How to Achieve Physical Autonomy

Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness:

Most men want to wake up in the morning knowing their body is ready to handle whatever opportunities and challenges come their way that day, from a real emergency to simply roughhousing with their kids. They want to be able to move without pain and explore the world with confidence.

My guest today would say that what this desire is pointing to is the achievement of physical autonomy. His name is Ryan Hurst and he’s the head coach at GMB Fitness, which uses bodyweight exercises and skill-based practices to help people get stronger, move better, and never have to doubt themselves physically. Our conversation begins with Ryan’s unique background; we discuss how he did gymnastics growing up and then moved to Japan, where he still resides, to learn martial arts, including aikido, kendo, judo, and jiu-jitsu, and how these experiences influenced his fitness journey and philosophy. Ryan then shares how he defines physical autonomy and the three elements that are required to achieve it. From there we discuss the four animal-inspired movements that create the foundation for balanced athleticism, the basic physical skills people should aim to master, and how to train those skills in ways that don’t require an onerous amount of time.

Here are the show highlights:

• How Ryan ended up in Japan studying martial arts (and why he hasn’t left) 
• The injury that led to a turning point in Ryan’s life 
• What does it mean to have physical autonomy 
• The difference between capability and ability 
• Ryan’s four animal-inspired movements
• The functional movements Ryan encourages all of his clients to pursue
• The 5 P’s of a GMB session

 Interesting days

Today - Computer Security Day, Mousse Day, Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, Mason Jar Day and Cyber Monday

December will be Pear Month, Food Service Safety Month, Operation Santa Paws, Write a Business Plan Month, Human Rights Month and Tie Month

Tomorrow - Eat A Red Apple Day, Giving Tuesday and Day Without Art Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Monday - Walt Disney Day, Cotton Candy Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and International Civil Aviation Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 30 - Bacon Day and Bicarbonate of Soda Day

December 31 - No Interruptions Day, Make Up Your Mind Day and Champagne Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

Your weekend guide to interesting days - November 28, 2020

This week

Sunday - Go For A Ride Day and Cranberry Relish Day

Monday - Espresso Day, Fibonacci Day, Eat A Cranberry Day and Cashew Day

Tuesday - Sardines Day

Wednesday - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Jukebox Day and Tie One On Day

Thursday - Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Yesterday - Buy Nothing Day, Flossing Day, Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Sinkie Day, Systems Engineer Day, Maize Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday and Day of Listening

Today - French Toast Day, Aura Awareness Day and Small Business Saturday (US)

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next week

Tomorrow - Chocolates Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Square Dancing Day and Electronic Greetings Day

Monday - Computer Security Day, Mousse Day, Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, Mason Jar Day and Cyber Monday

Tuesday - Eat A Red Apple Day, Giving Tuesday and Day Without Art Day

Wednesday - Fritters Day

Thursday - Roof Over Your Head Day, Disability Day and Make A Gift Day

Friday - Bartender Appreciation Day, Cookie Day, International Cheetah Day, Cab Franc Day, Faux Fur Friday, World Wildlife Conservation Day, Dice Day and Wear Brown Shoes Day

Saturday - Repeal Day, Sachertorte Day, World Soil Day International Ninja Day and Bathtub Party Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next month

December 22 - Date Nut Bread Day and Forefathers’ Day

December 23 - Roots Day and Festivus

December 24 - Eggnog Day

December 25 - Christmas and Pumpkin Pie Day

December 26 - Candy Cane Day and Thank You Note Day

December 27 - Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day, Fruitcake Day and Visit The Zoo Day

December 28 - Card Playing Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

The week in review - November 27, 2020

Monday - "How To Make French Toast Even Better than the Diner" I love French toast! "There’s the burnt-outsides-and-raw-insides problem, that unpleasant-center-layer-of-un-eggy-bread issue, and the over-soaking-until-the-bread-falls-apart conundrum. "

Tuesday - "Are you P.O.O.R.? #TBT" A throwback Tuesday. "So, you can be P.O.O.R. or you can be R.I.C.H. The choice is yours."

Wednesday - "How to Feast at the Holidays Without Packing on the Pounds" Very timely for the day before Thanksgiving. "There you go: how to eat and enjoy yourself this holiday season without putting on (too) much weight."

Thursday - "The 8th Habit - Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs #TBT" From Stephen Covey. "To thrive, innovate, excel, and lead in this new reality, we must reach beyond effectiveness toward fulfillment, contribution, and greatness."

