Simon Theakston
@simontheakston.bsky.social
From tech co-founder to 4-hour workdays | Stroke survivor building differently | Sharing what limitations teach us about better systems
Newsletter: https://fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Newsletter: https://fourhourfreedom.substack.com
The café on my rehab walk gives me jelly babies to get me home again. They probably think I work all day too!
People think my 4-hour day is a productivity trick — it isn’t.
It’s recovery, boundaries, and energy management.
My 4-Hour Workday Explained:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/my-4-hour-...
People think my 4-hour day is a productivity trick — it isn’t.
It’s recovery, boundaries, and energy management.
My 4-Hour Workday Explained:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/my-4-hour-...
My 4-Hour Workday, Explained
Tools, systems, and rituals that let me run a business without burning out
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
The café on my rehab walk gives me jelly babies to get me home again. They probably think I work all day too!
People think my 4-hour day is a productivity trick — it isn’t.
It’s recovery, boundaries, and energy management.
My 4-Hour Workday Explained:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/my-4-hour-...
People think my 4-hour day is a productivity trick — it isn’t.
It’s recovery, boundaries, and energy management.
My 4-Hour Workday Explained:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/my-4-hour-...
No hustle. No hacks.
Just a system I built from the sofa, with one working hand and zero energy to spare.
It’s what let me grow after everything fell apart.
Live tomorrow on Four Hour Freedom.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Just a system I built from the sofa, with one working hand and zero energy to spare.
It’s what let me grow after everything fell apart.
Live tomorrow on Four Hour Freedom.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:54 PM
No hustle. No hacks.
Just a system I built from the sofa, with one working hand and zero energy to spare.
It’s what let me grow after everything fell apart.
Live tomorrow on Four Hour Freedom.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Just a system I built from the sofa, with one working hand and zero energy to spare.
It’s what let me grow after everything fell apart.
Live tomorrow on Four Hour Freedom.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I found focus through sound.
Not music. Not noise. But adaptive soundscapes that shift as I do.
After my stroke, I couldn’t handle Spotify. I needed something for recovery - not distraction.
I found it. Now I use it daily to write, rest, and sleep.
Info here: open.substack.com/pub/fourhour...
Not music. Not noise. But adaptive soundscapes that shift as I do.
After my stroke, I couldn’t handle Spotify. I needed something for recovery - not distraction.
I found it. Now I use it daily to write, rest, and sleep.
Info here: open.substack.com/pub/fourhour...
Why Spotify Couldn’t Fix My Focus — But This App Did
How I went from sensory overload to deep focus — using sound, not silence.
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 12:52 PM
I found focus through sound.
Not music. Not noise. But adaptive soundscapes that shift as I do.
After my stroke, I couldn’t handle Spotify. I needed something for recovery - not distraction.
I found it. Now I use it daily to write, rest, and sleep.
Info here: open.substack.com/pub/fourhour...
Not music. Not noise. But adaptive soundscapes that shift as I do.
After my stroke, I couldn’t handle Spotify. I needed something for recovery - not distraction.
I found it. Now I use it daily to write, rest, and sleep.
Info here: open.substack.com/pub/fourhour...
Just hit my all-time high of 242 newsletter subscribers.
Slowly but surely, a little crew is forming.
If you’re reading this and you’re one of them - thank you.
If you’re not, come join us:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Slowly but surely, a little crew is forming.
If you’re reading this and you’re one of them - thank you.
If you’re not, come join us:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Just hit my all-time high of 242 newsletter subscribers.
Slowly but surely, a little crew is forming.
If you’re reading this and you’re one of them - thank you.
If you’re not, come join us:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Slowly but surely, a little crew is forming.
If you’re reading this and you’re one of them - thank you.
If you’re not, come join us:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
This isn’t a hustle story.
It’s a rebuild story.
For anyone who’s had life punch them in the gut - and is now trying to build something that fits the new version of themselves.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/stroke-of-...
It’s a rebuild story.
For anyone who’s had life punch them in the gut - and is now trying to build something that fits the new version of themselves.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/stroke-of-...
Stroke of Freedom: Turning Adversity Into Advantage
I planned to escape the 9–5 in three years. Life gave me three months.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:57 AM
This isn’t a hustle story.
It’s a rebuild story.
For anyone who’s had life punch them in the gut - and is now trying to build something that fits the new version of themselves.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/stroke-of-...
It’s a rebuild story.
For anyone who’s had life punch them in the gut - and is now trying to build something that fits the new version of themselves.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/stroke-of-...
