The ultimate morning routine Take back over 20 hours per week

The ultimate morning routine Take back over 20 hours per weekThe ultimate morning routine Take back over 20 hours per weekThe traditional 9-5 workday is poorly structured for high productivity. Perhaps when fruchtwein work was physical labor, but leid in the knowledge working world we now live in.Although this may be obvious based on peoples mediocre performance, addiction to stimulants, lack of engagement, and the fact that most people hate their jobs - now theres loads of scientific evidence you cant ignore.The myth of the 8 hour workdayThe most productive countries in the world do elend work 8 hours per day. Actually, the most productive countries have the shortest workdays.People in countries like Luxembourg are working approximately 30 hours per week (approximately 6 hours per day, 5 days per week) and making more money on average than people working longer workweeks.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfact ion, Neuroscience, and moreThis is the average person in those countries. But what about the super-productive?Although Gary Vaynerchuck claims to work 20 hours per day, many highly successful people I know work between 3-6 hours per day.It also depends on what youre really trying to accomplish in your life. Gary Vaynerchuck wants to own the New York Jets. Hes also fine, apparently, not spending much time with his family.And thats completely fine. Hes clear on his priorities.However, you must also be clear on yours. If youre like most people, you probably want to make a great income, doing work you love, that also provides lots of flexibility in your schedule.If thats your goal, this deutsche post ag is for you.Quality vs. quantityWherever you are, make koranvers youre there.- Dan SullivanIf youre like most people, your workday is a blend of low-velocity work mixed with continual distraction (e.g., social media and email).Most peoples working time is not done at peak performance leve ls. When most people are working, they do so in a relaxed fashion. Makes sense, they have plenty of time to get it done.However, when you are results-oriented, rather than being busy, youre 100 percent on when youre working and 100 percent off when youre not. Why do anything half-way? If youre going to work, youre going to work.To get the best results in your fitness, research has found that shorter but more intensive exercise is more effective than longer drawn-out exercise.The concept is simple Intensive activity followed by high quality rest and recovery.Most of the growth actually comes during the recovery process. However, the only way to truly recover is by actually pushing yourself to exhaustion during the workout.The same concept applies to work. The best work happens in short intensive spurts. By short, Im talking 1-3 hours. But this must be Deep Work, with no distractions, just like an intensive workout is non-stop. Interestingly, your best work - which for most people is thinking - will actually happen while youre away from your work, recovering.For best results Spend 20% of your energy on your work and 80% of your energy on recovery and self-improvement. When youre getting high quality recovery, youre growing. When youre continually honing your mental model, the quality and impact of your work continually increases. This is what psychologists call, Deliberate Practice. Its not about doing more, but better training. Its about being strategic and results-focused, not busyness-focused.In one study, only 16% of respondents reported getting creative insight while at work. Ideas generally came while the person was at home, in transportation, or during recreational activity. The most creative ideas arent going to come while sitting in front of your monitor, says Scott Birnbaum, a vice president of Samsung Semiconductor.The reason for this is simple. When youre working directly on a task, your mind is tightly focused on the herausforderung at hand (i.e., direct reflection). Conversely, when youre not working, your mind loosely wanders(i.e., indirect reflection).While driving or doing some other form of recreation, the external stimuli in your environment (like the buildings or other landscapes around you)subconsciously prompt memories and other thoughts. Because your mind is wandering both contextually (on different subjects) and temporally between past, present, and future, your brain will make distant and distinct connections related to the problem youre trying to solve (eureka).Creativity, after all, is making connections between different parts of the brain. Ideation and inspiration is a process you can perfect.Case in point when youre working, be at work. When youre not working, stop working. By taking your mind off work and actually recovering, youll get creative breakthroughs related to your work.Your first three hours will make or break youAccording to psychologist Ron Friedman, the first three hours of your day are your mo st precious for maximized productivity.Typically, we have a window of about three hours where were really, really focused. Were able to have some strong contributions in terms of planning, in terms of thinking, in terms of speaking well, Friedman told Harvard Business Review.This makes sense on several levels. Lets start with sleep. Research confirms the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is most active and readily creative immediately following sleep. Your subconscious mind has