Not Today

Not Today Plot Summary

Introduction

The darkest moments in life often arrive without warning, crashing into our carefully constructed worlds like violent storms. For Mike and Erica Schultz, that storm began with a medical diagnosis before their son Ari was even born. As they sat in the doctor's office listening to terms like "critical aortic stenosis" and "hypoplastic left heart syndrome," they faced the devastating reality that their unborn child had a severe congenital heart defect. This moment marked the beginning of a journey that would reshape their understanding of time, productivity, purpose, and resilience. Many of us face challenges that disrupt our lives and force us to reconsider our priorities. Though perhaps not as severe as the Schultz family's ordeal, these disruptions require us to adapt and find new ways to function in the midst of chaos. Through their extraordinary experience, Mike and Erica discovered something remarkable: even in the most challenging circumstances, we can develop systems to not only survive but thrive. Their journey offers profound insights into how we might all approach our busy, often overwhelming lives with greater purpose, productivity, and peace.

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Our Storm: Ari's Diagnosis and Its Impact

The Schultz family's life changed forever on September 28, 2011, during an eighteen-week ultrasound for their first child. Mike and Erica arrived at Massachusetts General Hospital for what they expected to be a routine appointment, excited to learn their baby's gender. At first, everything seemed perfect. They saw ten fingers, ten toes, and learned they were having a boy. But as the technician continued taking measurements, spending an unusually long time focusing on the heart, their joy turned to fear. "Is everything okay?" Erica asked nervously. "I just need to take a few more pictures," the technician replied, before leaving to get a doctor. When the doctor finished his examination, he led them to his office and delivered life-changing news: "I think your baby has critical aortic stenosis, a serious congenital heart defect." He introduced them to terms like "hypoplastic left heart syndrome" and "in utero aortic valvuloplasty," explaining that their unborn son's aortic valve had narrowed, causing damage to his left ventricle. Faced with this devastating diagnosis, they were referred to Boston Children's Hospital to meet with Dr. Wayne Tworetzky, director of the Fetal Cardiology Program. They learned about an experimental in utero surgery that could potentially save their baby's left ventricle. Though the procedure carried risks, including a 10 percent chance their baby wouldn't survive the surgery, they decided to proceed. On October 11, Erica underwent the surgery with thirty-five medical professionals in the room. The doctor inserted a needle through her belly, into the baby, through his chest cavity, and into his grape-sized heart to inflate a balloon in his narrowed valve. The surgery was technically successful, but the valve began closing again, requiring a second procedure before Thanksgiving. Despite these interventions, the family faced an uncertain future as they awaited their son's birth. Through this experience, the Schultzes learned a profound lesson about responding to life's most challenging moments. When confronted with overwhelming circumstances, they discovered that the path forward wasn't to retreat but to gather information, connect with experts, and make deliberate, courageous choices. Their response to this initial crisis established a pattern of resilience that would carry them through the more difficult days ahead.

Chapter 2: Navigating Hospital Life: Finding Productivity in Chaos

On February 16, 2012, Ari Francis "Danger" Schultz was born screaming and seemingly perfect. After just five minutes with their newborn son, medical staff whisked him away to the NICU. Within hours, he was transferred to Boston Children's Hospital for his first heart surgery. In the first seven months of Ari's life, the family spent barely five weeks at home as he underwent two major open-heart surgeries to replace three of his four heart valves. The Schultzes found themselves living between two worlds – the hospital and their home life. Mike often stayed in the hospital with Ari while Erica split her time between Ari and their growing family, which eventually included two more children, Lexi and Eli. This arrangement created a unique productivity challenge – how could they maintain their business and careers while their child fought for his life? "If we took a leave of absence from the business, the business would have taken a leave of absence from the planet," Mike explained. Losing their health insurance when medical bills had already topped three million dollars wasn't an option. They needed to find a way to work effectively in the most challenging environment imaginable. Hospital life became their new normal. The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit was a constant hub of activity – medical staff, other families, beeping monitors, and emergencies. Finding space to concentrate amid this chaos proved incredibly difficult. Mike tried working from Ari's room, from hallways, from the family lounge, and even from the cafeteria. Each location presented its own challenges, from well-meaning visitors asking about coffee to his own difficulty focusing when his son was just rooms away. Through trial and error, they developed strategies to work in this environment. Mike discovered that noise-canceling headphones created a bubble of focus even in busy spaces. Erica learned to cluster her activities – batching emails, reviews, and administrative tasks – rather than letting these tasks interrupt her throughout the day. They embraced the concept of "TIME" – categorizing activities as Treasured, Investment, Mandatory, or Empty – to make conscious decisions about how they spent their limited hours. Their experience reveals an important truth: productivity isn't about perfect environments or ideal circumstances. It's about adapting systems to work within our constraints, however severe they may be. By developing these adaptive strategies in the crucible of crisis, Mike and Erica discovered principles that could help anyone navigate the competing demands of modern life with greater purpose and effectiveness.

