Latest / Harder Than Life / Stop Starting Mondays in Panic Mode

Transcript

Stop Starting Mondays in Panic Mode · Harder Than Life

• 0:01
  Now at Lowe's, faster quotes start at the Lowe's Pro Desk. Got a material list handwritten on a sticky note or saved us a photo? Perfect. Bring it to us and get a quote in minutes. And if you don't see what you need on the shelf, we'll help you get it. You can access thousands of products beyond what's available in-store or on lowes.com right from the Lowe's Pro Desk. Build quotes faster and source the materials you need to keep your jobs moving. Just like that at Lowe's.
• 0:30
  Your problem isn't lack of hustle, it's lack of structure. While the average person wastes the evening scrolling or drinking away dread for Monday, the disciplined man is setting targets, building their calendar, locking in focus.
• 0:46
  No more working till midnight and calling it ambition or grind. That's crazy. So let's fix that. I'm giving you my Sunday blueprint. A raw, no BS guide to win every single week. Give every day a purpose. This is your wake up call. Discipline creates freedom. Freedom from regret, from anxiety, from that weak voice that says...
• 1:10
  Stay comfortable, stay small, go easy. We'll work hard tomorrow. That all ends today. Welcome back to the 100 Life Podcast. It's another Thursday you and me episode. Today, another request from several of you listeners. I wanted to know the breakdown of my Sunday
• 1:39
  blueprint what I do on Sundays to win each week so today's episode is the Sunday blueprint a disciplined man's guide to winning every week and I call it the man's but it's really any it can be anybody women men Martians aliens this is the winning formula so if you're tired of starting every week behind burned out buried listen up
• 2:09
  If your weeks are chaotic, it's not the market, it's not your team or your schedule, it's you. This is your wake-up call. Your problem isn't lack of hustle, it's lack of structure. So today, for all you listeners who've asked, I'm giving you my Sunday blueprint. A raw, no BS guide to win every single week before it even begins.
• 2:38
  Most people won't do this work, but you will. We are harder than life. So here we go. The truth is discipline creates freedom. If you wake up every Monday reacting to problems, emails, notifications, demands, your phone, whatever, you're living someone else's agenda. So let's fix that. Motivation fades. Discipline doesn't.
• 3:07
  Willpower runs out, systems don't. Remember, system stands for save yourself time, energy, and money. Systems. When you design your week in advance, you win before the whistle blows. Structure isn't punishment, it's peace. Freedom doesn't come from doing whatever you want. Freedom comes from knowing what matters and sticking to it. That's the paradox most people miss.
• 3:36
  The more structure you build, the more freedom you feel. Discipline creates freedom. Freedom from regret, from anxiety, from that weak voice that says, stay comfortable, stay small, go easy. We'll work hard tomorrow.
• 3:57
  That all ends today, my friends. Winners plan to win before the game starts. Sunday is not a day of rest. It's a day of preparation. Your personal war room. While the average person wastes the evening scrolling or drinking away dread for Monday, the disciplined man or woman is setting targets, building their calendar, and locking in focus.
• 4:27
  Let's break it down step by step. Please understand, this is an all-day thing. It takes me about 15 minutes to do what I'm going to outline for you. So step one is reflect and review. Before you look ahead, look back. Take a few minutes to review the last week. What did you crush? What did you fall short on? Radical accountability starts right here, no excuses.
• 4:55
  Maybe you skipped a workout. Maybe you broke a promise. Own it. Write it down the lesson and move forward. Make that slight little change. Don't make the same mistake twice. Winners don't repeat mistakes. They study and they learn from them. Step two, set weekly targets. Define what a win looks like by this Friday. What are the three outcomes that will make you say, hell yes, this week was a success. Be very specific.
• 5:25
  Is it landing a client, finishing a project, or spending a real evening with your family? Lock in your top three, they're non-negotiable. This week, I don't want you to compromise. If you don't set the destination, you'll drift. You're not drifting anymore, you're driving. Step three, design your ideal calendar. Schedule your success.
• 5:55
  Open that calendar and treat yourself like the VIP you are. Block out time for your top priorities first, which by the way is usually family and personal commitments. Yes, I said that.
