My Resolution List. Sort of...

Every year I set goals for myself. Not so much resolutions, but overall objectives for things that I want to work on. In 2013, for example, my mission was health. I succeeded in that by losing over 30 lbs, and now I'm helping dozens of others do the same thing.

In 2014, my mission was cash flow. Turns out that while that was basically what worked, I actually skipped a beat and ended up finding an amazing relationship instead. OK universe, your call. I'm rolling with it. But I still need to work on that cash flow, so that'll 2015's job now!

Of course, in all of these areas it's possible to do a little better. Just because I succeeded in my missions to lose some weight and have a great relationship and make a little extra cash doesn't mean I can be complacent about it! So to make sure things get done, here's my personal resolution list...although I like to think of it more as an action plan. This is where I want to be by the end of 2015, with some adjustment for things that may happen faster:

Cash Flow

This is my theme for the year, so it's going to come down to very specific work and business objectives that I'll be working my tail off to meet:

• 5 corporate clients, 10 small business clients, and 2 nonprofit clients in my web services business.
• 100 new YPRB members.
• $500 per month in sales with my wellness retail business

Health

I find health is always a challenge, because I LOVE to eat. To top it off, I've had acute tendinitis in my shoulder for some time, which serious impacts my ability to work out effectively. I'll find ways around that. But in the meantime:

• Do one nutritional cleanse in each half of the year (in fact, I'll be running a detox challenge to help my YPRB members along too! ...email me to find out more).
• Get my waist down to that elusive 35 inches.
• Make a concerted effort to change out the toxic ingredients, wheat, soy, and refined sugars from my regular diet. I'm not a fan of cutting things out permanently, as there are still plenty of traditional treats I'm fond of for holidays. But that's once a year holidays mind you, not all the time. This book is one of my guiding resources on the subject.
• Eliminate toxins and allergens from my environment. I have allergies, so it's about time I made sure my house is as free from dust and particles as possible.

Relationships

This one is easy, because I have the best relationship I could ever have imagined. But there's also the relationship with my daughter, which hopefully improving my health will give me more energy to pursue. And then there are my family relationships, which means I need to be in closer contact with everybody (don't we all get a little sidetracked from time to time?).

I'm also planning at least one week-long (or longer) road trip with my girls. There's talk of a tenting excursion in there too.

Misc.

• I'm starting a 40-day "spiritual" project that should prove interesting. This isn't a resolution, just a little something I'm trying on. Maybe I can add it to my coaching programs down the road.
• I'd still like to run in the Tough Mudder, but not until this rotator cuff problem is solved. So it still might not be this year, but it is still the goal of my training.
• I have GOT to get organised. Organisation is one of my weaker points I'll admit. This year, it's gotta get under control.

I like to start out each new year not so much by making excessive promises to myself and the universe, but by laying out a set of goals. I'm not inclined to set resolutions in the sense of making a statement, but I do find that focusing on areas of change that need a little adjustment I can set my sights on things that are within my control and take action. 

And if I don't hit the whole list, well it's a long list I'll admit. But that's no reason to hold back from starting, and since I've already made a head start on it I don't doubt things are going to be amazing in 2015.

What's on your list?

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Not so easy after all...

I have a saying that works for me when it comes to motivation:

Be merciless with yourself.

It sounds like a harsh concept. After all, we spend our formative years being told to love ourselves, that we're perfect just the way we are. We go to great lengths to avoid the kind of self-criticism that can lead to all kinds of disorders.

Yet for me it works. It works because I start from a position of self-confidence. I know I have nothing to prove to anyone else, and that regardless of my physical activity level I'm loved by those who matter most.

But I also learned (thanks to my study of music) that you never get better by practicing what you're already good at. So for me, when it comes to reaching my goals, I practice what I consider to be a healthy level of mercilessness.

I make myself accountable to myself, and yes, I beat myself up a little. If I disappoint myself in the process, too bad.