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
August 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
- One night of 4-hour sleep = 70% drop in cancer-fighting cells.
- 20 hours awake = legally drunk cognitive function.
- Zero percent of humans can thrive on 5 hours without impairment.
This Saturday: Why your productivity hack is actually sabotaging everything.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
- 20 hours awake = legally drunk cognitive function.
- Zero percent of humans can thrive on 5 hours without impairment.
This Saturday: Why your productivity hack is actually sabotaging everything.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
August 8, 2025 at 9:06 AM
- One night of 4-hour sleep = 70% drop in cancer-fighting cells.
- 20 hours awake = legally drunk cognitive function.
- Zero percent of humans can thrive on 5 hours without impairment.
This Saturday: Why your productivity hack is actually sabotaging everything.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
- 20 hours awake = legally drunk cognitive function.
- Zero percent of humans can thrive on 5 hours without impairment.
This Saturday: Why your productivity hack is actually sabotaging everything.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Meetings without notes = decisions without follow-through.
I use AI + transcripts to turn every call into clear next steps.
It has saved projects - and improved my sales process more than I could imagine!
Full process in today’s newsletter:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I use AI + transcripts to turn every call into clear next steps.
It has saved projects - and improved my sales process more than I could imagine!
Full process in today’s newsletter:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Meetings without notes = decisions without follow-through.
I use AI + transcripts to turn every call into clear next steps.
It has saved projects - and improved my sales process more than I could imagine!
Full process in today’s newsletter:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I use AI + transcripts to turn every call into clear next steps.
It has saved projects - and improved my sales process more than I could imagine!
Full process in today’s newsletter:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
My iPad weighs less than a hardback book, runs on the same M chip as desktop Macs, and lasts 10hrs on battery.
For writing, editing photos, jumping on video calls, or managing client projects—it’s brilliant.
I thought I’d miss my laptop. I don’t.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-day-i-...
For writing, editing photos, jumping on video calls, or managing client projects—it’s brilliant.
I thought I’d miss my laptop. I don’t.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-day-i-...
The Day I Realised My Laptop Was Holding Me Back
The Surprising Truth About Working From an iPad in 2025
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 8:44 AM
My iPad weighs less than a hardback book, runs on the same M chip as desktop Macs, and lasts 10hrs on battery.
For writing, editing photos, jumping on video calls, or managing client projects—it’s brilliant.
I thought I’d miss my laptop. I don’t.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-day-i-...
For writing, editing photos, jumping on video calls, or managing client projects—it’s brilliant.
I thought I’d miss my laptop. I don’t.
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-day-i-...
One hour a day adds up faster than you think.
I couldn’t work full-time, so I built a system that let me make real progress in short bursts.
12 months later, it’s working.
Stop waiting for the perfect week. Start investing the 60 minutes you do have.
I couldn’t work full-time, so I built a system that let me make real progress in short bursts.
12 months later, it’s working.
Stop waiting for the perfect week. Start investing the 60 minutes you do have.
July 17, 2025 at 7:53 AM
One hour a day adds up faster than you think.
I couldn’t work full-time, so I built a system that let me make real progress in short bursts.
12 months later, it’s working.
Stop waiting for the perfect week. Start investing the 60 minutes you do have.
I couldn’t work full-time, so I built a system that let me make real progress in short bursts.
12 months later, it’s working.
Stop waiting for the perfect week. Start investing the 60 minutes you do have.
DEVONthink changed how I collect. Obsidian changed how I think.
After my stroke, my brain didn’t work the way it used to.
These two tools became a kind of external hard drive.
This afternoon, I’m sharing the real workflows I use to connect them - and the mindset shift that made it all work.
After my stroke, my brain didn’t work the way it used to.
These two tools became a kind of external hard drive.
This afternoon, I’m sharing the real workflows I use to connect them - and the mindset shift that made it all work.
July 16, 2025 at 8:03 AM
DEVONthink changed how I collect. Obsidian changed how I think.
After my stroke, my brain didn’t work the way it used to.
These two tools became a kind of external hard drive.
This afternoon, I’m sharing the real workflows I use to connect them - and the mindset shift that made it all work.
After my stroke, my brain didn’t work the way it used to.
These two tools became a kind of external hard drive.
This afternoon, I’m sharing the real workflows I use to connect them - and the mindset shift that made it all work.
There’s no perfect app. But there is a perfect combination.