Chapter 3: TIME Framework: Redefining Our Relationship with Time

As the Schultzes continued to balance hospital life with work and family responsibilities, they developed a transformative understanding of time. Before Ari's diagnosis, like many successful professionals, they subscribed to a simple formula: Effort = Achievement = Happiness. They worked hard, achieved career and financial milestones, and believed happiness would naturally follow. But this equation failed them when their lives were upended. "When we had all the time in the world, we could say yes to much more," Erica reflected. But crisis forced them to become intentional about every minute. They realized that existing time management systems focused on efficiency but ignored purpose – getting things done without asking why those things mattered. This insight led them to develop their TIME framework, categorizing all activities into four levels: Level 4: Treasured time – moments you hold dear that fill you up emotionally, like quality time with loved ones, hobbies, and meaningful work. Level 3: Investment time – activities that generate outsized returns toward your goals, such as strategic planning, learning, and creative work. Level 2: Mandatory time – tasks you feel you must do but could potentially delegate or eliminate, like certain administrative work or household chores. Level 1: Empty time – wasted moments that lead nowhere, such as mindless scrolling or excessive television. This framework became their map for navigating difficult decisions. During one hospital stay, Mike struggled with whether to work or be present with Ari. When Ari was playing baseball with the physical therapy team, Mike tried to work in the family lounge. He found himself constantly interrupted by well-meaning visitors. The moment of clarity came when he realized that what felt like Mandatory time – trying to get work done near Ari's room – was actually preventing him from either being fully present with his son (Treasured time) or fully productive (Investment time). Through research with over 2,300 professionals, the Schultzes later discovered that the most productive people spend 46% more hours daily on Investment activities and 21% less time on Mandatory and Empty activities. Even more revealing, nearly two-thirds of highly productive people reported spending the amount of time they wanted on Treasured activities, compared to less than half of others. The TIME framework offers a powerful lens for examining our relationship with time. Rather than simply trying to squeeze more activities into each day, it encourages us to consider what truly matters and align our time accordingly. By taking Treasured time, increasing Investment activities, minimizing Mandatory tasks, and eliminating Empty moments, we can transform not just our productivity but our experience of life itself.

Chapter 4: The 9 Habits: Building Systems in Survival Mode

In July 2016, just as the Schultz family had settled into a relatively stable routine with Ari thriving and active, they received devastating news. Despite appearing healthy on the outside – hitting golf balls, meeting with the Boston Celtics, and playing sports – Ari's heart was failing. He needed a transplant. This began an excruciating 211-day wait in the hospital for a new heart. During this extended hospital stay, Mike and Erica refined their systems for surviving and even thriving under extreme circumstances. They developed what would eventually become the "9 Habits of Extreme Productivity" – three keys with three habits each that formed a comprehensive approach to managing life in crisis. The first key, "Manufacture Motivation," addressed their mental state. They discovered that motivation isn't innate but can be cultivated through specific practices. They learned to "Recruit Drive" by setting clear goals and tracking progress weekly. They would "Ignite Proactivity" by calendaring Investment time and using positive self-talk. And they worked to "Reengineer Habits" by changing their environment and establishing consistent morning routines. For example, Erica found she had only a small, one-hour window during Ari's afternoon rest time when she could focus on work. Initially, she wasted this precious time responding to messages and social media. By planning her week in advance and identifying her highest-priority activities, she transformed this hour into highly productive Investment time. The second key, "Control Your TIME," became essential as they managed competing demands. They practiced "Obsessing over TIME" by tracking how they spent their days and making deliberate choices. They learned to "Say No" to activities that didn't align with their priorities. And they discovered how to "Play Hard to Get" by eliminating distractions – using noise-canceling headphones, turning off notifications, and finding quiet spaces to work. The third key, "Execute in the Zone," helped them maximize their effectiveness during limited work time. They developed techniques to "Sprint into the Zone" through focused work sessions of 20-90 minutes. They found ways to "Fuel Their Energy" by attending to their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. And they learned to "Right the Ship" when they inevitably got off track, using techniques like micro-changes to build momentum. These habits weren't just productivity techniques – they were survival mechanisms that allowed the Schultz family to maintain their sanity and effectiveness during an impossible situation. Their systematic approach reveals that even in our darkest moments, we can develop structures that help us not just endure but continue moving forward with purpose and clarity.

Chapter 5: Grief and Growth: Finding Purpose After Loss

After 211 days of waiting, the Schultz family finally received the news they had been praying for – a heart was available for Ari. In a joyful moment captured on video and shared with millions, Mike told Ari about the heart while they were playing baseball in the hospital. Ari's face lit up with excitement as he asked when he would receive it and when he could go to Fenway Park to see his beloved Red Sox. The transplant initially seemed successful, but complications arose. Ari's body began to reject the new heart. After months of fighting, including time on life support and a grueling recovery, Ari was finally able to come home on June 16, 2017. Their joy was short-lived. Just five weeks later, on July 21, 2017, Ari died at the age of five years, five months, and five days. "The brightest light went dark," Erica recalled. "When he died, we did too. And when we realized we were still, in fact, alive, we wished we weren't." The grief was all-consuming. Erica described it as "stabbing, suffocating, every-moment misery." They questioned how they could possibly go on, how they could show up for their other children, how they could ever find joy again. For Erica, even the suggestion that she might find "peace" seemed offensive. How could there be peace after such a devastating loss? Two months after Ari's death, Erica attended a retreat called "Restoring a Mother's Heart" for mothers who had lost children to chronic illness. During a guided meditation, she had a powerful experience – a vision of her family years in the future, with a teenage Ari returning from boating on the lake. Though the grief returned when she awoke, something had shifted. "This was the first moment since Ari died when I felt anything save despair," she recalled. This experience helped Erica realize that peace didn't mean forgetting Ari or "moving on" without him. Instead, it meant "journeying on with" him – allowing her relationship with him to continue in a different form. It was the beginning of finding meaning in their loss and purpose in their pain. The Schultzes' grief journey illustrates a profound truth about resilience: it doesn't mean quickly bouncing back to normal or pretending pain doesn't exist. True resilience involves incorporating loss into our lives while continuing to find meaning and purpose. For the Schultz family, sharing their story and the lessons they learned became part of their healing process – a way to honor Ari's legacy while helping others navigate their own challenges with greater skill and compassion.

Chapter 6: Professional Transformation: How Crisis Changed Our Work

While facing personal tragedy, Mike and Erica also experienced a remarkable professional transformation. Before Ari's diagnosis, they had been running a business with three distinct service areas. They were working to grow all three, spreading themselves thin in the process. As their personal life demanded more focus, they made a bold decision – they would rename their company RAIN Group and focus exclusively on sales training, the smallest but most promising of their service offerings. This focus proved providential as their time became increasingly constrained by Ari's medical needs. They needed systems that would allow them to achieve their professional goals while spending significant time at the hospital. The productivity techniques they developed out of necessity became the foundation for their business growth. During the years of Ari's life and their time in the hospital, they accomplished what seemed impossible. They built a complete product and service set for their company from scratch, wrote four books (including a Wall Street Journal bestseller published in seven languages), joined their top competitors on prestigious industry lists, conducted six major research studies, and opened offices in cities around the world including Geneva, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Seoul. When they began sharing their productivity systems with colleagues, something unexpected happened. These methods spread rapidly through their organization and to their clients. One client reported a $100 million growth in their sales pipeline after implementing these techniques. Another saw their best pipeline growth in twenty quarters after two years of stagnation. The methods that had sustained them through crisis were transforming other organizations. Their productivity research eventually studied 2,377 professionals across industries and geographies, identifying the habits and behaviors that drive extraordinary productivity. They discovered that people who employed these techniques were not only more productive but reported higher levels of job satisfaction and overall happiness. For the Schultzes, this professional success took on deeper meaning after Ari's death. Their work became another way to honor his memory and ensure his impact continued. What began as survival strategies during crisis evolved into a mission to help others lead more purposeful, productive lives. Their experience demonstrates how our greatest challenges can become the foundation for unexpected growth and contribution if we remain open to finding meaning in our pain.

