So with still being in school and having that take up a lot of my day, I feel a lot of brain fog when I come home and get started on my real work.
What many business owners/entrepreneurs don’t know is that there are methods that were used by some of the greatest people in history and present time. People like Walt Disney, Alex Hormozi, and Mark Zuckerberg (And it’s not stealing your info, haha). So after doing some research on these dudes and their tactics, I noticed there was a pattern, and it didn’t relate to the work they did, it related to what habits they had before the work.
Lesson 1: Dress Like You’re Going To A Fancy Ass Restaurant With Madison Beer
Rolling out of bed in your pjs and getting to work is a great feeling but it might be killing your productivity toward the work you are actually doing. Dressing professionally in full attire makes you feel like your best self and get more work done. It’s a fact that humans feel lazy when we look lazy. So the goal is the opposite, make yourself look ready for the work day, your work day.
I mean fully by the way. Putting on a shirt, shorts, and socks doesn’t count. Get dressed up as if you are going somewhere, which will lead to my next point since I think it needs its own category.
Lesson 2: Lace Up
I know shoes indoors are crazy for some people, but based on my experience it increases productivity. I started wearing shoes while I work, in my room, and have felt the difference. Plus, if ever I need to go out, I’m already ready and can walk out the door.
Our homes tend to be the place where we relax, so we kick off our shoes at the door and kick back and chill. But even when you are doing work and not relaxing, shoes should be on. My theory on why this works is that you have that feeling that you’re always ready to go. When you have shoes on normally, you’re on the move, so eventually shoes on just become a subconscious symbol to yourself that shit is about to get done.
This lesson was one I read from Iman Gadzhi. Whether you like him or not, he has some good advice that you can apply to your entrepreneurial work life. For those who don’t know he’s a 23 year old entrepreneur worth quite a bit of money (tens of mills).
Lesson 3: Focus Enhancers
So this is my experience and I don’t condone smoking or any addiction for that matter. But as much as people stress how bad nicotine is, it may help enhance your workflow.
Still learning, but nic is not the problem in cigs. It’s all the carcinogens. Nicotine is actually being looked at as an enhancer, and the effects it has when it’s isolated from all the BS it’s in currently (vapes, cigs, etc.)
I have been experimenting with 4mg Lucy gum. It stimulates these receptors to produce acetylcholine, one of the most important chemical messengers in our nervous system, as well as dopamine, another chemical messenger, and the hormone adrenaline, which basically can lead to tunnel vision when it comes to your work. Now for caffeine. Caffeine increases your selective attention and sustained attention. In basic terms, it allows you to focus over long periods of time and get a burst of energy.
I have also been playing around with caffeine mints and chocolates because I am not a coffee guy.
This information and lesson was one learned from neurologist Andrew Huberman and entrepreneur Alex Hormozi. And Hormozi actually uses both.
Lesson 4: Zuck’s Cure For Decision Fatigue
The data thief, Mr Meta Man, the alien lizard boy, the robot sent down to destroy our planet, Mark Zuckerberg is who I’m talking about. Despite what people say about this man he is very inspiring, and also very intelligent. If you think back to his older presentations, he is also very stylish… well… not really.
He doesn’t wear anything big or flashy, quite on the contrary actually.
Zuck wears a grey shirt every day to avoid decision fatigue. It sounds silly, but isn’t choosing a shirt silly? Even if the energy and time put into it weren’t much, it’s just a shirt. Not much time or energy needs to be put into it.
He was quoted saying “I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make” He also said that it he has so many decision to make that he doesn’t have time to focus on silly things like what he is wearing.
All my life I have been going to a school where there is a uniform and I’ve hated wearing it everyday, as I’d rather wear whatever I want. Now, my view has changed. Now, I respect it. I’m not wearing that uniform, but I am wearing all black. Yes, I bought a few packs of all black shirts and pants and wear them religiously, everyday, all the time.
This has allowed me to focus more on my work and also get right to work as soon as I get home and not have to think about what I should wear and have to go through the trouble of picking out my clothes.
Lesson 5: Day Planning
I had a conversation with one of my buddies from school and we both have that kind of hustler mind. I remember talking to him about a business model, which I think was SMMA and I brought up the idea of scheduling your day. I remember him saying that there really is no need for that and that you can just decide to do your work at the moment. At the time, I somewhat agreed with that.
The issue with deciding to do work at the moment is that your brain always wants to do the easy thing, the thing that will reward it with dopamine the fastest. Now, the pursuit of a goal rewards your brain with dopamine but not more than watching Netflix or scrolling on Tiktok. That’s why you need to listen to your past self over your present.
Plan your day fully out. I am talking about planning every hour in Google or Apple Calendar and writing down exactly what you are going to do at that exact time. This is how you get shit done one time. Set alarms all throughout your day to signify the start and end of these daily events and once these alarms go off, switch to the exact next thing you need to do.
This has helped me become more productive in my work as my modern brain is not deciding what I am doing every minute of the day. The idea of planning your day has been around for a while but the idea of time blocking your day with alarms was something that I started doing. The subtle notification I get on my phone doesn’t alert me enough when I need to switch tasks. So every night, right down exactly what work you need to get done, and when exactly you are going to get it done.
Lesson 6: Annnddd….
This perhaps was a bit long. Most people probably gave up and went to a shorter Reddit post. But congrats for making it, and I hope some of these helped you.
Have a newsletter below that covers these kinda success habits for anyone interested: https://joindinnerparty.beehiiv.com/
Lmk your thoughts on these habits and if you’ve tested any of 'em for yourself.
I don’t want to be more productive.