“If you want to have more, do more, and be more, it all begins with the voice that no one else hears.”
Tim Ferriss
In our modern age, the average person focuses on entertaining themselves over learning and growing. From nights in front of the TV to playing games or taking in fake news on a phone or tablet device. We are fast becoming a society of prolific consumers, consumerism that’s heavily weighted towards being entertained. Outside of Scandinavia (I haven’t seen it in Denmark yet) kids are regularly being given tablets or phones on trains, planes and in restaurants to keep them quiet. They are being digitally entertained from a very early age. It’s no wonder digital entertainment is becoming the most profitable business in the world.
It’s not that I think digital entertainment is bad. I love TV, movies and playing games, it’s the balance that’s shifted. Entertainment has reached a point where it’s such a large part of our lives, many of us are unable to tell the difference between being entertained and spending time in meaningful ways.
“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.”
Tony Robbins
So what if you don’t want the average persons life? What if you want to be extraordinary and not let life happen to you, but rather design the life you live? To break away from this imbalance, I’ve found building a life focused on learning and experimenting the best way to achieve this.
I’ve read and implemented self help for as long as I can remember, yet it wasn’t until Tim Ferriss and his book the 4 hour work week that I realised I really can design my own life. It’s less self help, more lifestyle design.
So with this, I’m sharing 5 of most pertinent changes I’ve made as a direct result of Tim Ferriss and the 9 years he’s been my virtual coach and mentor.
1. Build rhythms and routines based on positive impact for your mind and body. From waking up and writing in a journal to taking a cold shower. it’s actions like these that require a rhythm your mind and body will want to do automatically over time. Like brushing your teeth or riding a bicycle.
How do you do this with a busy lifestyle and a family? Build it in where you can. I wake up and no matter how I’ve slept or where I am I take a cold shower. We have a dog, so when I’m home I take him on a walk and run around before breakfast. I meditate on the train into work and catch up on any messages from friends the day before. We all have the same amount of time each day, it’s designing how you use it that’s key.
2. Don’t have a to do list, have a next action list. By this I mean have your next action ready. Need to book a dentist appointment? Put the phone number and dates / times that work for you in your phone or notebook. I do this sort of thing all the time. The benefit is that whenever I have a spare moment I can take action right away, without having to search for numbers and look at calendars. This can be in line waiting for a coffee or walking back home from the station after work. Build next actions into your life and chances are you’ll be way more productive, which in turn gives you more time for other things.
This is actually essential as a parent. If I’m spending time looking at a checklist and for each item I need to do work like search for phone numbers or dates, it limits when I can take action. My time for non parenting activities at home is limited to what are normally out of hours for most businesses, so the next action list is a game changer.
3. Make time to read. Mix fiction with non fiction, but more non fiction than fiction. If you drive to work, get audio books and if you take public transport get a kindle or be prepared to carry books (I do both). Learning from books has progressed the human race more than anything else. I generally have at least 2 books on the go and have multiple phases of prolific reading each year.
I love book recommendations and have grown a list of trusted people I look to. From writers like Adam Grant and Malcolm Gladwell to work colleagues and friends. Having people you trust to inspire your reading means you’ll enjoy and learn more. Outside of books I have the Pocket app and save LinkedIn articles to Evernote so I can read at any spare moment, from waiting at the train station or queueing for coffee, I make sure to read and learn from others.
4. Hack your life. By this I mean make sure you think of creative ways to ensure those things that keep you fit and help you grow are happening no matter what. I stand on one leg while brushing my teeth, do some Alexander technique in bed upon waking and focus on core strength exercise while shoulder carrying or playing rough and tumble with my 5 year old.
You don’t always have to carve out special time for exercise or healthy eating. As a parent I’m learning to hack these activities into playing with my children and building meal foundations with my wife, like all the different Buddha bowls out there, each one designed for taste, speed and optimal health.
5. Work life separation not work life balance. This means when you’re not working you’re not working. It’s based on mindfulness i.e whatever you’re doing is where your focus is. This includes small hacks, so whether it’s seconds, moments or hours, whatever you’re doing is whatever you’re doing. Trying to balance work in your life results in answering email late at night or on weekends. That’s when effectiveness suffers across all your relationships, as well as negatively impacting your actual work. Successful people are not those that work 70+ hours a week. The very nature of working that many hours suggests they are not successful.
This became even more important for me as a parent, where I realised my previous way of working (meetings during the day and producing output at home during the evening and weekends) wasn’t sustainable nor good for my relationships. One of my more popular blog articles covers work life separation in more detail, give it a read if you haven’t already.
So I’ll end on a final thought inspired by (yes that’s right) a recent Tim Ferriss podcast.
We live on average for 30,000 days. I did the maths, which results in me having just under 14,000 days left. And that’s if all goes well! So I’ve used up a little over half my time on this planet. I can’t afford to waste what days I have left and I imagine you’ll feel the same. Try doing the maths and be inspired to make the most out of each day.
“Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”
Jim Rohn