The Bosstick Travel & Free Time Playbook: How We Recharge, Reset & Get The Most Out Of Life

Michael and Lauren Bosstick, hosts of The Bossticks, typically spend their episodes discussing high performance, business, and relationships. In this solo episode, they pivot to the other side of that coin: how they deliberately structure their free time, travel, and downtime to avoid burnout and actually enjoy the life they’re building. The central argument is that free time is not an afterthought or a sign of weakness—it is a necessary, intentional component of sustained success. They frame it as the recovery phase of a sport, arguing that without it, you cannot keep playing the game.

The Two Buckets of Free Time: Compounding vs. Distracting

Lauren introduces a framework that organizes the episode: she views every hour not spent working as either "compounding" her life or "distracting" from it. For her, compounding free time involves activities that move the needle—reading, walking with her children, cleaning, or being present. Distracting free time, by contrast, is mindlessly consuming other people’s content. Michael offers a different but complementary view. He needs his free time to exist in one of two extremes: either intensely cerebral and alone, thinking deeply, or completely brain-dead and mindless. His version of "distracting" is intentional—playing video games like Call of Duty or Mario Kart, reading fiction, or watching Real Housewives. He argues that