“You can build a dream in just 15 minutes.” – Craig Ballantyne
The above quote is just one of the many nuggets that I took away from my latest interview with Craig Ballantyne, productivity guru, editor of Early to Rise and Fitnesspreneur, when he came on The Fitnesspreneur’s Life Show podcast and after reading his book, The Perfect Day Formula.
If you want to have the future you desire, you’ll make the time now.
Focus and productivity all start with the night before.
Craig teaches us how to deal with random and instead turn it into focus.
The system that Craig puts forth is a framework that can get anyone to work on their top priority project.
1 - Start the Night Before… and then Keep Going.
At the end of every workday, Craig does a brain dump.
He writes down everything that he needs to do the next day.
Then, he prioritizes his list so that he doesn’t spend the precious moments of the next day wasting time.
Then, he spends the first fifteen minutes of every day focused on his top priority- nothing else.
2 - Control your Life. Set up Rules.
Little by little, you can set Rules of Life that encompass all the things you value.
You want more health?
Create rules of life that control your health like, “I won’t eat 3 hours before bed.”
You want more wealth?
Create a rule of life that says, “I will spend 15 minutes every morning working my top priority.”
Just taking the time to think about what you value most, and creating rules of life and you will find yourself gaining control of your choices.
3 – Push Past Your Comfort Zone.
Whether it’s physical work, like losing weight, or creating your brand, success all happens all in the mind.
It’s going to require you to move beyond your normal routine and find out what you’re made of.
You become more comfortable with being uncomfortable by developing your skills, getting a coach, and putting yourself in the environment of people who are willing to challenge you!
4 – Put Your Ego Aside.
Pushing that comfort zone means you need to be able to take criticism.
If you’re looking for non-stop praise and people to blow sunshine up your you-know-what, then you’re not looking to make a change.
Analyze what you’re doing, and be honest with yourself. It may not feel good, but it’s truly necessary.
5 – Be Descriptive in Your Life Plan.
Ambiguous goals get ambiguous results.
Whatever the goal is, be specific and clear.
Make sure you can smell it, feel it, and breathe it. Then you are on the right path to making it a reality.
What you can control is your destination and the rewards that await you.
6- Live a Life by Design, Structure Creates Freedom.
We need more structure to have more freedom.
This is why we have rules, laws and agreements. They give us all the opportunity for a safe, happy life.
It’s the lack of structure with our days and our plans for success that have led us to missing the mark in our lives.
