7 daily tactics that helped me crush January 2017

This past December I started listening to several Podcasts that deconstruct world-class performances and repackage them as usable tactics for listeners. Some of the ideas are so sticky that I decided to take a similar approach and committed to seven daily tweaks and new behaviours that helped me hack my performance.

Though I don't consider myself a "world-class" performer, I thought I'd share these seven tweaks because they helped improve my effectiveness at work, cognitive functioning and fitness significantly. This January was the fastest start I've had to a year in some time.

1.    Slept 7-8 hours per night. For the past 5 years, I had slept an average of 5-hours per night. I worked about 12-hours per day and hit the gym every weekday from 5:30-7am. Part of the reward for this behavior was a relentless crash at 2pm that left me at 50% capacity for the balance of the day. 50% capacity = crappy quality of work.

Fact: Since adding in more sleep I’m sharper, more effective and less injured. Now, I usually stop work by 6pm and get at least 25% more done per day.

2.    Wunderlist: Wunderlist is an incredible list app that helps me bang-out to do lists ridiculously easily. This Jan I made a quick list every day and started with the most daunting thing on the list. Wunderlist serves a similar purpose as“Evernote.” I like to think of both as my short-term memory in the cloud. If something comes up, I put it on the list. Nothing gets missed and I get a little dopamine hit from the completion of tasks as a bonus. I’m finding that I’m through my list by 3pm each day and have about 2-3 hours left for creative work. In my world, creative work includes prospecting and strategic account management which are the essential activities sales professionals often neglect but that make all the difference in their success.

3.    Iteration: In the past, it was often the case that when faced with a daunting deliverable I would avoid, procrastinate, and then finally sit down for a java-infused 10-hour session. This left me with no time to practice delivering the deliverable!

I discovered the power of iteration when I began posting Linkedin articles in November. This January, whether it was a presentation deck, Linkedin article, or important email, I sat down and just started writing. After I threw up on PowerPoint, Gmail or my whiteboard, I walked away. I would come back later to refine and change. Eventually I got it good enough (not perfect).

Since committing to an iterative approach I’ve noticed the quality of my work go way up and effort required to complete stuff go way down.

 4.    Bulletproof Coffee: Bulletproof coffee is a blend of MCT oil, coffee, and butter (I also add Cinnamon). It was popularized by Dave Asprey. This a serious 'mental hack' for focus. MCT oil or Medium-chain triglycerides come from the coconut heart and are a source of clean, fast-burning fuel for your body. The speed at which we can metabolize MCTs leads to a quick energy boost. Unlike sugars which pick you up and then drop you down, there is no crash. Cinnamon has been linked to improved cognitive functioning.

5.    HIIT Training and minimal effective dosage: In an article I posted at the beginning of the month "Do you have the courage to change it up", I shared that I was radicalizing my training. Instead of 75 minutes in the gym 5 days-a-week, I now spend 200 minutes in the gym for an entire week and am able to hit mobility, strength and cardiorespiratory fitness versus strength alone. How I do it is by lifting just as heavy but less often and at a lesser volume. If you’ve established a training age (have been training for years) a minimal but effective stimulus combined with a moderate to high protein diet can help you retain everything you’ve worked for. The benefit you get is putting those saved hours back into sleep and giving your joints a breather.

HIIT training is High-Intensity Interval Training. It goes like this: instead of spending 60 minutes on moderate-intensity aerobic activity you spend 20 minutes on bouts of extremely high intensity activity (cycling, burpees, rowing, double under). In doing so, your body uses quick-burning energy systems that your slow-oxidative, or fat burning energy system, must repay. To pay the energy debt off, the body burns fat for hours after exercise! Google Dr. Martin Gibala from McMaster University for the research. I also attended an amazing body-weight style class in Toronto that incorporated HIIT training at a studio called "Whole Life Balance." The class was taught by Pulse Pump Prana.

6.    Journaling: I was gifted my “five-minute journal” over Christmas and it has been game-changing. Through reflecting on positive things that happened during the day and writing down the things I'm grateful for, I've found it easier to put everything in perspective. In previous years, my work consumed me and dictated my mood.

Beginning my day with an entry and journaling for another five-minutes before bed has had grounding and refreshing impact on my mental health and has helped me shut-it down when it's time to call it a day.

7.    Looping non-vocal tracks: I love music but it usually distracts me from my work and ability to read effectively which is a bummer. About mid-January I experimented with different Spotify playlists by searching “non-vocal.” From classical music to electronic, there are all sorts of repetitive playlists available. Now, when the calls are done I turn on a list and it helps me lock-in on one task at a time, taking each down with impressive speed.

That’s it for now. Let me know if any of these help you own it in February!