BUSINESS SENSE
BY TIM THOELECKE, CPC-T, INOUT LABS
In Search of Better—Productivity Hacks for Business and Life
S
ometimes it feels as if we are spinning our wheels, working ineffectively, and working on the wrong things. At the end of the day, we are stressed, overweight, unhealthy, and overwhelmed. Successful people behave in ways that encourage success. Te
foundation of good habits is discipline and deliberate choices. I want to be beter at everything. I want to be healthier, smarter, and more productive. I want to
be a good father, son, husband, and sibling. I want to be a good employer. I want to be wealthy and generous. I want to be well- informed and disciplined. I also want to relax and just “be.” I realize that not everyone is like me, though. When you want to do everything, it’s easy to get distracted
and jump from task to task without completing any of them. It’s common to go home at night and feel overwhelmed with all of the things you did not get done during the day. Over the years, I have devoured many books, audio books, and
podcasts, and have developed some beliefs and habits that help me keep a calm, focused mind; pursue optimal health; and maintain a relatively sane family life. It’s kind of a standard operating procedure for my life. Borrowing liberally from the advice and writings of others, here are some thoughts that may help you get beter at business and beter at life.
Morning Routine Tim Ferriss, blogger, podcaster and author of four books, is a big proponent of scripting the first hour of your day. Why? In a word (actually two): decision fatigue. Troughout the day, we make many decisions, from what to wear, to
what to eat. All these small decisions take their toll, so when important decisions require our atention, we are less effective at making them. If your morning is free of small decisions, by the time you get to work, your “decision tank” is still full. Consider these examples: • Steve Jobs removed a daily decision by wearing the same “uniform” every day: blue jeans and a black mock turtleneck.
• Richard Branson gets up at 5:00 every day to begin his morning routine. He discusses the details in an October 2015 issue of Business Insider.
• Roger Seip, in Train Your Brain For Success, begins his day the same way every day. I borrow a lot from him.
• And if you’ve ever read or listened to anything from Brian Tracy (shame on you if you haven’t!), you’ll know he’s a fan too. Here is what my “power hour” looks like:
• 5:15 alarm; • Put on my gym clothes, grab my gym bag (packed the night before), and go downstairs. While coffee is brewing, I empty the
24 datia focus
dishwasher (marriage maintenance), drink a full glass of water and take my supplements with another full glass;
• Meditate for 5–10 minutes in my comfy chair; • With my second cup of coffee in hand, I review my Daily Big 6, journal, and review affirmations (see below);
• Scan email for anything that requires immediate atention, including communications from my overseas freelancers and deal with those as quickly as I can;
• By now, it’s 6:20 and I’m off to the gym. By the time I get to the office, I’m ready to go. Tis may seem like a
lot of time, but it’s akin to what Abe Lincoln said: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." When I skip my morning routine, my days oſten get off track. Let’s talk about some of the details.
Journal: Twice a day. It’s simple and does not take long. It looks like this: Morning • “Today what I'm most proud of is...” as if it already happened.\ • List three things I'm grateful for. Small things like a sunny day, tickets someone gave me, a nice meal.
Evening • List three fantastic things that happened today. Or, “successes.” • List three things I could do beter. I call them, “lessons learned.” To me, it’s really helpful to remind myself of successes at the end
of the day. Tim Ferriss is a fan of “Te 5 Minute Journal.” Te above is adapted from performance coach, Charles Poliquin’s method.
Affirmations Tis is more Tink and Grow Rich than Stuart Smiley! Brian Tracy says it’s best to handwrite affirmations every day, but I keep them on 3x5 cards so I can reorder, add, subtract, and edit easily. It’s also faster. I do my best to be mindful when reviewing them. It’s amazing how, aſter many reps, they become part of your mindset. Many are personal, but here are a few I can share: • “It’s going to be a great day to make some money!” • “I focus on one task at a time.” • “I speak to good purpose.” • “I love cold-calling. Some will. Some won’t. So what. Next!” Self-talk is a powerful thing.
Time Management Daily Big 6
When you have an enormous, intimidating to-do list like I do, you have to choose what to do today. Tose items need to have a large
spring 2017
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