DEVONthink handles capture and search. Obsidian handles thinking and creation. Together, they’ve become my digital memory.
Tomorrow’s issue is all about how I built the bridge between them. It’s free at FourHourFreedom.substack.com
DEVONthink handles capture and search. Obsidian handles thinking and creation. Together, they’ve become my digital memory.
Tomorrow’s issue is all about how I built the bridge between them. It’s free at FourHourFreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
FourHourFreedom.substack.com
July 15, 2025 at 7:20 AM
There’s no perfect app. But there is a perfect combination.
DEVONthink handles capture and search. Obsidian handles thinking and creation. Together, they’ve become my digital memory.
Tomorrow’s issue is all about how I built the bridge between them. It’s free at FourHourFreedom.substack.com
DEVONthink handles capture and search. Obsidian handles thinking and creation. Together, they’ve become my digital memory.
Tomorrow’s issue is all about how I built the bridge between them. It’s free at FourHourFreedom.substack.com
This one is for you if you’re juggling 5 ideas but making progress on none.
I used to be the same - until a health scare forced me to cut the fluff.
One idea. Four hours a day. Real traction.
You don’t need more time. You need fewer distractions.
I used to be the same - until a health scare forced me to cut the fluff.
One idea. Four hours a day. Real traction.
You don’t need more time. You need fewer distractions.
July 14, 2025 at 8:21 AM
This one is for you if you’re juggling 5 ideas but making progress on none.
I used to be the same - until a health scare forced me to cut the fluff.
One idea. Four hours a day. Real traction.
You don’t need more time. You need fewer distractions.
I used to be the same - until a health scare forced me to cut the fluff.
One idea. Four hours a day. Real traction.
You don’t need more time. You need fewer distractions.
I don’t want to remember everything.
I just want to remember what matters.
That’s why I built a system in Obsidian that catches insights and sends me the good stuff when I need it.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you how it works - with real-world examples.
📨 Subscribe here: fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I just want to remember what matters.
That’s why I built a system in Obsidian that catches insights and sends me the good stuff when I need it.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you how it works - with real-world examples.
📨 Subscribe here: fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
July 8, 2025 at 7:08 AM
I don’t want to remember everything.
I just want to remember what matters.
That’s why I built a system in Obsidian that catches insights and sends me the good stuff when I need it.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you how it works - with real-world examples.
📨 Subscribe here: fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I just want to remember what matters.
That’s why I built a system in Obsidian that catches insights and sends me the good stuff when I need it.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you how it works - with real-world examples.
📨 Subscribe here: fourhourfreedom.substack.com
You want to be present.
But your job needs 40 hours - and your kids need you.
After I lost my health, I built a 4-hour workday that gives me both time and income.
You don’t have to choose between family and freedom.
There’s another way.
But your job needs 40 hours - and your kids need you.
After I lost my health, I built a 4-hour workday that gives me both time and income.
You don’t have to choose between family and freedom.
There’s another way.
July 4, 2025 at 8:48 AM
You want to be present.
But your job needs 40 hours - and your kids need you.
After I lost my health, I built a 4-hour workday that gives me both time and income.
You don’t have to choose between family and freedom.
There’s another way.
But your job needs 40 hours - and your kids need you.
After I lost my health, I built a 4-hour workday that gives me both time and income.
You don’t have to choose between family and freedom.
There’s another way.
July 2, 2025 at 7:22 PM
If your digital life feels like a mess of PDFs, receipts, and research notes…
DEVONthink can fix that.
This afternoon I’m sharing:
✅ My exact setup
✅ Screenshots
✅ Why it beats Google Drive
Make sure you’re on the list:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
DEVONthink can fix that.
This afternoon I’m sharing:
✅ My exact setup
✅ Screenshots
✅ Why it beats Google Drive
Make sure you’re on the list:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
fourhourfreedom.substack
July 2, 2025 at 7:59 AM
If your digital life feels like a mess of PDFs, receipts, and research notes…
DEVONthink can fix that.
This afternoon I’m sharing:
✅ My exact setup
✅ Screenshots
✅ Why it beats Google Drive
Make sure you’re on the list:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
DEVONthink can fix that.
This afternoon I’m sharing:
✅ My exact setup
✅ Screenshots
✅ Why it beats Google Drive
Make sure you’re on the list:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
DEVONthink isn’t my second brain.
It’s my external brain.
It’s where I store everything other people created:
PDFs, research, invoices, letters, receipts.