Interesting days

Today - Buy Nothing Day, Flossing Day, Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Sinkie Day, Systems Engineer Day, Maize Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday and Day of Listening

Tomorrow - French Toast Day, Aura Awareness Day and Small Business Saturday (US)

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Friday - Bartender Appreciation Day, Cookie Day, International Cheetah Day, Cab Franc Day, Faux Fur Friday, World Wildlife Conservation Day, Dice Day and Wear Brown Shoes Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 27 - Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day, Fruitcake Day and Visit The Zoo Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

The 8th Habit - Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published five years ago:

From www.stephencovey.com:

In today's challenging and complex world, being highly effective is the price of entry to the playing field. To thrive, innovate, excel, and lead in this new reality, we must reach beyond effectiveness toward fulfillment, contribution, and greatness. Research is showing, however, that the majority of people are not thriving. They are neither fulfilled nor excited. Tapping into the higher reaches of human motivation requires a new mindset, a new skill-set --a new habit. Dr. Covey's new book, The 8th Habit®: From Effectiveness to Greatness, is a roadmap to help you find daily fulfillment and excitement.

But what does it mean to find your voice? "Voice is unique personal significance - significance that is revealed as we face our greatest challenges and which makes us equal to them." From The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness by Stephen R. Covey.

There are 4 facets to your voice - passion (heart), need (body), conscience (spirit) and talent (mind). These 4 facets - or intelligences - are something that each of us posseses and are unique to us.

After you find your voice, you can help others find theirs through pathfinding, aligning, empowering and modeling.

Pathfinding (vision) - Jointly determine the course
Aligning (discipline) - Set up and manage systems to stay on course
Empowering (passion) - Focus talent on results, not methods, then get out of people's way and give help as requested
Modeling (conscience) - Set a good example

I hope this brief overview has inspired you to find out more about the 8th habit.

You can get a copy of the audiobook here.

Here are the links to all the other 7 parts of this series.

Monday - Habit 1 - Be Proactive

Tuesday - Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind

Wednesday - Habit 3 - Put First Things First

Thursday - Habit 4 - Think Win-win

Monday - Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood

Tuesday - Habit 6 - Synergize

Wednesday - Habit 7 - Sharpen the Saw

Thursday - The 8th Habit - Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs

Interesting days

Today -Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Tomorrow - Buy Nothing Day, Flossing Day, Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Sinkie Day, Systems Engineer Day, Maize Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday and Day of Listening

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Thursday - Roof Over Your Head Day, Disability Day and Make A Gift Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 26 - Candy Cane Day and Thank You Note Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

How to Feast at the Holidays Without Packing on the Pounds

This article from The Art of Manliness is very timely right now, since Thanksgiving is coming up tomorrow!

The holidays are just around the corner and that means food.

Lots and lots of delicious food.

Turkey, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin pie. Mmm . . . mmm . . . mmm.

My mouth is watering just typing that out.

You hit that smorgashboard at Thanksgiving and then a month later you’re doing it again at Christmas, and in-between there are often parties, gift baskets, and dropped-off platters of cookies to wade through.

While holiday feasting is great for activating the pleasure centers in your brain, it’s not so great for your waistline. All that tasty carby and fatty food eaten in excess can put on the pounds. In fact, most people do indeed gain about 1 to 2 lbs during the holiday season. That may not sound like much, ‘til you consider that adding 2 pounds of fat each year for 30 years will leave you 60 pounds overweight. That’s a recipe for a bowl-of-jelly-esque belly.

So how can you enjoy those holiday meals without throwing off your nutrition plan? Are you doomed to eating just the celery and carrot sticks your mom puts out as a before-dinner snack? Will you have to bring your own premade meal while you watch everyone else eat Grandma’s delicious stuffing and pumpkin pie?

How to Feast at the Holidays Without Packing on the Pounds:

• Preliminary: start tracking your macros.
• Keep your holiday eating to the actual holidays.
• Watch your nutrition leading up to the big meal.
• Pregame your holiday feasting with 1-2 small meals.
• Eat slowly and wait a minimum of 10 minutes after finishing your first plate before going back for a second helping.
• Go for a walk within an hour of finishing your meal.
• Don’t beat yourself up about enjoying yourself.
• Don’t freak out about sudden weight gain and waist size expansion the day after your holiday gorging.
• Manage leftovers.