• 6:08
  Block out family time and the personal commitments for your family first. The kids' soccer games. The parent-teacher conferences. Or your self-care. Put you first. That's your top priorities. Block out time for your top priorities first. If it matters, it gets blocked. If it doesn't, it doesn't exist. As I said, workouts, family dinners, focus time. Start with those. Schedule them before the chaos fills your week. You won't...
• 6:37
  Find time, you must make time. Plan deep work in the mornings, meetings in the afternoon, family and recharge at night. Give every day a purpose.
• 6:51
  And notice I said, plan the deep work in the morning. Most of us are most clear, most energized in the morning. I protect my mornings. That's when I do all my creative work. My non-urgent but important tasks start from eight to nine. It's your perfect week formula. Designed by you, not demanded by others or the world. Step four, set the boundaries and cut offs. No more working till midnight and calling it ambition or grind.
• 7:21
  That's crazy. Create hard stops because there's a law of diminishing returns. No calls after 6 p.m., no emails after 8 p.m. Whatever your line is, draw it and defend it.
• 7:37
  Recharge is important. Rest is important. Work expands to fill the time you allow it, if you will. Set limits and watch your productivity explode. That structure doesn't restrict you. It liberates you.
• 7:52
  When your day has an end, your evenings become yours again, and that's peace. It's recharge. It's refuel, and it is necessary. Step five is the prep for the battle. That's what this whole thing is. Preparation is the difference between amateurs and professionals. Don't wait for motivation. Engineer your success in advance.
• 8:15
  So Sunday night, lay out your gym clothes, prep your meals, stock your fridge, review your biggest meetings, and prepare your presentations. I can do a whole other podcast episode on how to leverage AI for this to buy back your time, and I will. Leverage AI, that's all I'm going to say about that. Eliminate excuses before they appear.
• 8:40
  The disciplined person doesn't rely on feeling like it. They build an environment that forces progress. Step six, schedule recovery and recharge. Burnout isn't from working hard, it's from never resting well or recharging. So schedule rest like you schedule your work. Sleep, family time, even joy, make them sacred.
• 9:08
  My man, Dan Martell, literally has a sleep alarm. He sets an alarm, and that's when his night wrap-down begins. For me, it's 8.30, because I wake up at 4 a.m. So 8.30, I'm starting to wind down. I'm getting in bed. I brush my teeth.
• 9:28
  I've reviewed my day and then put my phone away, I lay down and I read a little bit, I recharge, I think of the things that I'm grateful for as well as the wins of the day and what I'm gonna attack the next day. So schedule this stuff, schedule your sleep. I used to say I'll sleep when I'm dead, that was the dumbest thing in the world because if you don't sleep, you will be dead.
• 9:54
  When you rest intentionally, you don't crash accidentally. The goal isn't to grind until you break. It's to build a rhythm that keeps you powerful all day and all month and eventually all year round.
• 10:09
  Discipline doesn't mean no fun. It means earned fun. I must say, just today I was thinking about, I haven't had much fun lately. Because winning is more fun than fun is fun to me. Like, let my hair down and go do nothing about nothing and don't work, that hasn't happened in a minute. I'm gonna schedule something here very soon to shut my phone off and just go have some rest and relaxation.
• 10:36
  So even the best at it, mess this up. That's why I'm here doing this reminder for you as well as for me. Win the morning, win the week. We've all heard about these morning routines. And just because you do a morning routine doesn't mean that you're gonna be successful, but it gives you a better time
• 10:54
  chance of being successful the week is decided by your mornings the day is decided by your mornings everything is decided by your mornings if the first thing you touch is your phone you've already surrendered your mindset to someone else stopping waking up reactive instead build a morning ritual that primes you for greatness
• 11:17
  I've done separate episodes about priming. It is huge. My dear friend Rudy Ricksteins talks all about this. It's basically manifestation of what you want that day to be.
• 11:29
  It starts with a lot of gratitude. It starts with visualizing how the day is going to go. It is so much better. I do it every morning. It takes about three minutes. He says to do it for 10 minutes. I do it for about three. And then I go into my meditation. But don't wake up reactive. Build a morning ritual that primes you for success and greatness. Here's what I do. I hydrate the moment I wake up. I high-five that mirror and say, I love you.
