Day 1, Book 1: Peak Performance
For fun, I’m reading a book a day, for a week.
Today’s Book:
My 30 Second Takeaway:
Growth = stress + rest.
The book did a good job compiling and condensing most of the foundational knowledge on peak performance. I had already learned most things presented through other books, but if you haven’t read any book related to deliberate practice, resting, or habits, this book does a great job presenting some of the most important knowledge for being a top performer in one place.
The Notes (as I listened):
Humans have the desire to improve and take their game at the next level.
Classic 4min mile example. Now the record is 3:43mins.
In the US, people leave 5 days of their vacation days unused, on average.
Growth equation: stress + rest = growth
Alternating days between intense workout and light training / recovery.
Breakthrough ideas process: Immersion, Incubation, Insight
They gave an incomplete example of the study of people Resisting cookies lowering their willpower. Only depletes willpower if they think willpower depletes in that way.
Stress works in a positive way by sending signals to adapt, so we can withstand more stress in the future.
Productive failure: analyze and learn from the failure.
Seek out challenges that barely stretch your abilities.
Having violinists write down their process -> helped researchers realize that the differentiator wasn’t time, it was deliberate practice.
Deep concentration is the main factor for deliberate practice. Being fully present.
Key for doing many things: single tasking, but compartmentalizing (scheduling). Not actual multitasking.
Move temptations out of view. (Like phone).
Top performers usually work in 60–90 minutes of intense work, with short breaks in between.
Growth mindset is learnable and has proven to be extremely powerful.
Mental Stress, when interpreted as good, is good. It’s just a body sensation — can be interpreted as bad or as good.
Meditation trains mindfulness muscle, which helps you choose how you interpret things.
Creative ideas often appear during rest. Walking, taking a shower, etc.
Walking requires just a bit of coordination, enough to distract our conscious mind, and let our subconscious mind bring in creative ideas.
Even just looking at pictures nature brings the benefits of being in nature.
Hanging out with friends automatically creates the rest feeling.
Avoid blue light at night. For better sleep.
Sleep is the most important rest session.
Napping is not a replacement for sleep, but it is tactical for improving focus when you’re feeling tired.
10min Nap is the most effective.
Tip: An off day every week.
Tip: Priming with consistent routines.
Tip: be intentional about your environment.
Tip: automate or eliminate all the decisions that don’t matter much to you.
Night owls (people) are more focused at night BUT more creative in the morning. Viceversa for larks (most people).
Motivation is contagious.
Physical fatigue occurs in the brain.
Purpose reduces burnout and generates motivation.
Give back to get back: helping is a powerful antidote to burnout.
Tip: reflect on top 5 core values and write your purpose, using these core values.
Hope you learned something cool or useful!
We are what we repeatedly do. I’m also doing this while improving across 15 areas each week.
This is one of my Re Human project experiments.
