Performance Optimization For Entrepreneurs
WHO THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: This post is written for the person who is already experiencing some success in their business and is looking to significantly increase their productivity by optimizing their mind and body, which I consider to be your “productivity engine”.
This article is NOT for most people.
It’s certainly not for people just starting out or who are trying to learn how to make their first $100 online.
When you’re in that frame of mind the stuff I’m about to share is usually of very little interest because you just need to make money.
You’re only interested in tactics and strategies to make money and that’s fine.
Go make some money first.
Once that happens though and you get comfortable making $1,000 a month, $10,000 a month, $100,000 a month you’re eventually gonna hit another plateau.
Especially if you’re a solopreneur and you have no desire to grow into a massive company with lots and lots of employees.
You’re going to realize that YOU are your most important asset.
And while you may have money coming in (and that’s fantastic) one of the only ways to increase your income is to optimize your efficiency and productivity - basically increase the number of things you can accomplish in 24 hours.
Having money is great.
But if you feel like crap some days then you’re not going be very productive.
And if you’re not productive then your income is not going to continue to grow at the rate it could.
For years I’ve seen other successful marketers come before me and talk about the some of the resources I’m going to share with you here today.
And, trust me, when I was just getting started, even though I understood that these things were super important, they weren’t important to me...yet.
However, in the past 45 days of me writing this post, I’ve began a journey to actively make several micro changes to my diet and health.
And those small tweaks have had a PROFOUND impact on how I feel each day, the amount of things I’m able to get done, and my income.
If you hate reading and you want to just skip ahead to the list of my current daily routine click the link below...
The next several paragraphs I’m going to be going over several things I’ve incorporated into my daily routine and why.
Keep in mind I’m just one person. Not everything that works for me is going to work exactly the same for you.
So, just take what I share with a grain of salt. Borrow what you want. And discard anything that’s not relevant, valuable, or in alignment with your current goals or beliefs.
My Personal Optimization Journey
Going To The Gym
A few years ago from the time of me writing this article I got out of my comfort zone and started going to the gym regularly.
This was a big step for me because even though I’d never really been “overweight” in my life since I hadn't done things like play sports in high school I really had never gone to the gym.
And since I didn’t know what I was doing or how to use most of the machines, I was basically starting from square one.
I didn’t change my diet much for the first several years, I just built the habit of consistently going to the gym.
I figured if I just kept going eventually I would figure out the rest.
I go to Gold’s Gym in case you’re wondering.
Now, at the time, I didn’t have much money. But since I didn’t know ANYTHING about how to use most of the machines I did pay to have a trainer show me how to use several of the machines for a few weeks.
The main reason I did this was to increase my confidence.
I knew if I was confident in how to actually use the machines then I would be more inclined to go because I wouldn't feel out of place, or like I was doing something wrong, or worse...actually hurt myself.
So, the coaching sessions were well worth the price.
If you don't know anything about how to use the machines like how I was when I got started, don't just trust a random guy in a YouTube video...you might wind up hurting yourself.
Incorporating An Exercise Program
Shortly after I started going to the gym regularly I found a very simple, effective, and affordable workout program called Kinobody which I started to apply when I would go to the gym.
I chose their Warrior Shredding Program because I wanted to get super lean so I could have chiseled abs.
The Kinobody program is perfect for people like me that work for themselves who want to look great year-round but don’t want to spent 3 hours a day 7 days a week in the gym.
Not because you’re lazy, but because you just have other things you’d rather be doing.
Sure, don’t get me wrong, I love going to the gym.
But, unless you’re a body builder, going to the gym 7 days a week, especially if you have a family or lots of commitments in your daily life, it’s simply not realistic or sustainable.
A few things that I really like about what Kinobody teaches are…
- It’s very affordable. I’m a marketer and although I have no problem paying top dollar for a quality product I love how their products are just a low flat fee, which makes them accessible to most anyone.
- It’s not 72 hours long. Entrepreneurs are busy. Although I may have the time, money, and resources to implement any program, I don’t want to have to spend 6 weeks trying to learn a program. Kinobody is extremely simple, something you can consume in a weekend, and be implementing what you learn the very next week.
- It doesn’t take much time to do. Another thing I love about what Kinobody teaches is that they focus on just a few core exercises, low reps, and just a few days a week in the gym. This is a perfect system for the busy solopreneur.
So, if you’ve been searching for a very simple exercise program that’s extremely easy to implement that’s going to increase your strength and have you looking great year-round without spending all week at the gym and also not crazy restrictive like some of these fad “diets” and programs then I would highly encourage you to invest in one of the Kinobody programs (they have programs for both men and women).
Tweaking My Diet
After I incorporated Kinobody into my gym routine, I began to actively start tweaking my diet.
It’s no secret that whatever you put in your body directly affects it’s performance.
If you feed your body garbage then you’re most likely going to feel terrible.
However, if you feed your body real food and nutrients then you’re generally going to feel amazing most days.
And feeling great every day becomes extremely important when your business and your livelihood is YOU.
So, initially I began intermittent fasting, which I was introduced to through Kinobody.
Then, I started adding black coffee to my mornings (I had never drank coffee before in my life before this).
But black coffee helps to curb your appetite so you don’t get as hungry while you’re fasting.
The brand of coffee I use is called Puroast
I also started to consciously drink more water throughout the day.
