When I Keep These 12 Habits, I’m Insanely Productive

A good life starts with a string of good days.

Photo by Charlie Gallant on Unsplash

When I look back on the last few years of my life, I find that the periods of the most intense personal growth and productivity were concentrated into short 3–6 month bursts.

It’s really tough to string together more than several months of extreme productivity without burning out or needing a break. This is why it’s better to think of yourself as a sprinter preparing for a race than a marathon runner on a never-ending trail.

This will lead to faster results.

For me, the last few months, as chaotic as they’ve been, have had some really productive and effective periods. I’ve done a lot of work that I’m really proud of.

During periods of extreme growth (like training camps for major Jiu-Jitsu competitions), these are 12 things that I do every single day. They’re simpler than you think.

End each day with at least 10% left in your energy tank.

I used to have a terrible habit of ending my work and training days with my personal gas meter in the red.

The last few months, however, I’ve been really focused on ending my days with gas in the tank.

While this goes against everything I used to believe I knew about hard work and success, the art of not pushing myself to the max every single day has been huge for me. By leaving gas in my tank every day, I’m able to go for longer stretches of time without fatigue or burnout.

You need to cultivate the discipline to work hard, but you also need to cultivate the discipline to rest.

It’s hard to be successful (like, seriously successful) if you burn out and need a “break” every 2 months.

Set crystal clear intentions.

Most people are missing specific goals from their routines and lives.

We go to work, we go to the gym, we make sure to read and do intermittent fasting and drink water and all that other stuff, but when it comes time to work, we’re not focused. Our goals are too vague and our work is a bit mindless.