What I’ve come to understand over the years is that if I am to achieve my goals in business and in life, I need to think more like an elite athlete. Performing at the highest level doesn’t require you to do anything spectacular though. The key is simply being consistent and working on building winning habits every day. I’ve found there are a few tasks that are not negotiable for me if I am to perform at my best. Embedding these tasks into my routine so that they become habits removes the decision-making process and ensures they get done without even having to think about it.
The most important part of my day is getting up at 5am. I get up and make myself an espresso on the stove using my mocha pot like my Nonno back in the old days. Then it’s off to the gym. I have found that the habit of getting up early and hitting the gym first makes my whole day fall into place. I’ve tried every other option, morning, noon, and evening but for me, there is nothing better than getting my workout done early and forgetting about it. As the saying goes “win the morning, win the day”.
I work out at the gym 7 days a week. I used to have Sunday off for rest, but I have found it much easier to get up and go every single day without any rest days. I have worked out now for 266 days in a row with no day missed. My goal is 366 days in a row. For me, streaks work because they change your mind set significantly, you’re more invested psychologically. When you have been to the gym for 266 days in a row and you wake up feeling tired or it’s cold, you still go otherwise tomorrow you are back to day 1.
I’m at my desk at 7.30am. I read the Financial Review, Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal to catch up on what happened in financial markets overnight. Then I will write a few words for my weekly insights note. It can be any topic that is broadly relevant, and I find interesting. This process is critical because it helps to both broaden and deepen my thinking on topics and form a more articulate and considered view.
At 8.30am, I tackle the most important task of the day. Like a lot of people, I find it all too easy to procrastinate and put important tasks off and instead reply to emails or complete other work. But when I attack the most important task first it means my attention is in the right place and I am making the most productive decision for me and my business.
Perhaps most importantly with regards to my phone, I don’t have any notifications on other than for text messages and phone calls. With so much noise these days you need to be deliberate in removing distractions to ensure you have an environment where you spend time doing the tasks that you intend to do. I’ve deleted apps such as Twitter and LinkedIn off my phone because even when you use them for work it’s too easy to waste time on interesting but unproductive content.
During the day, I make sure I get out of the office a couple of times and go for a walk around Circular Quay and get my 10,000 steps. That’s also not negotiable, I do that every day. I have dinner with my wife at 6.30pm and by 8pm I am watching Bloomberg TV. The show brings together some of the best minds in the world across finance, investment, politics and economics and provides insights that are current and very useful.
I have an alarm set for 9.30pm so I make sure I go to bed on time. Rest and recovery are critical and the biggest part of that is sleep. I go to bed and read for 20-30 minutes before I go to sleep. I try to get a good 7 hours a night and as I get older it’s too difficult getting up at 5am if I haven’t had enough sleep.
In today’s busy world, I find that without a strong routine, it’s too easy to be distracted by any number of things. The key to performing at a high level is the discipline to do the simple things consistently. For me, the biggest part of that was working out the routine that worked for me. No one wants life to happen to them by accident. We all have goals we want to achieve in life, so it’s critical to be clear and deliberate in the way we spend our time.
General Advice Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature only and may not be relevant to your particular circumstances. The circumstances of each investor are different, and you should seek advice from an investment adviser who can consider if the strategies and products are right for you. Historical performance is often not a reliable indicator of future performance. You should not rely solely on historical performance to make investment decisions.