Eliminating Brain Fog
And then I started to concentrate on eliminating “brain fog” which was something I had never ever heard of until a few years prior from a friend.
I just thought those days where I experienced basically “writer’s block” all day were normal.
And the days where I had clarity and ideas just seemed to flow naturally were rare.
But if you eliminate brain fog then all-of-a-sudden every day becomes one of those rare days, which is incredible.
I chose to take a product called Qualia (I take Qualia Mind).
And I experienced pretty immediate results.
I was far more productive consistently and was finally able to focus, be fully present, and have enough energy and stay in “the zone” throughout the entire day until I was done with whatever it was I was working on.
Qualia is one of the things on my optimization list that may not have the same effect that it has on me. But it works incredible for me and also seems to even have residual effects as well.
And what I mean by that is it seems that even on the days that I may forget to take it I still feel amazing.
So, I highly recommend it.
**I take the regular Qualia Mind, but if you’re sensitive to caffeine you might consider their caffeine-free version.
Adding Micro Habits
After incorporating Qualia into my daily routine I added several other micro habits all at once.
Daily devotion - I’m Christian, so I have a daily devotional book I read (right now I’m reading a book called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young). I do this in the morning before I get started on any business work. I think it’s very important to start your day by concentrating on YOU since probably the rest of your day is going to be spent on your business, family, running errands, etc.
I borrowed this philosophy from a combination of what Brian Tracy calls “The Golden Hour” and Hal Elrod’s book The Miracle Morning, which can basically be summarized as “wake up at least an hour early each day and use that hour to focus on yourself” (yoga, meditation, reading, praying, etc.).
Adopted a mostly vegan diet - I never thought I would be one of those health-conscious “weirdos” but after watching the documentary What the Health on Netflix it really made me stop and think.
Pretty much right after I watched that documentary I cut out most meat, dairy, and gluten from my life.
I combined this diet with the diet suggested for my blood type from the book Eat Right 4 Your Type but just removed the meat, dairy, and gluten suggestions for my blood type.
If you’re looking for a good book for vegan recipes then I recommend checking out Plant-Based on a Budget.
In addition to adjusting my diet I also FINALLY started to count my calories to help me lose weight and lean down.
I track all my food using a free app and website called MyFitnessPal.
And I use this bluetooth scale to easily keep track of my body fat percentage, muscle mass, etc. The scale also comes with a free mobile app to help you track your progress.
Optimizing My Sleep
Increasing your productivity and being able to think clearly and actually get what you need to do done is awesome…
But you also need to sleep good.
If you’re wired and focused all the time that’s eventually going to catch up with you.
So, what I’m doing for sleep is a combination of things.
About 30 minutes before I go to sleep I switch from my regular glasses to some blue light blocking glasses.
Since I spend most of my day on the computer and using other electronic devices using these glasses help my eyes and body begin to relax before bedtime.
There are several blue light blocking glasses available but the brand I use are called Swanwick.
When I put my blue light blocking glasses on I also take a melatonin pill which has significantly helped improved my ability to actually fall asleep and stay asleep.
The melatonin I use is a brand called Natrol.
The last thing I do for sleep is since I’m a light sleeper I use an eye mask to block out the light in my room in combination with an app that plays white noise.
The sleep mask I recommend is called Manta Sleep and the free white noise app I use is called White Noise Lite (I like the brown noise option).
Miscellaneous Additions
And then finally some other things I’m also doing to are...
The Flex Belt - This is a device that tones your abs on autopilot. I had seen the ads for several years, and thought it was both cool and a little hokey. However, I finally bought one not because I’m lazy, but because I had a hernia surgery a few months prior (at the time of me writing this) and I wanted a simple way to exercise my abs since I didn’t feel comfortable doing hanging leg lifts while I was recovering. So far I’m actually quite impressed with this product.
Jawzrsize - This is a device that helps you exercise your face muscles and achieve a more chiseled jawline. I’ve only been using this product now for about a week so I don’t have any crazy before and after story to share but I thought it was an interesting product and only takes a few minutes a day to incorporate into my overall daily routine.
So, that’s where I’m at so far with my personal journey of optimizing my body and my mind and a little bit of an explanation on how I discovered the products I currently use.
If you’re looking for a quick checklist of how I incorporate these products into my daily routine here you go…
MY DAILY ROUTINE CHECKLIST
- Gym in the morning (Monday/Wednesday/Friday)
- Come back home, shower
- Read devotion (golden hour “me” time, meditation, etc.)
- Drink black coffee
- Take supplements (Qualia Mind for brain fog)
Other pills I take include coral calcium from Quantum Nutrition Labs, Blue Ice capsules made by Green Pastures which I learned about from reading a book called Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel, and Clearin by a company called Vaxa for acne - I drink several glasses of water throughout the day (I don’t really count)
- The Flex Belt (every other day)
- Jawzrsize (every other day)
- I eat a mostly vegan and gluten-free diet
- 30 minutes before bedtime: take Melatonin, put on blue light blocking glasses
- Sleep - put on eye mask and turn on white noise app
Hopefully you got a lot of value from this article and it saves you a ton of time and money trying to figure out some of these same resources on your own.
I’ll do my best to make sure this article is a living article and I come back and update it as I incorporate new things and make changes to my daily routine.
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