Set a Reasonable Intention for the Holiday Season:

Most of us won’t be able to either “cut” weight significantly or totally restrain ourselves from indulging during the holiday season. But we can maintain our current weight, and be content with this static interlude before the new year dawns. Aim to be in the same place come January as you were at the beginning of November. Gillian does this by weighing/measuring herself at the beginning of November and setting the intention to be in around the same place on New Year’s Day, and then intermittently checking in on her progress between those dates. Do likewise, and weigh and measure yourself each week. If you notice your weight creeping up more than it should during the holidays (usually more than a pound a week), this might mean adding some cardio or even being a bit more strict on your calorie intake on days you don’t need to splurge. Again: don’t beat yourself up; just do your best. And if you make changes, make small changes. Not drastic ones.

There you go: how to eat and enjoy yourself this holiday season without putting on (too) much weight.

Be sure to check out the article for all the details.

Interesting days

Today - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Jukebox Day and Tie One On Day

Tomorrow - Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Wednesday - Fritters Day 

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 25 - Christmas and Pumpkin Pie Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

Are you P.O.O.R.? #TBT

Today's blog post is a Throwback Tuesday because I think this is so timely right now.

Today's blog post is inspired by a Facebook Live that Casey Eberhart did yesterday.

I hadn't heard of the acronym P.O.O.R. before seeing that video.

Are you the type of person who will at least look at an opportunity that presents itself to you or do you prefer to keep doing what you're doing?

There are lots of opportunities in the world, but we're going to be talking about financial opportunities here.

What kind of financial opportunities are there?

• Job
• Investing
• Starting a business

Most of us have, or have had, a job. But what kind of opportunities are there?

• We can get a raise at our current job
• We can get a better paying job
• We can get a 2nd (or 3rd) job

Suppose you want to make an additional $300 per month. If you have a full time job, you can ask your boss for a $2 an hour raise or you can find a job that pays an additional $2 an hour. Or you can find a part-time job for additional income. In California, the minimum wage is $10.50 an hour, so you could find a minimum wage job and work 28 1/2 hours a month...or about 7 hours a week. (On January 1st of this year, the CA minimum wage went up to $13/hour).

What about investing? If you get a 5% return, you need to save or invest $72,000. Most of us don't have $72,000 to save or invest, but if you did this is one way to make an additional $300 per month.

Or you could start a business. I'm not talking about a traditional business, but a network marketing business. Because with network marketing it's possible to create residual income, and another acronym I came across yesterday is R.I.C.H.

Elvis Presley earned $27 million in 2016, 39 years after his death. Fans still purchase a million Elvis albums a year. But you don't have to be a singer, songwriter or author to make residual income.

Most network marketers don't make that much money, although some do. The top earner worldwide made $4.8 million per month according to a list from April of 2017. While Jordan Adler, the top earner in SendOutCards, is number 121 on the list, with a monthly income of $150,000.

I'm not at the point of making $300 a month yet, but since I'm a Manager with SendOutCards, I make 7% of the sales from the members of my team. So, when my team gets to the point of generating $4,300 a month in sales, I'll earn $300...every month!

So, you can be P.O.O.R. or you can be R.I.C.H. The choice is yours.

What makes this so timely is that SendOutCards is launching a new opportunity called "A Better Way" on January 15th that will provide SIX streams of residual income! And you can sign up for free between now and then. And the first income stream, SendOutCards, is available now and the $99 affiliate fee is waived for the first year.

Interesting days

Today - Sardines Day

Tomorrow - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Jukebox Day and Tie One On Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December will be Pear Month, Food Service Safety Month, Operation Santa Paws, Write a Business Plan Month, Human Rights Month and Tie Month

Next Tuesday - Eat A Red Apple Day, Giving Tuesday and Day Without Art Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 24 - Eggnog Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

 

How To Make French Toast Even Better than the Diner

Since Saturday is French Toast Day, this article from The Kitchn seemed very timely!

Start with some bread, a few eggs, and butter and voila! You’ve got French toast. Right? Well, maybe not so fast. French toast has few ingredients, and it’s a quick-cooking recipe for sure, so it seems like it should be pretty straightforward. But for a dish so common, it’s not that hard to make poorly. There’s the burnt-outsides-and-raw-insides problem, that unpleasant-center-layer-of-un-eggy-bread issue, and the over-soaking-until-the-bread-falls-apart conundrum.

