Templates are underrated.
Not because they are exciting.
Because they save your brain from starting over.
When I’m tired, I do not want to rethink:
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
mastodon
4.5.6
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http://mittendad.substack.com
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
These days I care less about being optimized and more about being able to keep going.
That means building #systems that are:
• low-friction
• flexible
• easy to restart
• kind to tired brains
The best system is rarely the most impressive one.
It is the one you can still use on Thursday when the week has already punched you in the mouth.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
Why your chaos is an infrastructure problem. #chaos #podcast https://open.substack.com/pub/mittendad/p/why-your-chaos-is-an-infrastructure-6c7?r=pl81&utm_medium=ios
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
Most people do not need a new app.
They need a simpler way to decide:
- What matters now
- What can wait
- What they can stop feeling guilty about
The more overwhelmed I get, the less I want complexity.
Clarity beats features.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
Working a full-time job has changed how I think about #productivity.
You stop chasing perfect systems.
You start valuing repeatable ones.
You ask better questions:
• What is useful?
• What is realistic?
• What still works when I’m tired?
• What helps me start again quickly?
That shift matters.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
6d ago
Success isn't about looking like you belong in the room.
It’s about owning your time so completely that you don't care who’s in the room at all.
Stop spending money to look like you’ve won.
Start making decisions like the version of you who already has.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 10, 2026
How much of what you call your 'personality' is actually just a decades-old, highly practiced translation designed to make your nervous system receptive to a world that never learned your native language?
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 09, 2026
One of the most useful things I’ve built for myself is a minimum viable day.
Not a perfect routine.
Not an optimized schedule.
Just a short list that helps me stay grounded when the day goes sideways:
• 1 important thing
• 1 maintenance thing
• 1 reset habit
That is enough to keep momentum alive.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 09, 2026
The advice to "#niche down" is killing multi-passionate creators.
You don't need to pick one interest and abandon the rest.
You need a mission that channels everything into one profitable brand.
Here's how the top 1% actually do it:
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 09, 2026
A lot of #productivity advice breaks down the second real life shows up.
A better test for any system is this:
Does it still work when:
• work gets heavy
• the house is loud
• energy is low
• your brain is fried
If not, it is not a real system.
It is a best-case scenario.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 08, 2026
Slow productivity isn't about doing less.
It's a different philosophy.
- Do fewer things
- Work at a natural pace
- Obsess over quality
The grind culture version of this is: do everything, move fast, accept burnout as the cost.
That's not a strategy.
That's just suffering with extra steps.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 08, 2026
Rest isn't a reward for finishing your work.
It's a requirement for doing your work at all.
If you keep telling yourself "I'll rest when things slow down," you already know how that ends.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 07, 2026
Here's a mindset shift that changed how I think about evenings:
The cluttered schedule — baseball practice, school pickup, helping with homework — isn't bad clutter.
That's the good stuff. That's the whole point.
Stop optimizing your family life like a project plan.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 07, 2026
Context switching isn't just annoying.
It's productivity poison.
The knowledge workers who win aren't the ones working more hours.
They're the ones protecting fewer, cleaner blocks of attention.
Less open. More focused. That's the whole system.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 07, 2026
The fanciest productivity system you own is probably making you less productive.
If you're spending your mental energy maintaining a system, you're optimizing for movement instead of progress.
The best system is the one you forget you're using.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 06, 2026
You have a 40-minute window.
Kid's napping. Calendar finally opened up.
But first: 5 minutes to remember what you were working on.
Then: 3 minutes to find the thing you actually need.
Then your phone buzzes. A notification. Nothing urgent.
You've got 25 frantic minutes left.
That's an infrastructure problem.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 06, 2026
Chaos isn't a discipline problem.
It's an infrastructure problem.
You're not scattered because you lack focus. You're scattered because your systems are held together by memory and stress.
#work #culture #productivity
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Mar 04, 2026
Most AI advice stays advice.
You read it. You nod. You close the tab.
But occasionally something lands differently — and you actually do the thing.
What was that for you?
What's the last thing you learned that you actually implemented to improve your world with AI — and where did you learn it?
(I'm asking because the gap between knowing and doing is where most of us live. I want to know what made you cross it.)
