Work Harder on Yourself than You Do On Your Job

"Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you can make a living, but if you work hard on yourself you'll make a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

Another way to think about Rohn's quotation is to look to
the medieval monk Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard used a metaphor of living as a reservoir rather than as a canal.

In other words, do we live out of the overflow of abundance that comes from our ongoing growth and learning, or do we merely struggle by living and serving out of a static and dwindling level of energy and resources?

What skills, mindsets, insights, and practices are you learning to keep growing?

Three Critical Reads for Maximum Productivity: Best of 2018

All three of these books are outstanding. I strongly recommend them as they provide clear strategies for doing our best work in a world that does its best to distract us 24/7. You will notice a theme in these books: all advocate 

Greg McKeown Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less Essentialism is about creating space to be able to get the right things done in our lives. It is not about doing less. McKeown has written a critical tool to help us to succeed in achieving our actual goals by maintaining focus on them. This involves learning to say "No" and removing obstacles in our lives that hinder us from the pursuit of what we actual want/desire to accomplish. Every time you say "Yes" to something; you are saying "No" to something else. Problems happen when we say "Yes" to "non-essential" tasks to the detriment to our goals. This quotation from McKeown captures the heart of what he teaches: "If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will."

Cal Newport Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World 

Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University. He is a prolific writer who has studied the art of productivity. Deep Work is one of the best books that I've read for writers, teacher, pastors, creatives, and designers. If part of your career demands high level thinking and planning and you struggle organizing your life to be at your best, then Deep Work is for you. Newport offers strategies for prioritizing your life via habits that support blocking out focused time for your critical work/thinking. This means identifying your best hours and allocating them to the most important and intellectually demanding projects and cutting yourself off of distraction. Newport walks the walk as he produces a tremendous amount of scholarly research in his field in addition to all of the productivity content. 

Brendon Burchard High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way 

This is Burchard's best book to date. He studied carefully several hundred high performers from around the world and distilled key principles that are immediately actionable in our lives. Burchard distills six habits under two broad headings: Personal and Social. The personal habits are Seek Clarity, Generate Energy, Raise Necessity. The social habits are Increase productivity, Develop influence, Demonstrate courage. All of this may sound like standard fare if you are familiar with personal/business coaching. What sets Burchard apart are the specific tactics that he includes with each habit. He also offers worksheets and tactical breakdowns to operationalize what he teaches. Sort of hiring a private coach this book offers tremendous value to anyone looking to take the next step in finding your edge.


This post contains Affiliate Links to products on Amazon. There is no additional cost to you, but this blog will receive a small payment if you purchase through this site. Thank you.

Review of Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World–Class Performers by Tim Ferris

I'm a Tim Ferris fan. I read his first book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. I also subscribe and listen to his podcast. He is a specialist in lifestyle design and refers to himself as a human guinea pig. I appreciate the work of Tim Ferris. He is a student of maximizing our potential through physical fitness, wise living, and efficient and effective work and learning strategies. Ferriss provides tools to help us live as the people whom God created us to be. 

Over the last few years, I've taken on many new challenges and responsibilities. To step up to these, I've had to stretch and grow. Ferriss has been a valuable virtual mentor. Much of life is tactics. We need to develop a positive mindset. We need to learn to leverage the connection between physical/mental health and effectiveness. We also need to learn to manage time. If you need help in these areas, Ferriss is an excellent resource. WARNING to my Christ Following Friends: Ferriss is not a Christian. He uses "salty" language and approaches life from a secular prospective. However, if you read between the lines, you will find discussions of habits that one may call "spiritual disciplines." For example, Ferriss promotes fasting, taking sabbaths (he doesn't use this language), taking care of the body, journaling, and quiet time for reflection in the morning.

His latest book Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers is a 600+ page summary of actionable information and takeaways from his podcast interviews. Ferris divides his book into three sections: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. This is a nod to Benjamin Franklin's old maxim. Ferriss synthesizes the wisdom of women and men at the top of their game. We get to learn from Brene Brown, Peter Diamandis, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins, Malcolm Gladwell, Whitney Cummings, Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, General Stan McChrystal, and Peter Thiel to name just a few. His guests include entrepreneurs, comedians, authors, researchers, warriors, actors, and influencers. In Tools of Titans, he profiles 112 people.

In essence, this book represents a Cliff Notes summary of Ferriss' learnings from others. It can be read in any order. Each chapter profiles one of his past guests. Each begins with a pithy quotation from the guest. Then Ferriss summarizes the best ideas and practices from each high achiever. The advice is specific and includes precise details of produces, regimens, and resources discussed. A key part of each interview is getting to hear how various high achievers plan/order their days. Ferriss includes his own adaptations and experiments of the material. Ferriss personally tests the information before passing it on to the world.

Ferriss does an excellent job of cross-referencing between interviews that touch on similar themes and topics. Moreover, he includes helpful appendices. My favorite is a bibliography drawn from the recommendations of his guests. Out of this list he compiles the top 17 most recommended books by his pool of high achievers.

In addition, there are bonus essays placed strategically in the book. These include a fully updated version of Kevin Kelly's important essay on marketing "1,000 True Fans–Revisited"  (pp. 292–98). I personally found helpful his discussion of a "5 Minute Journal" (p. 146). I've worked a version of this into my own life and can testify to its helpfulness (here is a short video about my practice: "Five Minute Morning Journaling for Creating Your Best Day").

Becoming a Titan does not make one immune from pain and challenges. This is central theme of the book. Ferriss shares some of his deepest pain in an essay on suicide. We learn that Ferriss had planned his own death and was close to executing his plan before a fortunate chain of events intervened to save his life (pp. 616–627). He offers good counsel and hope for those who have suicidal thoughts. Ferriss' words are important because they hint at a core truth about life–even the most successful have personal demons and struggles. This is true for all of us. Ferriss tells his story and then provides help and hope for those who may feel as though the world would be better off without them.


Conclusion
  This is a fantastic collection of information for living well. There is insight into almost every aspect of life. The only area lacking is the role (if any) of traditional spirituality in becoming a Titan. This may simply be a matter of the selection of guests. As I noted above, there are secular spiritual practices included throughout the work. Moreover, one of the key takeaways is that 80% of the "Titans" practice some form of meditation. In sum, I recommend it heartily to all of my readers who desire up to date and actionable information to maximize the days that God has given us to live.