The real trick to making classic French toast is to pay close attention while you soak and cook. We’re going to show you how to do it well so you always have the French toast you deserve.

Here are some hints:

• Dry Bread Is Your Friend
• Pick Your Bread Thoughtfully
• Eggy Versus Milky Batter
• Butter and Oil and a Medium-Low Flame
• Knowing When French Toast Is Done

Step by step instructions are included in the article.

Unfortunately, my plan for this weekend is to do a 3 day cleanse, so no French toast for me :-(

But I will have to try this out sometime in the future. If you try it out, let me know how you like it!

Interesting days

Today - Espresso Day, Fibonacci Day, Eat A Cranberry Day and Cashew Day

Tomorrow - Sardines Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Monday - Computer Security Day, Mousse Day, Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, Mason Jar Day and Cyber Monday

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 23 - Roots Day and Festivus

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Your weekend guide to interesting days - November 21, 2020

This week

Sunday - Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, Spicy Hermit Cookie Day, America Recycles Day, Philanthropy Day, Bundt Cake Day and I Love to Write Day

Monday - Have a Party with Your Bear Day, Clarinet Day, International Day for Tolerance, Button Day and Fast Food Day

Tuesday - Homemade Bread Day, Unfriend Day, World Prematurity Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day, Take A Hike Day, International Happy Gose Day and Baklava Day

Wednesday - Housing Day, Mickey Mouse Day, GIS Day, Adoption Day, Princess Day, Education Support Professionals Day, Vichyssoise Day and Apple Cider Day

Thursday - International Men’s Day, World Toilet Day, Social Enterprise Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Play Monopoly Day and Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day

Yesterday - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

Today - World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, False Confession Day and Stuffing Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next week

Tomorrow - Go For A Ride Day and Cranberry Relish Day

Monday - Espresso Day, Fibonacci Day, Eat A Cranberry Day and Cashew Day

Tuesday - Sardines Day

Wednesday - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Jukebox Day and Tie One On Day

Thursday - Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Friday - Buy Nothing Day, Flossing Day, Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Sinkie Day, Systems Engineer Day, Maize Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday and Day of Listening

Saturday - French Toast Day, Aura Awareness Day and Small Business Saturday (US)

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next month

December 15 - Cat Herders Day, Lemon Cupcake Day and International Tea Day

December 16 - Chocolate Covered Anything Day and Day Of Reconciliation

December 17 - Re-gifting Day, Maple Syrup Day and Wright Brothers Day

December 18 - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Bake Cookies Day, Roast Suckling Pig Day, International Migrants Day, Arabic Language Day and Underdog Day

December 19 - Look For An Evergreen Day and Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 20 - Go Caroling Day, Games Day and Sangria Day

December 21 - Humbug Day, Flashlight Day, Look On The Bright Side Day, Don’t Make Your Bed Day, Short Story Day, Short Girl Appreciation Day, Ribbon Candy Day, Crossword Puzzle Day and Dalek Remembrance Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

The week in review - November 20, 2020

Monday - "A Better Way" What is a better way? "A Better Way is a ground floor opportunity, but the parent company, SendOutCards, has been in business for 17 years!"

Tuesday - "Tim/e is on my side" Ways to make your time more valuable. "What really makes the difference is perceived value...what other people think our time is worth"

Wednesday - "Want to Cut Your Work Hours in Half? Create an A/B Schedule" What is an A/B schedule? "As an entrepreneur, you have to do everything for your business...you just don't have to do it all at once."

Thursday - "Achieving Your Potential #TBT" From Harvey Mackay. "The only person who can limit your potential is you."

Interesting days

Today - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

Tomorrow - World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, False Confession Day and Stuffing Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Friday - Buy Nothing Day, Flossing Day, Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Sinkie Day, Systems Engineer Day, Maize Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday and Day of Listening

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 20 - Go Caroling Day, Games Day and Sangria Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

Achieving Your Potential #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published two years ago:

I haven't shared a post from Harvey Mackay in awhile:

  

  

A famous art professor died and went to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, the professor asked St. Peter, “Sir, I spent most of my life on earth studying great art, but I have a question that has puzzled me for 30 years: Who was the greatest painter in history?”

  

St. Peter pointed to a nearby cloud. “See that woman right over there? She’s the one.”

The professor frowned. “But I knew that woman on earth! She ran the cafeteria at the university where I taught! How could she have been the greatest painter in history?”