Want to see how I’ve set it up to work in 4 hours a day? Tomorrow’s newsletter breaks it down
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
It’s my external brain.
It’s where I store everything other people created:
PDFs, research, invoices, letters, receipts.
Want to see how I’ve set it up to work in 4 hours a day? Tomorrow’s newsletter breaks it down
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM
DEVONthink isn’t my second brain.
It’s my external brain.
It’s where I store everything other people created:
PDFs, research, invoices, letters, receipts.
Want to see how I’ve set it up to work in 4 hours a day? Tomorrow’s newsletter breaks it down
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
It’s my external brain.
It’s where I store everything other people created:
PDFs, research, invoices, letters, receipts.
Want to see how I’ve set it up to work in 4 hours a day? Tomorrow’s newsletter breaks it down
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, rehab, reading and family.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, rehab, reading and family.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
July 1, 2025 at 7:10 AM
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, rehab, reading and family.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, rehab, reading and family.
Work is part of life. Not the whole damn thing.
I used to treat AI like a search engine.
Type prompt → get answer.
But the real breakthroughs came when I let it ask me questions back.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom is about two-way conversations with AI:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-power-...
Type prompt → get answer.
But the real breakthroughs came when I let it ask me questions back.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom is about two-way conversations with AI:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-power-...
Why You Should Talk With AI, Not To It
AI shouldn’t be treated as a tool. The real magic happens when you use it as a conversation partner
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
June 30, 2025 at 8:02 AM
I used to treat AI like a search engine.
Type prompt → get answer.
But the real breakthroughs came when I let it ask me questions back.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom is about two-way conversations with AI:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-power-...
Type prompt → get answer.
But the real breakthroughs came when I let it ask me questions back.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom is about two-way conversations with AI:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-power-...
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life.
Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life.
Not the whole damn thing.
June 26, 2025 at 7:18 AM
I don’t work 4 hours a day to be lazy.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life.
Not the whole damn thing.
I do it so I’ve got energy left for walks, mates, music, and meaning.
Work is part of life.
Not the whole damn thing.
After my stroke, I had to relearn how to think clearly.
One tool helped me more than anything else.
It wasn’t AI.
It wasn’t Notion.
It was Readwise.
This week, I’m sharing the exact setup that powers my business.
First Four Hour Setup issue lands this afternoon:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
One tool helped me more than anything else.
It wasn’t AI.
It wasn’t Notion.
It was Readwise.
This week, I’m sharing the exact setup that powers my business.
First Four Hour Setup issue lands this afternoon:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
fourhourfreedom.substack
June 25, 2025 at 7:48 AM
After my stroke, I had to relearn how to think clearly.
One tool helped me more than anything else.
It wasn’t AI.
It wasn’t Notion.
It was Readwise.
This week, I’m sharing the exact setup that powers my business.
First Four Hour Setup issue lands this afternoon:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
One tool helped me more than anything else.
It wasn’t AI.
It wasn’t Notion.
It was Readwise.
This week, I’m sharing the exact setup that powers my business.
First Four Hour Setup issue lands this afternoon:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
I don’t want to scale endlessly.
I don’t want a 10-person team.
I want freedom.
And I’ve found the tech stack that gives it to me.
In this week’s Four Hour Freedom, I break it all down:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
I don’t want a 10-person team.
I want freedom.
And I’ve found the tech stack that gives it to me.
In this week’s Four Hour Freedom, I break it all down:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
The Apps That Run My Business (and My Life)
The exact tech stack that lets me run a business in 4 hours a day
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 8:10 AM
I don’t want to scale endlessly.
I don’t want a 10-person team.
I want freedom.
And I’ve found the tech stack that gives it to me.
In this week’s Four Hour Freedom, I break it all down:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
I don’t want a 10-person team.
I want freedom.
And I’ve found the tech stack that gives it to me.
In this week’s Four Hour Freedom, I break it all down:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
I don’t have a team. I have an app stack.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom reveals it all:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
This week’s Four Hour Freedom reveals it all:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
Four Hour Freedom | Simon Theakston | Substack
From tech founder to stroke survivor to thriving creator - I share how to build profitable businesses around life, not despite it, in just four hours each day. Click to read Four Hour Freedom, by Simo...
fourhourfreedom.substack.com
June 21, 2025 at 10:50 AM
I don’t have a team. I have an app stack.
This week’s Four Hour Freedom reveals it all:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...
This week’s Four Hour Freedom reveals it all:
fourhourfreedom.substack.com/p/the-apps-t...