The secret to a successful day (everyday)

Read time : 3.5 minutes

Welcome to Wisdom Weekly where I help you become more happy, healthy and productive in around 10 minutes a week.

Today's Wisdom:

• Big idea: Less is more
• Short lesson: Making each day successful and simple
• Deep quote: Forget working hard, work smart.
• Quick takeaway: Multi-tasking is a lie
• Top video: Mike Tyson, NFL athletes AND Navy Seals do THIS?

Big idea: Less is more

How do you make sure each day feels like a success?

After years of being a chronic procrastinator and busy body… I found a simple truth.

Less is more.

It started out with me writing down my to-do list each day.

• Call back Jeff.
• Record a short video.
• Update my budget.

But before you know it, I have 10+ things on my list... and overwhelm begins to set in.

Then I began to learn about prioritizing.

• What is urgent?
• What is important?
• What is not urgent?
• What is not important?

This helped me for a time, but the same problem remained:

Too many things to-do, and not enough time to do them.

Finally, I began to see the truth: Less is more.

It isn’t about being busy. It is about being effective.

It’s not about trying to get everything done. It’s about getting the most important work done first.

You might be wondering:

• How do we know what work is most important?
• What can I do to make sure it gets done?
• Is it that simple?

Below I’ve laid out the best approach I have found so far: It’s simple, sustainable, and sounds very cool.

Let’s make sure you always G.S.D. (get shit done) moving forwards.

Short lesson: Making each day successful and simple

With this very simple formula you can’t have a bad, or unproductive day.

Remember this: Reflect, Plan, Act.

Step 1: Reflect

It all starts the night before.

Each night you will reflect on the day you had.

You want to figure out what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next for tomorrow.

Here are the questions I recommend:

• What was my biggest win today?
• What am I grateful for?
• What went well today?
• What can I improve tomorrow?
• What are my top 3 priorities tomorrow?

Now that last one might be the most important. That’s your “Get Shit Done” List.

This list is your non-negotiable commitment to yourself. It gets done before anything else, and by doing it creates a tidal wave of momentum for the rest of your day.

You want to choose the 3 things that if done would make everything else easier, or unnecessary.

• What gets you closer to your current goals?
• What creates the most momentum?
• What is most important and urgent?

You get the idea.

Step 2: Plan

Next, you are going to plan for the next day.

Planning isn’t about perfection; it’s about direction.

1. Write down your G.S.D. List (as mentioned above)
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2. Review your calendar, and make sure you put time in for your list.
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3. Get everything you’ll need for the next day ready: clothes, equipment, etc.

Now you are ready to have the best day of your life… everyday.

Step 3: Act

The next step is to get good sleep, and wake up for a quick morning routine.

Each morning you’ll:

1. Do what you need to be as energized and excited for the day as possible.
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   I follow some basic guidelines myself:
   • I drink a lot of water, and take a cold shower.
   • I do movement, meditation and prayer.
   • I train 45 min each morning either at the gym, or I do yoga at home.
   • I do not get on my phone for the first 1-2 hours after waking up (besides for music at the gym).
2. What is on your G.S.D. List?
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   Double check your calendar. Visualize the day being a total success.
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3. Notifications off. Timer on. Execute and do your best to get it done.
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   You will feel amazing knowing that early in the day your most important work is done. Now you can enjoy the rest of your day, and chip away at your regular to-do’s… or don’t.

Since implementing this in my life… I have been more productive and effective than ever before.

The next few days I am giving away this system for free with everything you need (and more).

My advice:

Start small… but start now.

Deep quote: Forget working hard, work smart

One of my mentors Gary Keller says he is more like the tortoise than the hare.

He isn't built to work long hours, or do things rapidly... but he still managed to build a multi-billion dollar empire.

Here's what he had to say:

“ “Productivity isn't about being a workhorse. Keeping busy or burning the midnight oil... It's more about priorities, planning, and fiercely protecting your time.” — Gary Keller

Quick takeaway: Multi-tasking is a lie

Unless it's something we do on auto-pilot such as walking, driving, or eating... we can't multitask.

I've read studies like this one that talk about something called "task switching".

In other words, when you are doing one thing and you decide to do another.

Example: I am writing this newsletter, but get the urge to "quickly" check my texts.

Harmless right? Wrong.

It can take anywhere from a few minutes to upwards of 30+ minutes for my mind to get back on track.

Think of how much time we waste doing stuff like that. What results are we leaving on the table? A lot.

Today's takeaway is this: Do one thing at a time.

Put on music. Start a timer. Turn off notifications.

Whatever it takes... do one thing at a time with as much of your attention as possible.

If you want to learn other tips grab the G.S.D. System.

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Mike Tyson, NFL athletes AND Navy Seals do THIS?

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The dare officer from my school isn't gonna like this one...

In case you missed it: In Wednesday's letter I gave away my end of year reflections process.

You can read it here.