• 11:58
  Then I meditate, I journal, and then I get off to the gym to move my body. I love sweating early so I can think clearly all day. Don't forget, I did say you can work this either which way, feed your mind, either read or you journal, but definitely work in a gratitude practice before you grab your phone or feed any digital noise whatsoever. So no phone,
• 12:28
  No news, no chaos for the first hour. Also, too, I'd be remiss if I didn't say, you might want to work in some prayer, some breath work. Talked about journaling. Could be some stretching. I've been doing a lot of that lately. As I get older and older, I carry all my stress in my hips. So I'm constantly bending and stretching and trying to release. And, yes, visualizing an actual release of stress from my hips.
• 12:58
  So it doesn't matter what it looks like, but what matters is that it's yours and it happens every day. That's why they call it a ritual. So the first hour of the day must belong to you. Don't give it to anyone else. If you have children, I know what you're saying. Kelly, I can't wake up the kids. Wake up an hour earlier. Go to bed an hour earlier. Reasons, as valid as those are, do not get results.
• 13:23
  So that first hour is sacred, it's for you. And here's a power move. Attack your most important task early, before all this distractions, before the world wakes up. I write all my speeches, do all of my planning is that first hour. This is after I've already done most of my morning routine. Now I've gotten into the work.
• 13:45
  So the mornings set the tone. Win every morning and you'll win the week and stack a bunch of weeks, you win the month and then you win the year. Remember people's structure equals freedom. People hear discipline and they think restriction. They got it backwards. Discipline is the highest form of self-respect and no better way to prove that you love yourself than by being disciplined. Say no more often.
• 14:16
  And it's also saying my dreams matter enough for me to stay consistent. Structure equals freedom. Freedom from chaos. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from regret. Freedom from wondering, what did I even get done today?
• 14:35
  We've all been there. And those are the days that I deviated from this, these habits, these six steps that I've given you. When you know your plan and you stick to it, your mind relaxes. That's peace and peace is priceless.
• 14:52
  It's not about perfection. It's about intention. You're no longer winging life. You're designing it. Remember, you do this over and over and over until you can't get it wrong and your mind is on autopilot. These six steps, I almost have to go out of my way to deviate. Literally. I have to do something. Literally think.
• 15:18
  Then I veer off and I inevitably have a odd day and not as fulfilling. I'm going to go over the five pillars of a winning week. I live by these five pillars that shape my life. Use them as your foundation. Pillar number one is plan and prepare. You don't stumble into success. You structure it. Every Sunday, you're the architect. You
• 15:39
  Build the week before it builds you. Again, it only takes 15 to 30 minutes max. I do it first thing in the morning on Sundays as to enjoy the rest of my day. Pillar number two is accountability. Hold yourself responsible. And if you struggle, find someone who won't let you off the hook. No one wins alone. Even I have people who call me out. If you have nobody,
• 16:01
  Message me and I'll be that somebody, but I am the worst. Just ask my girlfriend. She can't stand it. I'm the most accountable person you'll ever meet. Pillar number three is your environment. Surround yourself with doers, with winners, focusing on the signal of winning. Energy is contagious. If your circle is lazy, you'll be tired. You'll be drained. No energy vampires.
• 16:28
  If they're driven, you'll be on fire and you'll grow. Pillar number four is your purpose.
• 16:36
  Why are you doing all of this? For me, I've said it a thousand times, my daughter and all of you, I wanna pay this forward. If a young, disadvantaged, abused man such as me that grew up just off of 8 Mile can be successful, so can you, and I'm giving you the blueprint. So my purpose is to pay it forward and break the chains of abuse that happened in my family for my daughter.
• 17:03
  Without purpose, discipline becomes drudgery. Yes, I said that. Becomes monotonous, difficult. Tie your habits to something meaningful. Your health, your family, or your freedom. When your why is strong, your excuses are weak. Pillar number five, use time as your tool. Set deadlines.
• 17:28
  No deadline, no urgency. Pro tip, set an unreasonable deadline. I'm going to get this thing done in one week and then smash it. Set clear finishing dates, weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
• 17:46
  clock motivates the calendar clarifies and sets you free when you combine all five of these pillars planning accountability environment purpose and deadlines you create unstoppable momentum there is a mind and body connection guys how many times i say to you guys look good feel good do good
• 18:12
  So let's talk about the two engines that power it all, your mind and your body. Mental mastery means taking control of your thoughts before they control you. Meditate, journal, read. Feed your brain better input than gossip or doom scrolling. This also applies to meditation.