St. Peter shook his head sadly. “She could have been, if she ever picked up a brush and tried to paint.”

I suspect that woman had been good at her job, but did she reach her real potential? Did she follow her passion? Was she content to let her dreams evaporate?

Those are tough questions to answer, especially when you consider that most of us find something we are reasonably good at where we can earn a living, and leave it at that. But is that the legacy you want to leave?

What do you want to be when you grow up? Good news: there is rarely just one answer. I am of the opinion that we all have tremendous potential if only we allow ourselves the freedom to try. The problem starts when we box in our futures according to what we studied in school, or family expectations, or staying in a job that doesn’t challenge us to grow and flourish.

But you are ultimately responsible for your own success, in both your career and personal life. What do you really hope to accomplish in your life? And do you have a plan for getting there?

It starts with figuring out your purpose in life. As lofty as that sounds, I assure you, it’s not rocket science. I’ve shared my story often: At a young age, I imagined myself owning a factory and being an entrepreneur. I had to fill in a lot of blanks along the way, and learn some very difficult lessons, but in my heart I knew it was worth it.

Ask yourself some helpful questions. What excites you? What do you want to learn? What do you love to do? That last question is especially important, because as I like to say, find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Then develop your personal mission statement. In 25 words or less, define what makes you uniquely qualified to achieve your dream. Say it out loud every day to build your confidence and commitment.

Think about what you have already accomplished and what steps you need to take both short-term and long-term. Do you need to learn new skills, line up funding, work with a business partner?

Are you building a network of contacts that can help and advise you as necessary? You need to connect with people in many fields and professions. 
Define what success will look like. Will you recognize it when you achieve it? Are you prepared to change your definition as circumstances change?

The cafeteria worker may not have been able to give up her job and benefits to paint full time, but she could have pursued art as a hobby. Starting small is a practical way to test whether you can achieve your dream.

An Irish missionary shared this inspirational message in a London church: 
“Consider the walnut: If you compare a walnut with some of the beautiful and exciting things which grow on our planet, it does not seem to be a marvelous creation. It is common, rough, not particularly attractive, and certainly not valuable in any monetary sense. Besides, it is small. Its growth is limited by the hard shell which surrounds it. The shell from which it never escapes during its lifetime.

“Of course, that’s the wrong way to judge a walnut. Break one open and look inside. See how the walnut has grown to fill every nook and cranny available to it? It had no say in the size or the shape of the shell but, given those limitations, it achieved its full potential of growth.

“How lucky we will be if, like the walnut, we are found to blossom and bloom in every crevice of the life that is given to us. Take heart. If one nut can do it, so can we all!”

  

Mackay’s Moral: The only person who can limit your potential is you.

Interesting days

Today - International Men’s Day, World Toilet Day, Social Enterprise Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Play Monopoly Day and Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day

Tomorrow - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Thursday - Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

December 19 - Look For An Evergreen Day and Oatmeal Muffin Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Want to Cut Your Work Hours in Half? Create an A/B Schedule

Today's blog post is based on an article from Fast Company:

Entrepreneurs wear many hats.

As a coach who works with a lot of business owners and solopreneurs, I’ve seen my clients do everything from marketing to idea generation to logistical firefighting. Often, they’re doing all these things on the same day, if not the same hour. That makes about as much sense as actually balancing, wearing, and placing a stack of hats on your head at the same time. So I tell my clients, they need to put on one hat–one role–at a time, and adopt an A/B schedule.

I do this myself, dividing my schedule between “A” and “B” weeks for different types of work. Working this way has cut my hours almost in half, and has allowed me to run a nearly seven-figure business in just 20 hours a week. Even better, I feel more energized at the end of every day.

The author then talks a little bit about life before and after using an A/B schedule. And then he talks about how to develop one.

Of course, setting up a method that worked for me and my current business took some time and tinkering. You’ll probably learn that you’ll have to test a few things before landing on a system that suits you.

To get started, I recommend taking the following steps:

1. Examine your current schedule
2. Communicate
3. Tinker
4. Keep your health in mind

Every entrepreneur starts his or her business with particular aims in mind–the people they want to serve, the problems they want to solve, and the goals they want to reach. Fulfilling this purpose demands a lot of energy. If you’re constantly switching tasks, you’re leaking that precious energy. Save that effort. Set up an A/B schedule, and you can get more done with more power to spare.

