Sometimes it’s difficult to take your own advice.
I’ve stepped into a new role alongside my real estate business as a productivity and business coach for creative entrepreneurs. If you’re an artist, run an art-driven business, or sell something objectively boring but secretly have the soul of a poet, we might be a fit. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see how the $1,200 program works and whether you qualify to receive the service at no cost.
Anyway. You may have noticed my emails went quiet. And I’m trying to pay close attention to my body and patterns and actually take time off from the go-go-go productivity mindset.
I assigned one of my coaching clients Chapter Five of Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy’s 10x is Easier than 2x.
Sullivan is the founder and longtime coach behind Strategic Coach, a high-level entrepreneurial coaching program, and Hardy is an organizational psychologist and bestselling author known for books like Willpower Doesn’t Work and Personality Isn’t Permanent.
The book’s core idea flips conventional wisdom: aiming for 10x growth is actually easier and clearer than aiming for something incremental like 2x growth. Going for 2x often means doing more of what you are already doing, which gets messy, scattered, and becomes effort-heavy, Sullivan and Hardy argue. The authors go on to explain that a 10x goal forces you to completely rethink your approach, makes you operate at a higher level of thinking and strategy instead of just pushing harder.
THE FOOTNOTE
Real estate without the real-estate-speak.
A Coffee With Steve Publication
Chapter Five teaches you how to design your time around free days, focus days, and buffer days. The chapter explains why intentional structuring of time is essential for growth. Those segments are where the book discusses different kinds of time and how time quality matters more than just hours worked.
Sullivan and Hardy’s base their ideas around some pretty old ideas.
Chronos Time
Chronos is clock time. Sequential. Measurable. Merciless.
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Minutes, hours, deadlines
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Calendars, schedules, metrics
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“I worked 8 hours today”
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The time your phone and accountant care about
Chronos asks: How long did it take?
Capitalism loves Chronos. So do factories. So does burnout.
Chronos is necessary—but if it’s the only time you honor, you end up efficient and dead inside.
Kairos time
Kairos is meaningful time. The right moment. The fertile opening.
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Insight time
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Creative flow
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Emotional readiness
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The moment when something clicks
Kairos asks: Was the moment ripe?
Artists, mystics, lovers, and great strategists live here.
You can’t force Kairos.
But you can create the conditions for it, which is where the authors quietly sneak philosophy into business coaching.
This distinction between Chronos and Kairos originates from ancient Greek philosophy, and it’s been haunting productivity ever since.
Basically, I was telling my client through Chapter Five, hey you do a lot. Don’t be afraid to take a break once in a while. After today’s post, you won’t see another Coffee With Steve newsletter until February 1st, 2026. This is going to be a recurring thing in my life, I believe, too. From November 1st to February 1st, no Coffee with Steve.
Uhm, if for some reason you can’t get enough of me, let me point you in the direction of 45 YouTube videos titled Language That Sells and Language That Kills.
And I’m so backlogged with completed interviews right now, starting in February, you’ll get to read essays about Dover deputy city manager Chris Parker, The Herbal Path, Potter’s Green, Postal Service United States, just to name a few.
But really I need the break. This doesn’t mean I’m stopping. I’ll probably have a real estate transaction close in late January, a brand new property we are currently prepping to go on the market in February. I’ll still post to social media because I can’t help myself. And heck, you can find me at two coffee shops now—not just one! So I’m always up for some good caffeinated conversation. And more than happy to help you along your journey, whether that be entrepreneurial or real estate.
🎯River Roots Coaching
Right now, I’m opening 8 pro-bono spots for a 3-month strategy program. This is an early pilot, which means if you’re selected, you’ll be part of the founding cohort.
The program includes:
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Three 1:1 coaching sessions (about an hour each)
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Practical exercises to clarify your offer, pricing, and audience
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Introductions to local collaborators, programs, or community resources aligned with your goals
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Access to a local workshop, if there’s enough interest
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A personalized roadmap so you leave knowing exactly what to do next
I’m still finalizing the website and pricing, but the full program will likely land around $1,200. For this pilot round, I’m offering it at no cost in exchange for honest feedback—specifically, a short survey and a brief Google review at the end.
A little context: for the last twenty years, my work has lived at the intersection of teaching, community-building, and helping people get their work out of their heads and into the world. I’ve taught hundreds of students how to turn ideas into finished projects. I’ve built writers’ groups, civic spaces, and creative communities from scratch. And in real estate, I’ve grown a business by connecting people to the right resources, steadying them through high-stakes decisions, and helping them navigate what feels impossible—until it isn’t.
River Roots is simply the next evolution of that work.
A way to build a stronger, smarter ecosystem for people who want to build their own amazing.
If this feels like you, please email me at steve@stevebargdill.com and tell me about your work, your project, your business, and the direction you’re headed, and what you need most right now to move forward.
I’ll review requests as they come in, but this opportunity is limited and competitive—less speed-dating, more intentional matchmaking. Reaching out sooner helps, though fit and alignment get the final say.
☕The Real Estate 101 Series
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About this publication.
Coffee with Steve is an independent publication by Steve Bargdill. Views are my own and do not represent Keller Williams Coastal & Lakes & Mountains Realty (“KWCLM”) or any other organization. Each Keller Williams Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
Not advice. Content is informational and educational; it is not legal, tax, or financial advice and does not guarantee results. Talk to a licensed professional who knows your situation before you act.
No agency created. Reading this does not create an agency relationship or agreement for services. Brokerage representation requires a separate written agreement with KWCLM.
Licensure. I am licensed in New Hampshire. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Wire-fraud warning. During representation by Keller Williams, you will never be asked via email to wire funds to anyone, including a title company. Do not follow email wiring instructions. Always verify by phone using a trusted number.
You can reach Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty at 603-610-8500 or Steve Bargdill directly at 603-617-6018.
Steve Bargdill | Realtor & Author | Seacoast NH | Licensed in NH as Stephen Bargdill Jr., with Keller Williams Coastal & Lakes & Mountains Realty.
Pronouns: he, they