been loosely mind-wandering while you slept, making contextual and temporal connections.So, immediately following sleep, your mind is most readily active to do thoughtful work.So, your brain is most attuned first thing in the morning, and so are your energy levels. Consequently, the best time to do your best work is during the first three hours of your day.I used to exercise first thing in the morning. Not anymore. Ive found that exercising first thing in the morning actually sucks my energy, leaving me with less than I started.Lately, Ive been waking up at 6AM, driving to my school and walking to the library I work in. While walking from my car to the library, I drink a 250 calorie plant-based protein shake (approximately 30 grams of protein).Donald Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois, recommends consuming at least 30 grams of protein for breakfast. Similarly, Tim Ferriss, in his book, The 4-Hour Body, also recommends 30 grams of protein 30 minutes after awaking.Protein-rich foods keep you full longer than other foods because they take longer to leave the stomach. Also, protein keeps blood-sugar levels steady, which prevent spikes in hunger.I get to the library and all platzdeckchen-up by around 630AM. I spend a few minutes in prayer and meditation, followed by a 5-10 minute session in my journal. The purpose of this journal session is get clarity and focus for my day.Journaling about your dreams is one of the fastest ways into a peak state.So I write down my big picture goals and my objectives for that particular day. I then write down anything that comes to my mind. Often, it relates to people I need to contact, or ideas related to a project Im working on. I purposefully keep this journal session short and focused.By 645, Im set to work on whatever project Im working on, whether thats writing a book or an article, working on a research paper for my doctoral research, creating an online course, etc.Starting work this early may seem crazy to you, but Ive been shocked by how easy it is to work for 2-5 hours straight without distractions. My mind is laser at this time of day. And I dont rely on any stimulants at all.Between 11AM-noon, my mind is ready for a break, so thats when I do my workout. Research confirms that you workout better with food in your system. Consequently, my workouts are now a lot more productive and powerful than they were when I was exercising immediately following sleep.After the workout, which is a great mental break, you should be fine to work a few more hours, if needed.If your 3-5 hours before your workout were focused, you could probably be done for the day.Protect your morningsI understand that this schedule will not work for everyone. There are single-parents with kids who simply cant do something like this.We all need to work within the constraints of our unique contexts. However, if you work best in the morning, you gotta find a way to make it happen.This may require waking up a few extra hours earlier than youre used to and taking a nap during the afternoon.Or, it may require you to simply focus hardcore the moment you get to work. A common strategy for this is known as the 90-90-1 rule, where you spend the first 90 minutes of your workday on your 1 priority. Im certain this isnt checking your email or social media.Whatever your situation, protect your mornings As Richard Whately said, Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.Im blown awa y by how many people schedule things like meetings in the mornings. Nothing could be worse for peak performance and creativity.Schedule all of your meetings for the afternoon, after lunch.Dont check your social media or email until after your 3 hours of deep work. Your morning time should be spent on output, not input.If you dont protect your mornings, a million different things will take up your time. Other people will only respect you as much as you respect yourself.Protecting your mornings means you are literally unreachable during certain hours. Only in case of serious emergency can you be summoned from your focus-cave.Mind-body connectionWhat you do outside work is just as significant for your work-productivity as what you do while youre working.A March 2016 study in the online issue of Neurology found that regular exercise can slow brain aging by as much as 10 years. Loads of other research has found that people who regularly exercise are more productive at work. Your brain is , after all, part of your body. If your body is healthier, it makes sense that your brain would operate better.If you want to operate at your highest level, you need to take a holistic approach to life. You are a system. When you change a part of any system, you simultaneously change the whole. Improve one area of your life, all other areas improve in a virtuous cycle. This is the butterfly effect in action and the fundament of the book, The Power of Habit, which shows that by integrating one keystone habit, like exercise or reading, that the positivity of that one habits ripples into all other areas of your life, eventually transforming your whole life.Consequently, the types of foods you eat, and when you eat them, determine your ability to focus at work. Your ability to sleep well (by the way, its easy to sleep well when you get up early and work hard) is also essential to peak-performance. Rather than managing your time, then, you should really be focused on managing your energy . Your work schedule should be