As an entrepreneur, you have to do everything for your business...you just don't have to do it all at once. Schedule different tasks for different times or different days and see how it makes you both more effective and more efficient.

 Interesting days

Today - Housing Day, Mickey Mouse Day, GIS Day, Adoption Day, Princess Day, Education Support Professionals Day, Vichyssoise Day and Apple Cider Day

Tomorrow - International Men’s Day, World Toilet Day, Social Enterprise Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Play Monopoly Day and Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Wednesday - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Jukebox Day, Jukebox Day and Tie One On Day

December 18 - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Bake Cookies Day, Roast Suckling Pig Day, International Migrants Day, Arabic Language Day and Underdog Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

Tim/e is on my side

And I can show you how to get it on yours, too.

Here's a little music from Mick and the boys before we get started:

So, why did I write it as Tim/e? Because it's an equation. We'll start by looking at the first three letters: tim, which stands for:

Time is money

In math word problems you can replace the word "is" with an equals sign, so now we have:

Time = money

Time is the only real currency that we have and we generally trade our time for money. Although I believe that time is more valuable than money, because money is nearly limitless and if we lose money, we can always get it back, unlike time. We all have a limited amount of time and we don't know how much time we have in our lives...it could be minutes or it could be scores of years. And unlike money, once our time is spent, we can never get more of it, so I believe:

Time > money

But we'll stick with time is money. We all have the same 24 hours in a day (except when we have a leap second...periodically an additional second is added to our day), so why don't we all have the same amount of money?

I started thinking about that by considering this meme:

Since we have time is money, then maybe we can use energy as a multiplier, like so:

Time x energy = money

Here, we're not necessarily talking about physical energy, although that plays a part in it, but we're talking about vibrational energy. Some people put out lots of good vibrations, while others put out lots of bad vibrations. Most of us are somewhere in the middle.

That's heading us in the right direction, but it's not quite it. What really makes the difference is perceived value...what other people think our time is worth:

Time x perceived value = money

If others think that your time is worth minimum wage, then that's what they'll pay you. And if you're Jeff Bezos, then apparently your time is worth $13 billion in one day!

So, is there anything we can do to increase our perceived value? I think there are a few things we can do:

First, we can raise our vibrational energy: check out this video by my friend and mentor, Darla DiGrandi-Aguilera:

Next, we can refer to another old saying - Knowledge is power. Again we can turn it into an equation:

Knowledge = power

But that's not entirely true. Knowledge is potential power...it's useless if you don't apply it, so:

Knowledge x work = power

Or in slightly different terms:

Education x effort = power

There are equations for converting power to energy, but to keep this simple we're going to say that:

Education x effort = energy

As you can see, I have an "e" theme going on here!

So far we have perceived value is equal to energy, education and effort. 

Another old maxim is:

Leaders are readers

We can also use = in place of the word "are":

Leaders = readers

How can we apply our education to becoming a leader? By becoming a mentor. Mentors are considered leaders. But how do you become a mentor? By becoming a mentee (a person who is mentored). Check out this blog post on being a mentee and a mentor. This "e" is for environment...the people you hang out with.

We're going to use the letter "e" to stand for everything that equals perceived value, so now we have:

Time x e = money

Let's go ahead and use t for time and m for money. Now we have:

t * e = m

We're using the "*" to denote multiplication now to keep the multiplication sign from being confused with the letter "x".

We can come up with another meaning for the letter "e" by dividing both sides of the equation by the letter "t", so that:

e = m/t

And the "e" can now stand for earnings...dollars per hour, or if you're Jeff Bezos billions of dollars per day.

Finally, we'll go back to our previous equation:

t * e = m

And then rearrange it by dividing both sides by "e":

t = m/e

Which brings us back to where we started, if we replace = with "i" for is! Except you can't actually create time by dividing money by perceived value...too bad!

This was a long, drawn out post but it makes sense to me. So, I'm going to start working on my "e"s to increase my perceived value. How about you?

Interesting days

Today - Homemade Bread Day, Unfriend Day, World Prematurity Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day, Take A Hike Day, International Happy Gose Day and Baklava Day

Tomorrow - Housing Day, Mickey Mouse Day, GIS Day, Adoption Day, Princess Day, Education Support Professionals Day, Vichyssoise Day and Apple Cider Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Tuesday - Sardines Day

December 17 - Re-gifting Day, Maple Syrup Day and Wright Brothers Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

A Better Way

That's the name of the new business opportunity being offered by SendOutCards.