And I can do this because I don't set unachievable goals. If the goals are within reach and I don't achieve them, it's really only my own laziness to blame.

I don't recommend this practice for everyone. If you're less than confident to begin with, you could make yourself truly depressed. And I wouldn't want that. I'd prefer you feel proud that you did something today that moves you toward your goals.

Case In Point

For some reason I hardly slept at all Monday night. Tuesday I had a meeting an hour away. Tuesday is also garbage day, and happened to be picture day at school.

It was also leg day.

Something had to give in this scenario, and unfortunately it was the workout. There was just no way, in my state of exhaustion, I would be able to do a good workout and still have time to get everything else taken care of.

So where's the lack of mercy? Well, funny story...

When I'm overtired, as I was heading to bed last night, I tend not to sleep well. So guess who woke up at 3:30 this morning.

Yup. Me.

So what did I do? Well, at first I tried to get back to sleep, but that was a bust. Instead I used the time as a gift. I watched a webinar replay I'd missed from the day before. Then I got up at 4, took my pre-workout, and banged out my leg day at 4:30.

That, folks, is merciless.

Now, as to why I did that, it's pretty simple. Wednesday is set up for back, and Thursday for core. Legs, however, are extremely metabolically active. If you have one set you should do, it's legs.

My plan is to double up a workout day. But my weakness has always been grip. So rather than do squats today then try to do pull ups, I know I'm better doing those with the core stuff tomorrow. Core exercises don't use a lot of grip so I won't be lacking power for the extra weights.

In any case, I have to say being done before I would normally wake up takes a certain amount of gutting it out. But the important thing is that it got done. I could have spent the morning in bed.

Instead, I beat myself up, hauled my ass out, and got something done. And that's the key. Being merciless doesn’t mean being mean. It doesn't mean being degrading or self-deprecating. It means being forceful and determined, and not allowing yourself to sit comfortably and make excuses.

Because change doesn't happen while you're lying there thinking about it. It happens when you get up and command it to happen.

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OK, let's get started...

5:30 a.m.. Monday, September 29.

That's the start of my 21-day personal productivity challenge.

Three weeks doesn't sound like much, but when you're looking at life-changing strategies it can be daunting. Especially at 5:30 in the morning.

The first step is always the hardest, but when you're motivated -- I mean really motivated -- to get back in shape and get all your important business taken care of, you just swallow that difficulty and get to work.

This first morning should prove interesting. I actually woke up fairly energetic, and I think that's part of the excitement of a new program. But it's not starting from the best place...

If you've been following my journey over the last couple of years, you'll know I've been losing weight fairly consistently. Back in the spring, I made a big leap forward by hiring a fairly high profile trainer, and got down to my lowest weight and size yet: 179 lbs. and a 34.5 inch waist.

Tendonitis in my shoulders made it difficult to continue training at that level, however, and I had to take a little time off. As it turns out, adding carbs back into my diet also started reversing my weight loss, so my training reached a set-point plateau (a point where I stopped losing weight). This had the effect of adding weight instead of continuing to take it off.

My trainer recommended gradually adding carbs and calories back into my diet in order to get used to metabolising them again. But with the shoulder pain, the level of workout required hasn't been possible. As a result, my weight is back up over 190. That's not a great place to start.

But there's good news: with the new program starting right now at a higher starting point in the diet, I should be able to reset my system fairly quickly. So, three weeks of this current program ought to get me back on track. After this starting point, no more plateau, and any calorie cuts will count for more reduction than if I just continued at a low-cal, low-carb level.

And even if it doesn't show any straight forward results, three weeks of conditioning will still be a great point to get launched. And I still have the perfect program for rapid weight loss. So, it's time to get started. Here goes nothing!

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21-Day Productivity Challenge Starts Monday

It's about that time of year again, when I start looking at how I've done so far and what I need to work on for the last quarter.

Holy crap...the last quarter starts next week!!

Better get a move on then...

