Time to clear up my journal and notebook(s) by unloading the things I’ve written down the past three or so months. In no particular order but I’ve added notes on some just to clarify.
These posts always get a nice reaction from some of you so I’d like to keep the conversation going beyond just this blog post. Whether you disagree, agree or just want to share some of your thoughts, you can do so either by commenting on this post on my Facebook page or just by replying to this email which comes straight back to me. Looking forward to hearing from you!
NOTEBOOK NOTES AUGUST – OCTOBER 2016
Reasonable done with consistency beats extreme done sporadically. My new motto. Shameless twist on Aristotle’s “We are what we repeatedly do.“
Still on the same topic: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted.” – John Lennon
[This is something I’ve been thinking a lot lately so this quote popped up at the right time. If you enjoy watching movies, listening to music and reading trash who cares if it’s productive or not. There’s a skill in knowing how to take the foot off the gas and just chill for a bit without feeling like you haven’t earned it.]
To keep going with the above point: When you train, train. When you work, work. But when you need to relax, relax. Be present with whatever you do and once you are finished with the task be content enough about it so you can move on. If you do things half-assed you are constantly doing the busy work and not being present anywhere.
It’s hard to get anything done without a routine. I don’t know how some people can just wing it and still feel like they’ve accomplished something.
What has allowed me to be more effective with my time is the Pomodore Technique. I’ve dissed it in the past for being too simple but I was wrong. There’s a great power in setting a specific time aside for a task and moving on once the timer is up. Come think of it, this is used in training too with density workouts. I’ve got a blog post coming up at some point.
“If you view any particular day without context, it is almost certain to be a failure. Because now never happens. The results always happen later.” – Seth Godin
[This is rings true with fitness and training too. Don’t judge your progress based on one workout.]
“Running a business is a lot more important than starting one. We focus on the wedding instead of the marriage.” – Seth Godin
[Again, Seth hits home with something that is also true to fitness. Come January 1st (or 3rd if you had few too many on NYE) and every person and their cat is excited about training and dieting. Come January 7th and no one cares anymore. Be different.]
Motivation is discipline. I wrote a blog post about this and as harsh as it may sound, it makes sense to me. When I decide to do something and it means a lot to me I follow through. Whether I am motivated on a given day or not. Now, I understand that not everyone is the same, but it does work for me.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela
[Simple. Do what scares you and makes you uncomfortable. Too often in the past I’ve been sitting on the sidelines because I was too scared to put my hand up. There’s an amazing feeling of being in control when you are willing to put yourself out there, even if you are going to suck at it.]
“Be a meaningful and specific instead of wandering generality looking for the next thing. Ask yourself what is the change you are seeking in the world. Then it’s easier to decide what’s essential. Who are you seeking to change? Become the person who does regular, consistent great work instead of chasing what is always new.” – Seth Godin
[You can tell I’ve been reading Seth’s blog a lot lately. He post daily and hits the mark more often than not.]
“Movement is integrity. Weight training is integrity under load. Explosive training is integrity with acceleration.” – Dan John in A Lifelong Approach to Fitness
Train cyclically (an idea from the above book):
September to November: Go hard, go heavy.
December to February: Spend time outdoors
March to May ?
June to August: Work on gaps
Can I do a bodyweight farmer walk for 100m? Farmer walk four days a week or more. Get ups and farmer walks? Might be the simplest programs there is.
“The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” – Oscar Wilde
80/20 of training. If I have 15min a day to train I’d do: Get up, SLDL, Carry, TRX.
Monday: Get Up & TRX
Tuesday: Get Up, SLDL, Carry + Prowler
Thursday: Get Up, TRX
Friday: Get Up, SLDL, Carry + Prowler
With diet “Strive for perfection once a week if you can.” – Josh Hillis
[This is a brilliant idea. Just to give you an idea how perfect would feel. Give it a try.]
Staying calm in high pressure situations:
Put yourself in a resourceful state: calm, positive, clear. Anchor that state with a simple, replicable physical action that is out of the ordinary: scrunching your toes. Repeat it until it becomes automatic. Once you recognize a pressure situation use the anchor to bring yourself back to calm.
Learn to control nervousness, flight or flight, adrenalin. Deep breathing and long pause after exhale while scrunching your toes into the ground.
Buckets: what exercises are must, which ones are fun, which ones have no place?
I can be in a fitness conference talking about movement and all the geeky stuff, feeling like I belong there. Few hours later I can walk into a dark, dirty, dive bar playing loud rock n’ roll and get the same “these are my people” -feeling as I talk to the bartender about music. Follow the things that gets you excited.
[Note I made when I was at the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach. Had finished a long day of talks and wandered into a bar afterwards.]
Do more hiking or camping. Get out of the city to clear your head.
Never trust a bartender who serves Guinness in a small plastic cup. Even after a $5 tip.
Experiences over possessions. Appreciation over expectations.
Even walking somewhere for five minutes, turning around and walking back adds up to lot of walking each year. [5min x 2 x 365 = almost 70 hours / year.]
One unconventional action that has helped me to make better food decisions: Not having anything except coffee until 4-5 hours after waking up.
“When you see a person without a smile, give them one of yours.” – Zig Ziglar
When feeling stuck change the physiology of the body to change the chemistry of the brain.
“Success without fulfillment is a life wasted.” – Tony Robbins
What is your choice of suffering? Challenge yourself with a 90 second rule: breath deeply and think about three times when you’ve felt really happy and fulfilled. Relive those moments briefly.
Now ask yourself “what is it that I have to do to stop this suffering? “All I have to do is…?”
When something negative happens give yourself 90 seconds to remove it from your brain. Gratitude will end suffering. An Idea from Tony Robbins.
[He’s an interesting character but I doubt that I could ever sit through his seminar. The documentary I Am Not Your Guru is worth watching though.]
Warren Buffett’s 20-Slot Rule for investing: You’ve got 20 big decisions in your life, once the card is full you can’t have more. Really makes you think what’s important. Read James Clear’s great article on the topic.
“Sometimes, it’s better to know what you don’t want to do, so you can make room for things you do want to do.” – Jason Zook
What is it that you want to do every day? Are you currently on the correct track or are your actions taking you somewhere else? Are you climbing the wrong ladder…
Creativity and consumption don’t go hand in hand.
Our identities should not be tied to a movement. You should form an opinion on each topic separately instead of a political or other party line. Same goes in fitness. Make your own decisions instead of religiously following what “the guru” says.
The way you set expectations defines the involvement.
Focus on what you can do in your training instead of what you can’t do. Too often we get carried away complaining about our injuries, pains and aches. Complaining and focusing on the negatives will only drag you down. There’s still plenty of other things you can do. Honestly, the same goes with life too. If you can’t control it, let it go and focus on what’s in your circle of influence.
Focus on the similarities you have with people. Not differences. [I am sure someone has said this before and made a career out of it??]