Ep. 110 – The Perfect Day Formula: Get Beyond the Morning Routine – with Craig Ballantyne
There are too many people out there who just want the harvest, but don’t necessarily want to do the hard work of farming; they want a 7-figure business or a huge social media following, but they’re not willing to put in the work, every single day.
The desire for (and expectation of) instant gratification is pervasive in our culture today, and there’s no substance behind any of it. But today’s guest, Craig Ballantyne, provides a remarkable amount of substance – at least, for high performers who want to take action and do the work.
Craig Ballantyne is a Productivity & Success Transformation Coach, co-owner of EarlyToRise.com, and the author of The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life, a book that I think goes beyond the morning routine to offer an ideal way for high performers to stay focused on what they’re called to do.
Structure = Freedom
One of the key principles in The Perfect Day Formula is that “structure equals freedom.” Specifically, Craig highlights three ways to control your day: controlling your mornings, conquering your afternoon chaos, and concentrating on what matters in the evening.
So how does this work – how does structure give us more freedom?
Well, Craig used to experience crippling anxiety attacks due to the paradox of freedom; he could do anything he wanted, even if that was working 12 hours a day and then partying in the city, and that started to catch up with him.
But when you put structure in your day, when you put boundaries around your work time and become more productive, you can get work done on time and get home to your family, be present with them, and concentrate on what counts.
“We are disciplined during the day so that we are enjoying true freedom at night.”
Scripting Your Day
Is there a script in Hamilton? Was there a script for Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech? Do successful salespeople wing it, or do they use a script?
Scripting your day is as essential as scripting every play in the Super Bowl – “You don’t just go and wing it. That’s not how a high performer acts.”
Craig’s tips for scripting your day:
- The first mistake that people make is they try to create a to-do list with 19 things on it, but that’s too much for one day and you end up frustrated.
- You need to buffer for the chaos of the world and only script what you CAN do.
- You also need to script your communications; a lot of people forget about how long phone calls and emails can take when they plan out their day.
- Create end times! Everyone creates a start time for a meeting, but few people establish an end time.
“You have to choose something that you’re willing to do when it sucks. You have to be willing to suffer, in order to succeed.”
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Don’t be a podcast junkie…
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Resources:
- Learn more at CraigBallantyne.com
- Connect with Craig: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter
- Read Craig’s writing at EarlyToRise.com
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
- Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words by Kevin Hall
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