Chapter 7: Extreme Productivity Research: What We Discovered

Through their extensive research with thousands of professionals, the Schultzes uncovered surprising patterns that separated the most productive people (whom they called "The XP") from everyone else. These differences weren't marginal – they represented significant gaps in behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes. Their research revealed that The XP were 5.3 times more likely to have productive work habits compared to others. They were 2.7 times more likely to calendar their Investment activities and 4 times more likely to begin each day focused on their Greatest Impact Activity – the one task that would yield the highest return. While most people struggled with distractions, The XP were nearly 4 times more likely to avoid being derailed by people or technology when concentrating. Perhaps most surprising, The XP weren't just more productive – they were happier. Nearly half reported being "very happy" compared to just 17 percent of others. They were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs and 3 times more likely to be top performers. This contradicted the common perception that high productivity comes at the cost of personal wellbeing. The research led to the development of the Productivity Quotient (PQ), a measure of productivity based on specific behaviors and attributes. The average PQ across all respondents was 129, while The XP averaged 144. After implementing productivity training based on these findings, one client team saw their average PQ increase from 124 to 142, demonstrating that these skills could be learned. Most significantly, the research showed that productivity isn't about working harder or longer – it's about working differently. The XP weren't superhuman; they simply employed specific habits consistently. They maintained clear written goals and reviewed them regularly. They planned their weeks in advance and tracked their progress. They focused on one task at a time, often using "sprinting" techniques to work in concentrated bursts of 20-90 minutes. And they were intentional about how they spent their time, maximizing Investment activities while minimizing distractions. The research also revealed that even The XP had room for improvement. They scored lowest in the habits related to saying no and avoiding distractions – areas where most people struggle. This suggested that productivity isn't a destination but a continual practice of refining habits and systems. These findings offer hope for anyone feeling overwhelmed by demands on their time. Extreme productivity isn't reserved for a select few with innate talents – it's available to anyone willing to adopt new habits and approaches. Through consistent practice of these evidence-based techniques, we can all learn to work with greater focus, purpose, and joy.

Summary

The Schultz family's journey from devastating diagnosis to profound loss and eventual resilience offers powerful lessons about human capacity. Their story reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we can develop systems that help us not merely survive but find meaning and purpose. By questioning how we spend our time and why, they discovered that productivity isn't about doing more but about doing what matters most. Their TIME framework – categorizing activities as Treasured, Investment, Mandatory, or Empty – provides a simple but powerful tool for examining our relationship with time. Rather than chasing efficiency for its own sake, we can align our days with our deepest values. Their research confirms that those who master productive habits aren't just accomplishing more – they're experiencing greater satisfaction and happiness. This challenges the notion that productivity comes at the cost of wellbeing. Instead, by controlling our time, manufacturing motivation, and executing with focus, we can create lives that feel both meaningful and manageable. Like the Schultz family, we can learn to journey forward with our losses and challenges, not by leaving them behind, but by incorporating them into a life of purpose, productivity, and even joy.

About Author

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Erica Schultz

As Chief Marketing Officer and Owner of Boston-based RAIN Group, Erica heads up all aspects of the award-winning sales training companies go-to-market strategy, growth initiatives, messaging, branding, lead generation, and thought leadership.Since 2005, the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research has been studying various aspects of the buying and selling process. Erica conceives the research, and then takes the findings to create benchmark reports, white papers, research briefs, guides, articles, and bestselling books to help sellers and sales leaders around the globe. She has authored major reports that have received tens of thousands of downloads, including The Extreme Productivity Benchmark, Top Sales Leadership Challenges and Priorities, and 3 Daily Habits to Increase Sales Motivation.Erica has been featured in publications including, Entrepreneur, ESPN, People Magazine, ABC World News Tonight, American Express, ATD, Selling Power, Training Industry, Hubspot Sales Blog, and others. In 2019, she was named to Worcester Business Journal’s 40-under-40 and honored by the Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA) as one of the Top 20 Women to Watch in 2011 and 2016.Erica holds a BA in Business Administration from Boston University School of Management and enjoys skiing, golfing, and anything that puts her outdoors. She’s on marketing and housing committees for the Ethan M. Lindberg Foundation, an organization that provides practical support to families facing congenital heart defects, like her own. She also enjoys spending time with her family on the beaches of Southern Maine or at her lake house in Central Mass.

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