Usually, when starting a business, as the owner, you can essentially do what you want to do when you want to. You don’t have a packed schedule, yet you still work all the time to ensure your business is growing. When you want to take a day off, you close early and have a nice day off! This is how many people operate, without much discipline. But when your business picks up, you find yourself hiring employees to help with running it as it generates more revenues. But you now need to effectively manage and operate your business, unlike before when you were just getting started. To make it easy to effectively run the business, building systems that make success more automatic for you can really be important.
In today’s episode, we talk to Craig Ballantyne, who is the co-owner of the EarlytoRise.com website, where he works as a coach for thousands of entrepreneurs in over 45 countries across the globe. Craig is also the author of The Perfect Day Formula, which will teach you how to own your day and control your life to become even more disciplined and effective on whatever thing that you do.
He has a Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiology from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and spent over 21 years in the fitness industry where he helped clients get faster results with his Turbulence Training Program. Craig has also written articles that have been featured in the Men’s Health Magazine. He has also created a series of coaching programs for top performers, entrepreneurs, and executives. Currently, Craig has fully specialized in productivity, self-improvement, personal development, self-discipline, leadership, speaking, and writing.
In This Episode
Born lazy and an introvert, Craig suffered from crippling anxiety attacks. However, he’s now built systems that have allowed him to build multiple 7-figure businesses, stress-free. He shares about how you can be more productive with your day, become more time-efficient, and grow your business to the next level without putting too much stress and pressure on yourself.
Key Highlights in This Episode:
[04:02] From “lazy’ to the world’s most disciplined man
[09:44] Being efficient with your time
[14:21] The four-quadrant metrics in our gene
[16:38] Questions to help you make an extra 10 hours/week
[20:33] The magic time and the science behind it
[24:15] How early should you wake up?
[25:25] How much sleep do you get?
[27:45] Breaking away from suffering in silence
[31:49] Separating your emotions from the job
[35:20] Only fans inquiry: Finding a mentor
“It all comes down to building systems that make success more automatic for you. That’s what allows you to be disciplined in the eyes of other people and get great results”
Being Efficient with Your Time
If someone has any ambition at all, the reason they are not successful is that they have not built systems that protect them from roadside bombs.
The first important system that you have to work on is becoming efficient with your time. Most people spend too much of their time on the least productive things and end up wasting a lot of their time.
Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that time is the most valuable resource for them because it’s the only one that never gets back. The good thing is that we all have time, equally. What brings the difference is how we manage it.
Questions To Help You Make Extra 10 Hours A Week
Craig lists these questions as key in helping you create more time if you find yourself held up throughout the week, yet you need to be more productive:
- What do you hate doing in your business? You have the answer in your mind. Whatever, you hate doing, always avoid creating time for it during your magic time (the time of the day you’re more productive, creative, and energetic). Avoiding doing it can help you be more productive by saving yourself a couple of hours and mental energy. You should then do what you hate doing when you’re done with other things and wouldn’t mind spending a lot of time doing it.
- What should you stop doing, that nobody else should do? This includes spending time on unproductive and distracting activities such as social media, drinking too much beer or wine. This helps you wake up feeling stronger and ready for the next day, therefore becoming more productive.
Tips to effectively manage your time
- Stop multitasking. Brain jumping between tasks makes it extremely exhausting and makes you less productive.
- Set deadlines for every task that you do. Otherwise, you may spend too much time on something, costing you a lot of energy than what’s needed to finish it.
- Prioritize tasks.
- Get rid of the things that often distract you while working. A good example is switching off your phone when working.
- Work when you’re most productive. It’s not always easy to be fully focused and productive all the time. Figure out your magic time and give it your best.
“You make time for things that matter. You don’t find time for the things that matter.”
Sleep & Waking Up
Craig says that the time you wake up is not so important. What is so important is what you do when you’re up. Since most people go to bed late in the night, there’s no need to wake up early in the morning if it’s not right for you.
On how much sleep you should get, he says not every day has to be the same. You can go to bed at different times during the week, and it won’t affect your effectiveness.
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