scheduled around when you work best, not around social norms and expectations.Dont forget to psychologically detach and playResearch in several fields has found that recovery from work is a necessity for staying energetic, engaged, and healthy when facing job demands.Recovery is the process of reducing or eliminating physical and psychological strain/stress caused by work.One particular recovery strategy that is getting lots of attention in recent research is called psychological detachment from work. True psychological detachment occurs when you completely refrain from work-related activities and thoughts during non-work time.Proper detachment/recovery from work is essential for physical and psychological health, in addition to engaged and productive work. Yet, few people do it. Most people are always available to their email and work. Millennials are the worst, often wearing the openness to work whenever as a badge of honor. Its not a badge of honor. Research has found that people who psychologically detach from work experienceLess work-related fatigue and procrastinationFar greater engagement at work, which is defined as vigor, dedication, and absorption (i.e., flow)Greater work-life balance, which directly relates to quality of lifeGreater marital satisfactionGreater mental healthWhen youre at work, be fully absorbed. When its time to call it a day, completely detach yourself from work and become absorbed in the other areas of your life.If you dont detach, youll never fully be present or engaged at work or at home. Youll be under constant strain, even if minimally. Your sleep will suffer. Your relationships will be shallow. Your life will not be happy.Not only that, but lots of science has found play to be extremely important for productivity and creativity. Just like your body needs a reset, which you can get through fasting, you also need to reset from work in order to do your best work. Thus, you need to step away from work and dive into other beautiful areas of your life. For me, thats goofing off with my kids.Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, has studied the Play Histories of over six thousand people and concludes playing can radically improve everything - from personal well-being to relationships to learning to an organizations potential to innovate. As Greg McKeown explains, Very successful people see play as essential for creativity.In his TED talk, Brown said, Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity. Nothing fires up the brain like play. There is a burgeoning body of literature highlighting the extensive cognitive and social benefits of play, includingCognitiveEnhanced memory and focusImproved language learning skillsCreative problem solvingImproved mathematics skillsIncreased ability to self-regulate, an essential component of motivation and goal achievementSocialCooperationTeam workConflict resolutionLeadership skill developmentControl of impulses and aggressive behaviorHaving a balanced-life is key to peak performance. In the Tao Te Ching, it explains that being too much yin or too much yang leads to extremes andbeing wasteful with your resources (like time). The goal is to be in the center, balanced.Listen to brain music or popsongs on repeatIn her book, On Repeat How Music Plays the Mind, psychologist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis explains why listening to music on repeat improves focus. When youre listening to a song on repeat, you tend to dissolve into the song, which blocks out mind wandering (let your mind wander while youre away from work).WordPress founder, fahl Mullenweg, listens to one single song on repeat to get into flow. So do authors Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss, and many others.Give it a try.You can use this website to listen to YouTube videos on repeat.I generally listen to classical music or electronic music (like video game type music). Heres a few that have worked for meOne Moment by Michael NymanMake Love by Daft PunkTearin it up by GramatikTerras theme from Final Fantasy 3Duel of Fates from Star WarsStop crying your heart out by OasisGive up by Eligah Bossenbroek (so beautiful)Heart by StarsThis cover of Ellie GouldingFragile by Daft PunkSon of Flynn by Daft PunkCool by AlessoSun Through the Clouds by Matthew MorganTesting by CKYBorderline by MadonnaEvery You and Every Me by PlaceboMain Titles composed by Alan Menken for The Little MermaidHalcyon On and On by OrbitalThere Goes the Fear by DovesNever Follow Suit by The Radio Dept.Thisarticleoriginally appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong peopleThe ultimate morning routine Take back over 20 hours per weekThe traditiona l 9-5 workday is poorly structured for high productivity. Perhaps when most work was physical labor, but not in the knowledge working world we now live in.Although this may be obvious based on peoples mediocre performance, addiction to stimulants, lack of engagement, and the fact that most people hate their jobs - now theres loads of scientific evidence you cant ignore.The myth of the 8 hour workdayThe most productive countries in the world do not work 8 hours per day. Actually, the most productive countries have the shortest workdays.People in countries like Luxembourg are working approximately 30 hours per week (approximately 6 hours per day, 5 days per week) and making more money on average than people working longer workweeks.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.This is the average person in those countries. But what about the super-productive?Although Gary Vaynerchuck claims to work 20 hours per day, many highly successful people I know work between 3-6 hours per day.It also depends on what youre really trying to accomplish in your life. Gary Vaynerchuck wants to own the New York Jets. Hes also fine, apparently, not spending much time with his family.And thats completely fine. Hes clear on his priorities.However, you must also be clear on yours. If youre like most people, you probably want to make a great income, doing work you love, that also provides lots of flexibility in your schedule.If thats your goal, this post is for you.Quality vs. quantityWherever you are, make sure youre there.- Dan SullivanIf youre like most people, your workday is a blend of low-velocity work mixed with continual distraction (e.g., social media and email).Most peoples working time is not done at peak performance levels. When most people are working, they do so in a relaxed fashion. Makes sense, they have plenty of time to get it done.However, when you are results-oriented, rather than being busy, youre 100 percent on when youre working and 100 percent off when youre not. Why do anything half-way? If youre going to work, youre going to work.To get the best results in your fitness, research has found that shorter but more intensive exercise is more effective than longer drawn-out exercise.The concept is simple Intensive activity followed by high quality rest and recovery.Most of the growth actually comes during the recovery process. However, the only way to truly recover is by actually pushing yourself to exhaustion during the workout.The same concept applies to work. The best work happens in short intensive spurts. By short, Im talking 1-3 hours. But this must be Deep Work, with no distractions, just like an intensive workout is non-stop. Interestingly, your best work - which for most people is thinking - will actually happen while youre away from your work, recovering.For best results Spend 20% of your energy on your work and 80% of your energy on r ecovery and self-improvement. When youre getting high quality recovery, youre growing. When youre continually honing your mental model, the quality and impact of your work continually increases. This is what psychologists call, Deliberate Practice. Its not about doing more, but better training. Its about being strategic and results-focused, not busyness-focused.In one study, only 16% of respondents reported getting creative insight while at work. Ideas generally came while the person was at home, in transportation, or during recreational activity. The most creative ideas arent going to come while sitting in front of your monitor, says Scott Birnbaum, a vice president of Samsung Semiconductor.The reason for this is simple. When youre working directly on a task, your mind is tightly focused on the problem at hand (i.e., direct reflection). Conversely, when youre not working, your mind loosely wanders(i.e., indirect reflection).While driving or doing some other form of recreation, the external stimuli in your environment (like the buildings or other landscapes around you)subconsciously prompt memories and other thoughts. Because your mind is wandering both contextually (on different subjects) and temporally between past, present, and future, your brain will make distant and distinct connections related to the problem youre trying to solve (eureka).Creativity, after all, is making connections between different parts of the brain. Ideation and inspiration is a process you can perfect.Case in point when youre working, be at work. When youre not working, stop working. By taking your mind off work and actually recovering, youll get creative breakthroughs related to your work.Your first three hours will make or break youAccording to psychologist Ron Friedman, the first three hours of your day are your most precious for maximized productivity.Typically, we have a window of about three hours where were really, really focused. Were able to have some strong contributions i n terms of planning, in terms of thinking, in terms of speaking well, Friedman told Harvard Business Review.This makes sense on several levels. Lets start with sleep. Research confirms the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is most active and readily creative immediately following sleep. Your subconscious mind has been loosely mind-wandering while you slept, making contextual and temporal connections.So, immediately following sleep, your mind is most readily active to do thoughtful work.So, your brain is most attuned first thing in the morning, and so are your energy levels. Consequently, the best time to do your best work is during the first three hours of your day.I used to exercise first thing in the morning. Not anymore. Ive found that exercising first thing in the morning actually sucks my energy, leaving me with less than I started.Lately, Ive been waking up at 6AM, driving to my school and walking to the library I work in. While walking from my car to the library, I d rink a 250 calorie plant-based protein shake (approximately 30 grams of protein).Donald Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois, recommends consuming at least 30 grams of protein for breakfast. Similarly, Tim Ferriss, in his book, The 4-Hour Body, also recommends 30 grams of protein 30 minutes after awaking.Protein-rich foods keep you full longer than other foods because