Just Start: Your Function and Dysfunction Scales.

Dear Andre, (4 min read)

I was having dinner with a friend last Friday evening when I said something that made him stop mid-bite.

"Write that down," he said.

Here's what I told him: My function and dysfunction scales.

Whatever you're doing right now—the good habits, the bad ones, the things you reward, the things you ignore—all of it multiplies as your life expands. The healthy systems you build today? They'll compound. The unhealthy patterns you tolerate? They'll spread.

Culture isn't some abstract concept reserved for companies with HR departments and mission statements on the wall.

Culture is just a function of enforcement and consequences.

What you reward, you get more of. What you cause pain towards, you get less of.

That's it.

And here's the thing most people miss: You are the CEO of You, Incorporated.

You have a culture. Right now. Whether you designed it intentionally or let it happen by default.

Sidenote: I talked about you on a podcast that just released on wednesday. (at 18:10)

Here’s a comment from a listener: “Incredible conversation Daniel and Mark. Inspiring and also practical and valuable, just like the book. I've been in leadership development for an F5 company for over almost 15 years, and I'd say this is a must listen for any entrepreneur or leader! I could see a conversation like this being super impactful in a live in-person setting as well. well done!”

The shorts have over 20,000 views across platforms.

something good is in this podcast. just watch 2 mins and leave a comment.

Here’s the link to the YouTube video. (video podcast)

Let me tell you what happened this week in my detailing business.

I built a dashboard. Nothing fancy—just a simple tracker for the activities I know move my business forward. Email newsletters. Instagram posts. Text messages. Conversations at BNI or Lifetime Fitness. Every night before bed, I check off what I did.

Here's what changed:

This week, I had a client scheduled for a full detail. Before I even started the work, I told her about the maintenance program we offer. I gave her the offer upfront (not at the end when she's exhausted and ready to leave)

She bought it.

And then I realized: I should do this every single time.

Why did I do it this time? Because I knew I'd be tracking whether I asked. The dashboard created accountability. The accountability created the behavior. The behavior created the result.

That's culture.

I didn't wait until I felt motivated. I didn't hope I'd remember. I built a system that made the right action inevitable. (and trackable)

Here's what this means for you:

You already have rhythms. Dinners with friends. Morning coffee. Scroll sessions before bed. Weekly meetings. Weekend routines.

The question is: Are those rhythms moving you toward who you want to become, or away from it?

Because both your function and dysfunction scale.

If you're inconsistent with your health now, you'll be inconsistent at 10x the complexity.
If you don't follow up with leads now, you won't follow up when you have 50 of them.
If you don't track what matters now, you'll drown in what doesn't later.

But the opposite is also true:

If you build margin into your calendar now, you'll have space for what matters at scale.
If you invest in relationships now, you'll have community when you need it most.
If you create systems that reinforce the right behaviors now, those systems will carry you when willpower fails.

Let me give you my current structure (not because it's perfect, but because it's working):

Weekly Rhythms:

• Sunday dinners with the same group of friends (grounding)

• Tuesday night men's group (accountability)

• Wednesday and Friday—lunch, dinner, or coffee with someone intentional

• Thursday mornings—BNI networking

• Once a month—Alex Hormozi's ACQ Scaling group (learning)

• Twice a month—The Arena communication Mastermind

Sunday Planning Ritual:

• Look at the week ahead

• Choose 2-5 pieces of content to consume (not just listen to, but be changed by)

• Identify the 3 most important things to accomplish in business or relationships

• Text any lunches/dinners/coffees to confirm

Nightly Tracking:

• Update my business dashboard (detailing + media work)

• Homework for Life—write down one story-worthy moment from today

• Pack clothes and gear for tomorrow (no morning scramble)

This isn't complicated. But it is consistent.

And consistency is where function compounds.

Here's the framework I want you to steal:

The Culture Audit for You, Incorporated

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What am I currently rewarding that I shouldn't be?
(Example: Saying yes to every request because it feels good in the moment, even though it drains you long-term)

2. What do I want more of that I'm not rewarding adequately?
(Example: Deep work sessions, quality time with friends, asking for the sale)

3. What would I need to track daily to make the right behaviors inevitable?
(Example: Number of focused hours, workouts completed, leads followed up with)

Culture—whether in a company or in your life—is just what you reinforce over time.

And the beautiful part? Once you set up the structure on the front end, it runs in the background.

You stop thinking about whether you'll do the thing. You just do it. And that mental bandwidth you save? You get to spend it being fully present with people.

Your Assignment This Week:

Pick one thing you know would make you healthier—physically, relationally, financially, spiritually.

Then answer: What would I need to track to make that behavior inevitable?

Build the tracking system. Could be a note in your phone. Could be a spreadsheet. Could be a buddy who texts you every night asking, "Did you do it?"

Start Sunday. Track for seven days.

Because both your function and dysfunction scale.

You get to choose which one.

Well, that's all for now.

-Daniel

PS I’ve started the road to 1000 challenge on IG. A multi day challenge to have the podcast I did with Mark Haney hit 1,000 views. I'm posting a daily update about it on Instagram until it hits 1,000 views. You can follow along here to watch the progress. As of typing this we're at 120 out of a 1,000 views. Here’s the podcast. please watch 2 mins of it and send it to a friend. (and leave a quick comment)