Your PTO Called; It Wants Custody

Your alarm clock got you doing algebra before you even brush your teeth. That’s not ambition — that’s burnout wearing business casual.

In this episode, we unpack hustle culture, the 40-hour work week (yes, Henry Ford, we see you), and why productivity culture still runs your calendar like Wi-Fi is new. We talk real work-life balance — not the Instagram version — and how to use PTO as strategy, not apology. This is about protecting the operator. Because if you don’t schedule a mental health day, burnout will schedule one for you.

We keep it practical. A clean out-of-office message with just enough edge. A weekday reset that includes a Black-owned donut shop, a late brunch that tastes like freedom, sunlight on a park bench, and getting back home early like a responsible adult who still pays bills. There’s also a Clocked Out Collins — gin, lemon, honey, bubbles, rosemary — because slowing down should come with a garnish.

And no, I’m not explaining to your supervisor why you were eating shrimp and grits at 11:42 a.m. That’s between you, management, and God.

The system trades your time for money, then sells you self-care to recover from it. Break the loop. Protect your peace like it’s payroll.

Schedule your life — or someone else will.

Chapters

• 0:00 Pull Over, New Plan
• 0:38 Use Your Time Off
• 1:05 The SIP Sermon Starts
• 1:24 How The 40-Hour Week Began
• 2:03 Break The Rhythm, Recalibrate
• 2:36 Clocked Out Collins Recipe
• 3:17 Playful Disclaimer On Calling Out
• 3:40 What We’re Really Responsible For
• 4:05 Drafting The PTO Email
• 4:21 Donuts, Follows, And Brunch Spots
• 5:36 Sunlight Reset And Quiet
• 6:00 Responsible Return And Prep
• 6:34 The Real Purpose Of A Day Off
• 7:12 Sip Happens And Free Pour Pack
• 7:44 Time Is Money, Memories Priceless