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 28, 2026
Staying informed doesn't mean staying immersed. You don't have to watch every minute unfold in real time to care about what's happening.
Your mental health isn't selfish. It's necessary.
The world will still be here when you come back. And you'll be better equipped to show up for it when you've taken care of yourself first.
So if you need to step away today, this week, or longer—do it.
No justification needed.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 26, 2026
Alex Hormozi had $1,036 in his bank account on Christmas Eve.
18 months later, he was doing $28M/year.
The only thing that changed was his offer.
Here's what $100M Offers actually teaches — and why it's useless if you can't capture the ideas it sparks. 🧵
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 26, 2026
Hormozi's Value Equation:
Value = (Dream Outcome × Perceived Likelihood) ÷ (Time Delay × Effort)
To charge more, increase the top. Decrease the bottom.
Most businesses accidentally do the opposite — and wonder why growth stalls.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 21, 2026
Stop trying to compete on topics. You'll lose.
Build a brand where you are the niche.
Be entertaining. Be useful. Be polarizing if that's who you are.
Be the person people want to follow—not because you have the "best" information, but because you're you.
As long as you're interesting and helpful, there can only be one of you.
When you build that "niche of one," you don't have competitors.
You have a walking business.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
Atomic Habits has been summarized 10,000 times.
But only YOU ran the experiment your way.
Only YOU applied it to your specific situation.
That application + your personal credibility = your advantage.
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The advice to "#niche down" is killing multi-passionate creators. You don't need to pick one interest and abandon the rest. You need a mission that channels everything into one profitable brand. Here'
Ancestor 2
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Most niche advice is topic-based: "Pick fitness," or "Pick productivity," or "Pick finance." But if you're interested in health, business, philosophy, and design, you're told to choose. That's amputat
Parent
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
The better approach? Mission-based niching. Build around a transformation instead of a topic. Your business becomes a vessel for your life's work. Every interest you have can serve that mission.
Current reply
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
Example:
Topic niche: "I teach email marketing."
Mission niche: "I help solopreneurs build freedom businesses."
Now you can talk about marketing, productivity, mindset, systems—
anything that moves people toward that outcome.
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@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
The advice to "#niche down" is killing multi-passionate creators. You don't need to pick one interest and abandon the rest. You need a mission that channels everything into one profitable brand. Here'
Parent
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Most niche advice is topic-based: "Pick fitness," or "Pick productivity," or "Pick finance." But if you're interested in health, business, philosophy, and design, you're told to choose. That's amputat
Current reply
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
The better approach?
Mission-based niching.
Build around a transformation instead of a topic.
Your business becomes a vessel for your life's work.
Every interest you have can serve that mission.
View full thread on universeodon.com
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@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Most niche advice is topic-based: "Pick fitness," or "Pick productivity," or "Pick finance." But if you're interested in health, business, philosophy, and design, you're told to choose. That's amputat
Ancestor 2
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
The better approach? Mission-based niching. Build around a transformation instead of a topic. Your business becomes a vessel for your life's work. Every interest you have can serve that mission.
Parent
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Open
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Example: Topic niche: "I teach email marketing." Mission niche: "I help solopreneurs build freedom businesses." Now you can talk about marketing, productivity, mindset, systems— anything that moves pe
Current reply
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
Here's what most won't tell you:
Any niche works if you're good at what you do.
The market isn't saturated.
Mediocre execution is.
Your unique angle isn't the topic.
It's how YOU applied it.
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Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
The advice to "#niche down" is killing multi-passionate creators.
You don't need to pick one interest and abandon the rest.
You need a mission that channels everything into one profitable brand.
Here's how the top 1% actually do it:
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The advice to "#niche down" is killing multi-passionate creators. You don't need to pick one interest and abandon the rest. You need a mission that channels everything into one profitable brand. Here'
Current reply
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
Matt Tilmann
@mittendad@universeodon.com
Helping parent-preneurs and solo creators reclaim time, freedom, and self-care l Build your golden years now — not someday at http:// mittendad.substack.com
universeodon.com
@mittendad@universeodon.com
·
Feb 02, 2026
Most niche advice is topic-based:
"Pick fitness," or "Pick productivity," or "Pick finance."
But if you're interested in health, business, philosophy, and design, you're told to choose.
That's amputation, not strategy.
View full thread on universeodon.com
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