• 18:32
  watching TV, what you take in, the podcasts that you listen to. Make sure that they're all positive and they're not just smut TV. Some of these reality shows, people,
• 18:46
  Now at Lowe's, faster quotes start at the Lowe's Pro Desk. Got a material list handwritten on a sticky note or saved as a photo? Perfect. Bring it to us and get a quote in minutes. And if you don't see what you need on the shelf, we'll help you get it. You can access thousands of products beyond what's available in-store or on Lowe's.com right from the Lowe's Pro Desk. Build quotes faster and source the materials you need to keep your jobs moving. Just like that at Lowe's.
• 19:16
  I feel dumber after watching them. I'm not a big TV person, but my girlfriend is, and she gets me watching some of these things. So, guard your peace like it's your most valuable asset because it is. You can't lead, create, or love properly if your mind is poisoned by chaos. So cleanse it daily, just like you train your body. Speaking of which,
• 19:44
  Physical fitness isn't optional. You don't have to work out like a crazy man like me. I think this morning I did exercise, workout 452. I'll go back for 453 this afternoon. But you got to move your body. You can't live harder than life with a weaker than life body. Move daily.
• 20:05
  Lift, run, sweat, whatever you enjoy, but it's got to be a little bit uncomfortable. Your body is your tool. Sharpen it. Eat clean most of the time. I said most of the time. Sleep like a professional. No sleep, no strength, no fuel, no focus. Every workout, every good meal, every good night of rest, calm, calm.
• 20:36
  You're either building energy or you're burning it. Pick the right side of that equation. There are a few traps that will try to wreck your week. So I would be remiss if I didn't call them out. So trap number one, waking up reactive. Checking your phone, scrolling, reading bad news. Stop it.
• 21:02
  The news is horrible for you. If it bleeds, it leads. Remember that. Start the day for you, not from them. Trap number two, no boundaries. If you don't protect your time, people will consume it. Set limits, enforce them, and be polite but firm. If you don't have boundaries, that's teaching people how to treat you, and they will walk all over you.
• 21:32
  Boundary up, people. Trap number three. Numbing out, man. Overdrinking. Overeating. Endless screens. These are distractions dressed as relief. They rob you of your energy and focus. Moderate the noise. Feed the growth. Guys, I've talked over and over and over about the drinking. It's just...
• 22:02
  Even one ain't worth it anymore. Heck, I was out last night watching people drink. I didn't realize the price, the amount of money that you spend on so-called having a good time. But hey, I'm not going to get you on this. Overeating, screens, just a no. Just limit it, guys. Trap number four is just winging it, man. The biggest lie is I'll figure it out as I go. Or I'm just trying to figure this thing out. You won't.
• 22:30
  you'll repeat the same chaos you claim to hate. And what you don't hate, you will eventually tolerate. Plan every week, even when things are good, especially when things are good. Let's be clear though, discipline isn't about perfection. You'll mess up, I do. Progress over perfection. The goal isn't to never fail.
• 22:59
  It's to rise faster every time you do. That's what being harder than life really means. I'm reminded of my friend, Jen Cohen. She had a master's degree in falling down, a PhD in getting back up. That's literally the definition of harder than life. I love it.
• 23:16
  You control what you can, you show up on the hard days, you push through when comfort calls your name, and the reward isn't just success, it's peace. When you master your week, you master your life. This is your Sunday blueprint, my friends. The plan to run the week instead of letting the week run you. You don't have to overhaul your life overnight. Start small, one Sunday at a time.
• 23:45
  Plan your week, guard your mornings, stick to your discipline. And when life punches you in the face, you'll be ready because you built a foundation too strong to shake. If this episode hit home, do two things for me right now. Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a harder than a life drop.
• 24:08
  And share this episode with someone who needs it. Someone who's ready to take back control of their life, their week, and their mindset. Because most won't. But you will. You're the disciplined one. You're the leader. Leaders lead. Be the example. This is the harder than life way. Radical discipline. Relentless accountability. Peace through structure.
• 24:34
  and freedom through strength. Thanks for listening. Now go win your week. Let's get after it. Please rate and share this podcast. I'm active on all social platforms and love to hear from my Seagull supporters. Each and every episode is sponsored by my company, National Technology Management, the easiest and best IT company to do business with, delivering peace of mind with technology every day, even simplifying cybersecurity. Visit trustntm.com for more info. Until next week, be harder than life.