Transcript

Styles: 0:00

Hey, if you're listening to this on your way to work, pull over. I got an idea. We're not going to work today. Today, people, we are not going to work. You know how your alarm goes off at 6.45 and you're supposed to be up at 8? And before your eyes even open, you become a mathematician. Like, if I hit snooze twice, that's 18 minutes. And if I take a shower in six minutes instead of 10 minutes, I get four minutes back. If I skip coffee at home and grab a coffee on the way, you get the idea. At no o'clock in the morning, you're solving equations just to get the day started. Let's stop and give this some thought. It's the beginning of the year. You definitely have sick time sitting there. You just re-upped. Personal days too. That's time with your name on it. Use one. You know what? Let's go inside and talk about this master plan of mine. Welcome to Brunch Behavior, the Poor Report. I'm Styles. Today's vibe, corporate can wait. Life absolutely can't. Let me break this down for you. The SIP Sermon. Here's the thing: the 40-hour work week wasn't divine design. And before your eyes glaze over, relax. I'm about to teach you something. And it won't be a snooze fest. I promise. Sit tight, give me a minute or two, let me sort this out for you. Cool? Aye. In the early 1900s, factory workers were pulling 60 to 70 hour workweeks. Then around 1926, Henry Ford shifted the company to a 5-day, 40-hour work week. This wasn't a generosity strategy. Rested workers were more productive, and with the weekends off, they had more time to spend money. The structure of your work week was built for efficiency and consumption. 100 years later, productivity is double. Technology follows you home, emails don't clock out, but the 40 hours, that's still a standard. So every now and then you have to break the rhythm. Heavy on a break. It's not rebellion, even though it feels like it's recalibration, a subtle remix of the system without setting off alarms. Listen, if an industrialist could redesign the work week, you can redesign any random weekday of your choosing, and today's the day. Make sure we're not just taking one for the team and that it's absolutely worth it. With that said, it's time to reclaim a day, and today's the day. And I'm not taking no for an answer. Let me break this down in the glass for you. The drink is inspired by the Brunch Behavior Summer Pack, available on Amazon. And since today we're talking about reclaiming your time, it's only right that we pour a clocked out collins, the kind of drink that tastes like freedom at 9 17 a.m. on a Tuesday. Here's what's going in the glass gin, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup, sparkling water, rosemary, lemon wheel. And again, like I said on past episodes, you want to see me make the drink? DM me and we'll add it to the list of drinks that we'll have on the afterpour that's not available on YouTube as of yet, but I'm getting to it. If you're gonna call out, do it with confidence. Liquid confidence. Let me say this clearly before we move any further. Here's a disclaimer. If you lose your job, that's between you, management, and God. I'm not legally obligated to attend your HR meeting. I'm not logging onto your laptop, I'm not drafting follow-up emails. I'm definitely not explaining to your supervisor why you were eating shrimp and grits at 1142 a.m. at Sweet Check. I'm not paying your rent, I'm not covering your benefits, and I'm absolutely not your union representative. This is what I am responsible for. You laughing in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, you sitting in the sunlight instead of fluorescent lights. You having a real conversation that does not include the words per my last email, you lowering your stress level for at least six consecutive hours, you creating a memory on a random weekday that nobody can put on a timesheet. You remembering your life is more than a time card, you understanding that sick time is part of your compensation, you realizing PTO really means protecting the operator. So choose wisely, call out responsibly, stand on it. Godspeed. Brunch behavior breakdown. This is what it looks like in real life. It's 8 32 in the morning. The email is sent. I'll help you draft that. Not feeling well today. We'll check messages intermittently. That word intermittently is doing all the heavy lifting. 9 a.m. Coffee and Donuts. We're pulling up to the Cloudy Donut Co. in Brooklyn. Black owned, creative, and they drop motivation heavy reels on the daily. Matter of fact, hold up, stop. Pull up Instagram for me. I want you to go and follow these pages. At Cloudy Donuts, spelled exactly how I said it. The other one is at Z E W I D I T U. The other one is at underscore seven S T R E A M S. S 7 streams. Got it? Alright, cool. I haven't been to the spot yet, but I'm dragging you with me. We're gonna grab a coffee, we're gonna grab a donut and sit there like we have nowhere to be. At 1130 though, that's the brunch move. Let's hit up maybe Sweet Chick in Williamsburg or Boulevard. Actually, no. You're gonna hit up Sweet Chick in LES. Not going to Williamsburg. Another story for another day. Or we can hit up uh Boulevard Bistro in Harlem. Shrimp and grits that'll make you question corporate loyalty. If you're not in New York, find a black-owned brunch spot in your city and support intentionally. Thank you. At 2 30, sunlight reset, park bench, phone or do not disturb, let your nervous system catch up. We don't realize it, but half of our stress is noise. Silence is medicine. Not that a park bench in New York City is quiet, but I digress. 445 is a responsible return. Laundry started, clothes set for tomorrow, and then it's prepped. You didn't waste the day you invested in. So now it's time to spin the block, go back home, change your clothes, get comfortable. Alright? And wherever you decide to start, drop your location. I'm on my way. That sounded creepy. Don't look over your shoulder. I'm not there. I'm still sitting in the same spot I was when I started this whole thing. However, that's your itinerary. You're welcome. The final pull. This was never about just skipping work just to sit around. It's about reclaiming a day so that you can actually live inside it. The way the work week was structured, we trade hours for dollars and then spend those dollars trying to buy back those experiences we never had time to create. That's the quiet exchange nobody talks about. So every once in a while you should take a day back on purpose. Not to hide, but to build memories. Because if you don't schedule your life, someone else will schedule it for you. Sip happens. Every sip tells a story. That's your pull for today. Alright, shameless plug time. Let's try to get through this. No skips, no f ups and blah blah blah, all that good stuff. If you're rocking with the vibe, grab the free paw pack, five signature drinks, and sermons on the house. Then tap into the summer pack, that's gonna cost you some bread. So available on Amazon. The full experience: 30 drinks, 30 stories, no watered down emotions. To get to the free pool pack, go to Sip Happens and type free pour in the message section. And I'll get that right out to you. Time is money, but memories are priceless. From your boy Styles. Catch you on the next pour.