I've written about it a few times over the past two weeks, most recently here.

This is literally a ground floor opportunity since it hasn't even launched yet, and even better than that, you can get in for free if you sign up before 11:59 PM MST tonight!

All you have to do to join is to go to my website and click JOIN NOW!

You have until the window closes tonight to start building your team because when you join, you get your own website to invite people to sign up under you.

I believe there will be another window of opportunity but from what I understand you won't be able to join for free.

I just found out a few minutes ago that if you can sign up 10 people by the end of today, you'll be part of the exclusive Winners Circle. I need to sign up four more people to qualify, so I'll be busy today.

A Better Way is a ground floor opportunity, but the parent company, SendOutCards, has been in business for 17 years!

I highly recommend that you at least sign up...it doesn't cost anything to join and you'll already be in line when it launches on January 15th. And if you sponsor at least one person by tonight's deadline, you'll be a part of the Leadership Pool. I don't know how much money is in the pool, but you'll be eligible for a share by just getting one person to sign up...it can be your spouse, a child, a friend, a neighbor...anyone over the age of 17 who lives in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Singapore. I think there are a total of 7 countries that are eligible.

Even if you do absolutely nothing, you'll be helping me out. And you've got nothing to lose.

JOIN NOW!

Interesting days

Today - Have a Party with Your Bear Day, Clarinet Day, International Day for Tolerance, Button Day and Fast Food Day

Tuesday - Homemade Bread Day, Unfriend Day, World Prematurity Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day, Take A Hike Day, International Happy Gose Day and Baklava Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next Monday - Espresso Day, Fibonacci Day, Eat A Cranberry Day and Cashew Day

December 16 - Chocolate Covered Anything Day and Day Of Reconciliation

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

 

Your weekend guide to interesting days - November 14, 2020

This week

Sunday - Tongue Twister Day, World Quality Day, Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, X-Ray Day, Harvey Wallbanger Day and Cappuccino Day

Monday - World Freedom Day, World Orphans Day, Chaos Never Dies Day and Scrapple Day

Tuesday - Sesame Street Day, Area Code Day, Vanilla Cupcake Day, Forget-me-not Day and United States Marine Corps Birthday

Wednesday - Origami Day, Sundae Day, Benjamin Banneker Week, Pocky Day and Singles Day

Thursday - Chicken Soup for the Soul Day, Fancy Rat & Mouse Day and Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies Day

Yesterday - World Kindness Day, Indian Pudding Day and Symphonic Metal Day

Today - Operating Room Nurse Day, Pickle Day, Spicy Guacamole Day, World Diabetes Day and Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day

Week long celebrations:

Nov 9 - Nov 13: Talk Money Week

Nov 9 - Nov 15: Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week 

Next week

Tomorrow - Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, Spicy Hermit Cookie Day, America Recycles Day, Philanthropy Day, Bundt Cake Day and I Love to Write Day

Monday - Have a Party with Your Bear Day, Clarinet Day, International Day for Tolerance, Button Day and Fast Food Day

Tuesday - Homemade Bread Day, Unfriend Day, World Prematurity Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day, Take A Hike Day, International Happy Gose Day and Baklava Day

Wednesday - Housing Day, Mickey Mouse Day, GIS Day, Adoption Day, Princess Day, Education Support Professionals Day, Vichyssoise Day and Apple Cider Day

Thursday - International Men’s Day, World Toilet Day, Social Enterprise Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Play Monopoly Day and Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day

Friday - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

Saturday - World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, False Confession Day and Stuffing Day

Week long celebrations: 

Nov 16 - Nov 22: Road Safety Week

Next month

December 8 - Brownie Day, Lard Day and Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day

December 9 - Pastry Day, Techno Day, Christmas Card Day, International Day of Veterinary Medicine and International Anti-Corruption Day

December 10 - Human Rights Day and Lager Day

December 11 - Mountain Day, Have a Bagel Day, Noodle Ring Day and Lost & Found Day

December 12 - Poinsettia Day, Gingerbread House Day, Shareware Day and Gingerbread Decorating Day

December 13 - Violin Day, Day of the Horse, Hot Cocoa Day, Worldwide Candle Lighting Day and Choral Day

December 14 - Monkey Day, Roast Chestnuts Day and Bouillabaisse Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas