These 4 Daily Habits Got Me To $10MM/yr
You don’t have to jump into a tub filled with ice.
There is an easier and more forgiving path. One that requires consistency and discipline. These approaches work when you do. What I’ll be sharing with you is something I have never shared before.
When you start making money, one of the first things you’ll want to do is to experience it. I traveled the world with my beautiful and amazing wife, Ramsha, along with my two cute kids all over the world. We went with our two nannies, which gave Ramsha and me the freedom to live. So we did.
We traveled for six months straight all over Europe and South America. From staying at the Four Seasons Grand-H?tel du Cap-Ferrat along the French Riviera to drinking cups of ayahuasca in the deep woods of Costa Rica. That trip was in mid-2019, which was when we were doing over $5MM/yr. Since then, we doubled our growth by implementing what I’m about to share with you.
Through having our children, traveling all over, and sitting here at the time of this writing, Ramsha and I continued to exponentially grow our income. The amount of time we were putting in everyday continued to shrink. What was at first two hours a day, became half an hour of calls with staff.
1. Set Your Own Timezone
“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.”
— Stephen R. Covey
Having the time to reflect gave me the time to understand what was happening. There was another force at play, because I was completely defying what was supposed to be the “norm.” The more I continued to value experiences, the better I enjoyed life. The more I was able to enjoy life, the more my income grew.
It was a paradox that took time to get used to. I eventually felt more comfortable not even caring about the timezone. Whether I got up at 7 am, 9 am, or 10:45 am (just in time for the last round of breakfast). It didn’t even matter anymore.
What mattered the most were my daily habits. I had developed an everyday practice that not just worked, but was also a game-changer. This practice continued to explode my ability to make decisions.
At a certain point, as a business owner, your time is non-essential. In fact, it’s detrimental. Throughout the growth of my company, I was finding creative ways to remove tasks off my plate.
My goal was simple: it was not to have any tasks.
This also meant helping Ramsha not have any either. It wasn’t just about supply chain decisions, it was also about getting the mail, getting groceries, and even cooking. Soon enough, we were having culinary meals prepared at home.
I viewed any sort of labor as an opportunity to delegate. This meant I had more time for reflection. It also made sense, since there are people out there who are much more specialized at shovelling the snow or mowing the lawn. I would never feel comfortable robbing someone of that opportunity.
Whether I’m hiking up the Rock of Gibraltar, or sipping on an espresso in a café in Positano, those are all opportunities to quiet the mind. Ideas and decisions flow much easier when you’re not reacting to things.
The moment I’m forced to react to anything, life isn’t on my terms anymore. I don’t have control anymore. I was obsessive in clearing that out of my psyche. Deep down, I always knew there was a benefit to this.
What I didn’t know or realize at the time was how much I gained from this mindset. It sort of became an art. I was able to introduce positive habits without feeling pressured to do so.
By simply giving myself the time, I felt happy.
When I’m happy, I’m motivated to be productive and make better decisions.
What I eventually learned was that 1 or 2 hours of world-class productivity is much better than 8 hours of mediocre work. I developed this habit like a muscle. Anytime I found myself “caught-up” in work, I figured out a way to move it off my plate.
If I couldn’t hire someone to do it, then that meant I hadn’t found that person yet. When I got tired of hiring people, I hired someone to do that too.
2. Create Protocols for People
“It’s all about finding and hiring people smarter than you. Getting them to join your business. And giving them good work. Then getting out of their way. And trusting them. You have to get out of the way so YOU can focus on the bigger vision. That’s important. And here’s the main thing… you must make them see their work as a MISSION.”
— Richard Branson
Developing my super ninja senses made me more aware of my interactions with people. I didn’t understand why I became so damn sensitive.
What I soon realized was that I was reactive to conversations, rather than proactive. Whether it was an unexpected phone call or the mailman asking for my signature.
I started to understand that these interruptions were taking away my ability to reflect.
I didn’t want to be mean to people, but I knew I had to set some boundaries. The best way to do that has always been to have protocols in place.
The setup gave authority to my executive and household assistant to sign off on any administrative tasks coming my way.
This meant I could hold off on reviewing such matters at a specific time of the day. I could review mail and packages at a set time, and spend about 15 minutes doing it instead of being interrupted 4 or 5 times a day.
I also started making better use of my headphones. Listening to orchestra and symphony music on them was a perfect way to convey the message: I’m busy.
All this allowed me to put my attention on reading, journaling, and brainstorming ideas. Buying headphones with the noise-canceling feature was essential for blocking out sounds of kids crying or dogs barking.
This doesn’t necessarily mean being a jerk. I’ll stop what I’m doing any day to say hi to my wife or play with my kids. If anything, I became more of a family man than ever before by putting these simple measures in place.
It meant more quality time with the people I care about, and more respect for my self-worth. Starting out with the little things was how momentum developed.
It doesn’t happen overnight.
You can have people around you part-time to begin with. As your income continues to grow, you can promote them to full-time. Little steps always lead to big results.
Life will always have your back when you set your intention. Setting clear protocols on digital communication was also important.
Seeing an email or a text at the wrong time can throw my brain off track, which leads to irritability.
I was having none of that.
I introduced all my external communication to my executive assistant and internal emails to my project manager.
That way, anything important goes straight to them, and they’ll be able to determine what’s essential and what’s not. I then moved communication with them and everyone else in my company to a platform called Voxer.
Similarly to WhatsApp, this neat app allowed me to communicate with my team through audio recordings. Instead of having to type a lengthy email, I could respond with an audio message in less than a minute.
I could even pick the time I wanted to respond, which would be around 4 pm.
What used to take a lot of my time and energy became a task that lasted less than 15 minutes. This form of communication became so effective that it made sense to do this with everyone in my life.
Giving instructions to nannies didn’t require typing lengthy text messages anymore. Having your team communicate on Slack also made sense.
This leaves a documented trail that is easily organized for you to check up on whenever you feel like it.
Again, being proactive rather than reactive.
I also allocated important people, such as accountants and bankers, with their point of contact. Having a financial manager on your payroll made a lot of sense for this reason.
It’s super time consuming to review banking transactions, tax documents, and paying for expenses. All of these things can easily be delegated to a trusted financial manager who has your best interest at heart.
This does mean you’ll have to train them, and protocols need to be put in place. However, the payoff is huge as you’ve saved a lifetime of hassle from making that move.
3. Practice Mindfulness
“In today’s rush we all think too much, seek too much and forget the joy of just being.”
— Eckhart Tolle
The habit of mindfulness alone is one of the most significant determinants in finding multi-million dollar success.
Although the first two habits allow for this one to emerge, this one needs to stick with you all the way through.
Having regular and daily meditations is like hitting the reset button.
As you collect events throughout the day, you’ll feel it. When you feel it, you react easily and make a wrong move.
If your decisions mean anything do you, then there is nothing more important than setting aside time for a meditation session. Starting out at 15 minutes per day, then work your way up to half an hour.
I start out with a half-hour meditation first thing. I do this before having any sort of interaction with anyone.
With the exception of a shower and morning routine, there is nothing else more important than meditation to start your day. Resist the temptation to check your phone or get into any sort of conversation. These dialogues will zap your day.
Your objective is to meditate. Those close to you will understand. Consistency is key in turning this into a habit.
Events throughout the day cause your body to trigger fight or flight responses. This is the same feeling you get if you’re being chased by a tiger. Except you’re now living in a modern world, and devices can trigger them as well.
Before you know it, your adrenaline is firing off.
A 15-minute afternoon meditation will help you settle your nervous system, and reset your brain. Again, turning this into a habit is what will give you an edge.
As you start to do this more regularly, you’ll experience quantum growth. Your whole world will shift.
All because you showed up for your date with the divine.
The meditations will keep you in a peak state, which is precisely why you set aside time for a 15-minute evening meditation.
This move alone will help you sleep better. Stress hormones fire off from a busy day. Cortisol needs to settle down, and melatonin must show up by early evening.
One solid meditation will get your nerves settled, and get you prepared for a good night’s rest.
4. Journal Everyday
“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
— Napoleon Hill
Although this might be considered as loose advice, it’s really not. Writing in your journal is like having a compass in the middle of the Amazon rainforest.
It’s also about how you structure your notes in your journal. Every single day after my meditation, I go straight to my journal. Again, resist any temptation to touch your laptop.
That’s the big mistake most people make: they go straight to work. Most people don’t take out a few minutes to carefully articulate a plan to determine the 3–5 things that will make the greatest impact on your day.
The Pareto Principle is like the Da Vinci Code in business.
80% of your results come from 20% of the things you do.
That’s why it’s super important to figure out what those 3–5 things are and actually do them. Even if you don’t get through all of these tasks, at least you’ve put your focus on what matters the most.
What happens in most cases is that people end up being reactive to their day. So they do things to make themselves feel busy, and end up doing 80% percent of the things that reap 20% of the results.
It’s no wonder most businesses fail. What I’ve advised here is one of the most important things you can do for your life and career.
Journaling by hand also gives you the chance to record your ideas. When they come to you, there’s something magical about writing them down.
You’ll automatically find yourself constructing a blueprint that will produce results. Whether you take action on them is a different story.
Take time with this process, and be creative with it too. If you love drawing diagrams and frameworks, then even better.
As you construct your ideas, you’ll be able to piece them better together. Take this process of journaling very seriously.
Buy the most expensive notebook and pen you can afford. This will remind you not to toss the journal aside, and you won’t lose the pen.
I handle my Mont Blanc pen and notebooks with care. As the ink flows on to the notebook, you should feel abundant and rich in every way.
When you apply the benefits of meditation to a journaling session, your whole world will change.
If you try to do this under pressure or feel lack, then your notes will reflect that.
However, if you’re feeling like the world is your oyster, everything you put on that notebook will turn to gold.