It’s the New Year, and everyone and their mother has a New Year’s resolution that they’ve probably already broken.
In fact, I wrote about this pretty extensively last week in my 2012 To-Do List post.
BUT, here’s the thing with New Year’s resolutions – they almost always focus on adding things to our plate.
Starting a new training program.
Making more money.
Getting more done.
One of the most profound things I’ve ever heard, in training and life, came from Brett Jones. It was several years ago at our Midwest Performance Enhancement seminar, and Brett said something to this effect:
“The first question you have to ask yourself after you’ve decided to add kettlebells to your program, is what are you going to subtract from your program to make room for them?”
Think about that statement for a minute, and not just in the context of lifting, but life as well.
Everybody is telling you how to do more – I’m going to tell you how to do less (or at least do things more effectively), and enjoy your time on this Earth even more as a result.
And keep in mind – this stuff is applicable whether we’re talking about training, work, life, relationships, or anything in between.
#1 – Turn Your Phone OFF
I LOVE my iPhone.
I love the fact that when I travel I can make calls, texts, check and respond to e-mail, post stuff to Twitter and Facebook, and just about anything I could ever dream of.
The downside? I’m always connected. Always plugged in.
Furthermore, that means that people have access to me 24/7.
I don’t claim to be all that important, but I can tell you this – if I let it, this thing gets out of hand fast.
So this past weekend, I set my phone off to the side, let it charge, and literally did not check it all weekend.
I must say, the feeling was heavenly.
Now obviously there are times when you have to work hard, make a big push, work on weekends, whatever.
I own two businesses, so I get that.
BUT, when you don’t have a bunch going on, turn the phone off and enjoy the silence.
Once you get over the weirdness, I think you’ll really like to enjoy it.
#2 – Learn to Enjoy Your Weekends and Downtime
This goes hand-in-hand with my previous point.
If you’re always plugged in, always working, chances are you’re never actually relaxing.
Another smart man by the name of Dan John once said, “The more you work, the more you need to rest.”
Again, a great thought you should probably read again.
I’ve always viewed myself as a workaholic – the overachiever type.
And if I wanted to get more done, that simply meant I should work more hours, right?
Again, it’s not just working harder – it’s making better use of that time when you’re actually working.
Making sure it’s “work” – not a bit of work, a little Tweeting, checking the box scores from last nights game, or stalking that random girl on Facebook.
Turn the phone off; enjoy whatever you’re doing, and find time to do things that you really enjoy on the weekends.
I guarantee, when you get back to working Sunday night (or Monday morning), you’ll be re-energized and re-focused, ready to do the real work that actually gets results.
#3 – Be PRESENT
“STOP – and be present” – Eric Cobb
The above quote came in the context of assessing a new client. When you’re working with someone for the first time, you need to really stop and listen to what this person is telling you.
Furthermore, you need to stop and think about what this client’s body is telling you as well.
If you’re doing something and you’re thinking about the grocery shopping, that training program you need to write, what arm exercises you’re going to crush in your workout, etc., you’re not being present and in the moment.
This is something that’s incredibly hard for me, as I’m goal-oriented and focused on results.
The downside is this leaves the “present” as something that’s merely in the way of my future.
This point not only applies to life, but training as well.
Stop thinking so much about what you want to accomplish down the line – what can you do right now, today, to put you on that path to success?
When you think about how the present can lead you to your goals, you’ll immediately enjoy the journey a bit more.
#4 – No More Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking is the worst kind of logical fallacy there is.
It sounds great on paper – it just doesn’t work like it’s supposed to.
Instead, I’m reminded of a book titled The Power of Full-Engagement. Quite simply, don’t try to do five things at once – focus solely on the one task at hand, knock it out, and then move on to the next thing.
With training, stop thinking about how you need to get stronger, lean out, and put on some size.
Instead, consider the most urgent and pressing need you have right now.
Do you need to put on some bulk?
Get stronger?
Lean out?
Focus on that one thing for the next 3-6 months, with unwavering focus. After you’ve achieved that goal, then and only then do you figure out what to do next.
#5 – Don’t Just Focus on Doing MORE…
This may be the single most important point of this post, and that’s why I’ve saved it for last.
Stop thinking about doing more!
While I’m the first to tell you to take action, to actually DO THINGS and get them done, I’m also the first to tell you we get far too caught up in the “doing” part of the equation.
It’s kind of like getting organized to start getting organized – you spend so much time doing random stuff, you never actually get organized!
So instead of simply doing more, focus on the big-ticket items. Focus on that one thing that’s going to get you closer to your goals.
And taking that a step further, learn to think outside the box. Who says YOU need to be the one doing all the doing?
Something we should all be thinking about in our lives is extraction – what can we remove from our lives to enrich them, to make them more fulfilling?
For me 2 years ago, it was hiring staff so I didn’t have to work 60 hours a week at IFAST any more.
The combination of working, travel, training, etc. was absolutely killing me – if I didn’t extract myself to some extent from the business, I was going to blow up.
When you write your next program, remember that you can’t do everything at once.
You’re not going to get bigger, leaner, stronger, more flexible, and improve your energy system development in the next month.
So again, don’t just think about adding stuff to your plate – think about what you can take off your plate (or what you need to be doing the most) so you can spend more time doing the stuff you enjoy, or helps you achieve your goals.
Summary
There you have it – five things you should be doing (or more appropriately, NOT doing) in 2012 to make it your best year ever.
Chances are, at least one of these rang true with you. If so, I’d love to hear which one it is, and what you’re going to do about starting today.
Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you and continue the discussion!
All the best
MR