak it to your wiring (e.g., Kolbe scores). Start simple; results build from there.
If you’d like guidance outlining your version—integrating this with your deal structures for maximum leverage—I’m open to a private 1:1 60-min Zoom. We’ll map your designed day and business OS step-by-step. DM or reply if it feels right.
4000 feet up in NC and still outside for the morning sun with just a T shirt !
Best regards,
Steve Mills
Real Estate Operator & Roadmap Builder
Pro-Level Prompts for ChatGPT
Here are 3 straightforward prompts to adapt this roadmap immediately. Copy-paste into ChatGPT, fill in your details, and get a customized starting point.
Prompt for Your Designed Day Outline: “Act as a practical coach for 40+ real estate investors. Based on my wake time [e.g., 6:30 AM], location [e.g., Michigan winters], and energy challenges [e.g., afternoon crashes, tech drain], outline a repeatable ‘designed day’ inspired by heavy lifts within 30 min of waking (45-75 min, 3-4x/week), post-lift fuel (eggs/blueberries/avocado), two 30-min MTB blasts, delayed coffee, and magnesium/melatonin at night. Include immediate results like sharper focus, and how to integrate business tasks (e.g., calls mid-ride). Keep it under 2 hours total scattered time, with a 72-hour test plan.”
Prompt for Bloodwork and Quick Wins: “You’re a no-nonsense men’s health expert. For a [your age] investor lifting 3-4x/week, eating 200g protein, with symptoms [e.g., morning fog, low drive], list an exact blood panel (T, free T, estradiol, thyroid, cortisol, vitamin D, ferritin). Provide a 30-day optimization plan with supps, tweaks, and how it ties to immediate energy gains in a designed day routine. Focus on quick results from day one.”
Prompt for Business Integration: “As a real estate mentor, help integrate a ‘designed day’ (gym anchor, fuel, MTB resets, delayed coffee, night recovery) with nose-in/hands-off ops on $3-5M deals. Suggest ways to use MTB time for partner outreach or deal sourcing, reclaim 14 hours/week from fatigue, and outline a 72-hour reset to shift from survival mindset. Tailor to my wiring [e.g., Kolbe 3-3-8-6, quick starter].