Nathan Pettyjohn achieved 100% revenue growth across his portfolio while cutting his work hours by 80%. His secret? A systematic approach that contradicts everything we’ve been taught about success.
“The average knowledge worker spends only 2.5 hours per day on meaningful work, according to research from Asana,” says Pettyjohn, founder of The Applied AI Association and author of the upcoming book 2-Day Workweek. “I realized I wasn’t producing 80 hours a week — I was working 80 hours a week, but doing it all wrong, like most of us have been conditioned to do.”
The $874 Billion Problem
Workplace inefficiency costs the US economy $874 billion annually, according to Gallup’s State of the Workplace report. While 76% of employees report experiencing burnout, Pettyjohn discovered that working harder wasn’t just ineffective, it was counterproductive.
“When I hit burnout running my first company, I had an epiphany,” Nathan Pettyjohn explains. “Cal Newport’s concept of ‘Deep Work’ showed me that most founders confuse motion with progress. I was scheduling meetings about meetings, not building value.”
After redesigning his approach from first principles, Pettyjohn now operates four growing companies — The VR/AR Association, Applied AI Association, The Immerse Group, and Immerse Growth Network, in just 16 hours weekly. His companies have helped over 80,000 professionals at their events, trainings and consulting programs in emerging technologies, with a goal of reaching 100 million by 2030.
The Three-Pillar System
Pettyjohn’s methodology rests on three pillars:
AI-Powered Leverage: Using custom AI workflows to handle 70% of routine tasks
Radical Delegation: Building self-managing teams with clear decision rights
Outcome-Based Systems: Focusing on results, not hours logged
“I’ve automated my work environment from email responses to financial reporting,” says Nathan Pettyjohn. “My AI assistant handles first-pass analysis on strategic decisions, saving me 15 hours weekly on research alone.”
The Future is Already Here
“We’re at an inflection point,” Pettyjohn notes. “Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows 70% of workers would delegate as much work as possible to AI. The question isn’t whether this shift will happen, it’s whether you’ll lead or follow.”
Pettyjohn’s upcoming book, 2-Day Workweek, provides the complete blueprint for this transformation. His companion guide, AI Wants Your Job, addresses the urgency of adaptation in an AI-first economy.
The Wellness Wheel with Regina Fridkin(Opens in a new browser tab)
For executives ready to reclaim their time while scaling their impact, Nathan Pettyjohn offers workshops through The Immerse Group. Learn more at www.nathanpettyjohn.com.