This year, I'm setting myself a 21-day productivity challenge. This challenge is based on a number of useful resources, including Eben Pagan's "Wake Up Productive," Craig Ballantyne's "Transformation Challenge," and a few odds and ends that have floated across my desk in recent years.

The objective: 3 solid weeks of life-changing rituals and habits designed to produce work, learning, and health each and every day. From the Transformation side of things, you could look at this as "healthy, wealthy, and wise" habits.

I actually do have my own version of this, which forms a sort of introductory chapter to my "Man Under Construction" training program. We'll talk about that later. That version, however, is for complete beginners. For me, the objective for the twenty-one days is consistency in action, and effectiveness in production.

I've started looking at life from a unique perspective lately, beginning with job hunting. I'm not job hunting at the moment, however that process led to the business I currently run, and as a result I firmly believe it will be my most productive and successful venture to date. The reason it worked is this: I started looking at my life and career as a business.

What do businesses do? They trade a product or service for money. They analyse their position in the market compared to others in the same industry. They do marketing. They do sales. They have assets and they have expenses. In this sense, aren't we all essentially businesses? By taking what was my resume and running through the filter of an actual business plan, I was able to find weaknesses, correct them, and deliver a marketing message that landed me the kind of work I was looking for...only I did it with multiple "clients" rather than a single "job." And thus, a business was born.

That's a whole info product in itself.

The point is, after this challenge, I'll be looking to take a Lean approach to my "business" model. Lean and Six Sigma are based on concepts of maximizing efficiency while eliminating waste from production processes. I think in the process of becoming more effective at the business of "You, Inc.," (as I'm calling it), this kind of analysis is crucial to being your most effective.

I know life isn't all about productivity. But being productive frees up your free time so you have less mental clutter and, frankly, more time to yourself.

So, that's what's on the horizon. But what's the challenge?

Right...Here we go:

The 21-Day Personal Productivity Challenge

First, some rules.

1. Be realistic. Don't set as a goal for 21 days "mastering a complete Beethoven Concerto" or "becoming fluent in five Asian languages." It's not going to happen.

2. Be consistent. Make sure what you do is something tolerable enough that you can actually do it.

3. Be merciless. I love this one. Basically, don't allow yourself to deviate from your plan. And above all do NOT allow others to pull you off of your plan either. You're the master of your domain here, not them.

Alrighty then...now that that's out of the way, here's the scoop (at least for my own challenge):

Every morning, up at 5:30. That means going to bed early. Good...do that too. (OK, I'll push some of these to 7 on the weekends).

This exact ritual:

5:30-6:00: pre-workout supplements, review daily tasks, and write a blog post. I have three blogs of my own that I write for with varying degrees of consistency, and I need to do better. Half an hour is more than enough time to bang out a text-based post for at least one of them (or for one of the several commercial blogs I also write for...as long as writing gets done).

6:00: Workout. My schedule for October actually has me on a split routine strength training schedule. That means Monday is chest, Tuesday is legs, Wednesday is back and shoulders, Thursday is core and cardio (burst), and Friday is arms. Saturday is open, cardio or brisk walking, or just playing outside. This should take an hour, which means...

7:00: Post-Workout Supplements, hygiene, pack lunch, throw the kid in the shower. Hygiene is its very own ritual, but consists of all things cleanliness-related. I have my own schedule and routine that I like to stick to, and some of these are things that are spread out on a weekly basis (no, really...check it out: http://thewildnorthapparel.com/blog/My_1_Tip_for_Grooming_Success_Consistency/)

There has to be an hour for this, because on days when my daughter washes her hair (Monday and Thursday), we go at it with the blow dryer. That takes time.

8:00: Walk. This is walking my daughter to school, and walking myself back. When there's no school, I walk myself to school and back.

8:30: Home, breakfast, first important task of the day. This is extremely important, because in order to be fully productive you can NOT let your most important task of the day wait until you get around to it. By then you're distracted, tired, and probably not all that interested. Get it DONE early.

Now things get taken up on a day-to-day basis, as the actual things that need doing will vary. I have key clients who get more of my time each week, and other clients who take less. This is reviewed at the end of the day.

12:00: Lunch. Sometimes I sneak a nap in here as well...30 minutes MAX.

12:30: Afternoon tasks start up. These will also vary during the day, but in general I put client tasks in the morning and my own business tasks in the afternoon. This includes my own blogging and social media activities, marketing, and meeting prospective new clients. It's also when I study units from whatever course I happen to be taking at the time. In October, that will be three days a week of investing, and three days a week of public speaking.

2:00: Mobility Break. Sounds odd, but I have found it extremely helpful to take some time out in the afternoon to refresh myself with some movement. Torment of choice: TACFIT Commando. These I do with the express purpose of staying limber and loose. I don't focus on this as an exercise sequence for fat loss or muscle building -- that's what my workouts are for.

2:30: Refresh. That's a shower, if I really need one.

3:00: Back to Work. This is meant to complete the day's assigned tasks. If everything is done by this point, the day is over and the rest of it is mine. For this challenge, I won't be jumping ahead to the next day's tasks.

5:00: Walk. If the weather is decent, I'll walk down to my daughter's daycare and we'll walk back together, sometimes with her riding her bike.

5:30: Supper, then dishes.

6:00: Family time until bed. This includes chores on a routine basis, but nothing too extreme (because it's CONSISTENT, it's never a total nightmare). For my house, that means cleaning kitchen on Monday (because Tuesday is garbage day!), kid's room on Tuesday, living room and dining room on Wednesday, bathroom on Thursday, and my room on Friday. I do laundry on Saturdays and get the meal planning and groceries done on Sunday (those weekend chores are more flexible, of course, and sometimes get done during the week when there's a little extra time).

Don't be afraid to get help. My daughter, though only 6, loves to dust, and has taken it upon herself to clean the litter box and feed the cat. She's also a good helper in the kitchen and helps make her own lunch.

8:00: Kid's bedtime.

8:30: Write out tomorrow's tasks. Make a gratitude note. Watch something on YouTube to let myself blank out for a while.

9:00: The single most important phone call of my day (to my girlfriend, of course) to say goodnight. This is also when I get my supplements lined up for the morning.

10:00: My bedtime.

Sounds simple and productive enough, right? And if it sounds like it's too much of a "routine," you're absolutely right. That is the point. The point is to get out of this idea that every day should be totally random and you can just ride the wave. That might work in the short term, but for the long haul you're asking for trouble, especially if you run your own business like I do.

The daily tasks that I assign myself (and, often enough, my team) have to do with routines that also deliver consistency to my customers. For example, one client in the telecom field has daily updates of special rates for different regions. I tweet these at the same time each day. They also have a blog which posts consistently at the same time each day, so I do my best to get all my likes and shares for those posts up before 9 a.m., giving the post time to spread in popularity.

I'll be journaling a bit more of this ritual as I go through it, so you're welcome to follow along. I just wanted to put this out there for the general purpose of getting it down. I'm sure it will be a work in progress, but I have worked this fairly well before and it's been a great experience. I hope to turn it into a significant part of my coaching platform down the road, so if you do put it to use, please do comment and give your feedback below. I'd love to hear what is and isn't working for you.

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Happy Fathers Day 2014

How my morning went:

5:55 "Good morning Daddy!! Happy Fathers Day!!!"

"mmmph"

"Here's your present!" (Dad key chain and a...chocolate piano!!) "I'm going to make you breakfast in bed!"

"Awesome! What are you going to make?"

"I'll start with coffee..." (5 minutes later) "ok, I don't exactly know how to make coffee. Can you make me an egg?"

"lol sure..."

(after egg) "Thanks! You can go back to bed for a little while. I'll get you breakfast in bed!"

"Ummm...thanks sweetie. What are you making?"

"Well...I can certainly get you a cheese string!"

"lol perfect."

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