Today’s episode is designed to help you live the good life. I’ll do that by exploring how I plan my day, and some of the powerful productivity hacks that I’ve learned along the way. Planning is the key to success, but it’s easy to make poor choices and just do whatever ends up in front of you, instead of actively planning to be as effective as possible.

I use a blend of questions and tools that I’ve picked up over the years to help me decide what I’ll do each day. First, you need a daily game plan. Second, I start my day off right. For me, this means a Bible reading, a 20-minute meditation session, and some proactive gratitude. Third, I pick a question. I realized about a year ago that answers are less important than questions, so I created a list of questions I’ve come across and ask myself a new one each morning.

After my question, my next step is to plan the day. I make sure that each day has time for music/creativity, mind and/or body, and interpersonal relationships. Next, I create the power list. Tune into the episode to learn how effective a power list is, and how it functions. I’ll also address other strategies, questions, and methods you can use to ensure maximum productivity while maintaining a healthy balance. And that’s what I call the good life!

I’d like to end this with a simple ask. I don’t plan on having any sponsors, so instead of sitting through advertisements, I’d like to ask you to either refer someone to the podcast. Or, if you like what you get from this podcast, I’d be grateful if you leave a review and rating! That’s it. Your support helps keep this podcast running and lets me continue bringing you this valuable content.

 

In This Episode:

[00:32] - What is a “good lifer”? Steve answers this question.

[01:20] - Steve introduces the topic of today’s episode: how he plans his day, and some productivity hacks.

[04:26] - A few years ago, Steve was going through some mental turmoil. He digs into why, and how he resolved it.

[06:48] - Steve uses a blend of questions and tools to help him decide what to do each day.

[09:29] - The third step in Steve’s daily plan is to pick a question.

[11:35] - For Steve, the next step is planning his day. He talks about what this involves.

[17:02] - Once Steve has his list, the first question he asks himself is what he’s procrastinating on. He walks listeners through this and the other questions he asks of his list.

[20:47] - Steve talks about a method of dividing time into 10-minute units.

[24:38] - Another question you should ask yourself is whether you would pay someone your salary to do a specific task on your to-do list.

[26:20] - Steve only checks his email once a day, and raves about how powerful this can be for productivity.

[28:23] - We learn about what Steve does at the end of each week.

[31:21] - Steve digs into the idea of creating space, and how important it is to creating success.

[35:14] - In closing, Steve talks about the two-list exercise from Warren Buffett.

[36:59] - Steve invites listeners to an invite-only mastermind event he’s hosting in San Diego in October.

 

Links and Resources:

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

The MFCEO Project Podcast

The Joy of Procrastination Podcast

Dean Jackson

Inbox When Ready

Jason Goldberg

Dan Sullivan

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett’s “2 List” Strategy