they take longer to leave the stomach. Also, protein keeps blood-sugar levels steady, which prevent spikes in hunger.I get to the library and all set-up by around 630AM. I spend a few minutes in prayer and meditation, followed by a 5-10 minute session in my journal. The purpose of this journal session is get clarity and focus for my day.Journaling about your dreams is one of the fastest ways into a peak state.So I write down my big picture goals and my objectives for that particular day. I then write down anything that comes to my mind. Often, it relates to people I need to contact, or ideas related to a project Im working on. I purposefully keep this journal session short and focused.By 645, Im set to work on whatever project Im working on, whether thats writing a book or an article, working on a research paper for my doctoral research, creating an online course, etc.Starting work this early may seem crazy to you, but Ive been shocked by how easy it is to work for 2-5 hours straight without distractions. My mind is laser at this time of day. And I dont rely on any stimulants at all.Between 11AM-noon, my mind is ready for a break, so thats when I do my workout. Research confirms that you workout better with food in your system. Consequently, my workouts are now a lot more productive and powerful than they were when I was exercising immediately following sleep.After the workout, which is a great mental break, you should be fine to work a few more hours, if needed.If your 3-5 hours before your workout were focused, you could probably be done for the day.Protect your morningsI understand that this schedule will not work for everyone. There are single-parents with kids who simply cant do something like this.We all need to work within the constraints of our unique contexts. However, if you work best in the morning, you gotta find a way to make it happen.This may require waking up a few extra hours earlier than youre used to and taking a nap during the afternoon.Or, it may require you to simply focus hardcore the moment you get to work. A common strategy for this is known as the 90-90-1 rule, where you spend the first 90 minutes of your workday on your 1 priority. Im certain this isnt checking your email or social media.Whatever your situation, protect your mornings As Richard Whately said, Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.Im blown away by how many people schedule things like meetings in the mornings. Nothing could be worse for peak performance and creativity.Schedule all of your meetings for the afternoon, af ter lunch.Dont check your social media or email until after your 3 hours of deep work. Your morning time should be spent on output, not input.If you dont protect your mornings, a million different things will take up your time. Other people will only respect you as much as you respect yourself.Protecting your mornings means you are literally unreachable during certain hours. Only in case of serious emergency can you be summoned from your focus-cave.Mind-body connectionWhat you do outside work is just as significant for your work-productivity as what you do while youre working.A March 2016 study in the online issue of Neurology found that regular exercise can slow brain aging by as much as 10 years. Loads of other research has found that people who regularly exercise are more productive at work. Your brain is, after all, part of your body. If your body is healthier, it makes sense that your brain would operate better.If you want to operate at your highest level, you need to take a ho listic approach to life. You are a system. When you change a part of any system, you simultaneously change the whole. Improve one area of your life, all other areas improve in a virtuous cycle. This is the butterfly effect in action and the basis of the book, The Power of Habit, which shows that by integrating one keystone habit, like exercise or reading, that the positivity of that one habits ripples into all other areas of your life, eventually transforming your whole life.Consequently, the types of foods you eat, and when you eat them, determine your ability to focus at work. Your ability to sleep well (by the way, its easy to sleep well when you get up early and work hard) is also essential to peak-performance. Rather than managing your time, then, you should really be focused on managing your energy. Your work schedule should be scheduled around when you work best, not around social norms and expectations.Dont forget to psychologically detach and playResearch in several fields has found that recovery from work is a necessity for staying energetic, engaged, and healthy when facing job demands.Recovery is the process of reducing or eliminating physical and psychological strain/stress caused by work.One particular recovery strategy that is getting lots of attention in recent research is called psychological detachment from work. True psychological detachment occurs when you completely refrain from work-related activities and thoughts during non-work time.Proper detachment/recovery from work is essential for physical and psychological health, in addition to engaged and productive work. Yet, few people do it. Most people are always available to their email and work. Millennials are the worst, often wearing the openness to work whenever as a badge of honor. Its not a badge of honor.Research has found that people who psychologically detach from work experienceLess work-related fatigue and procrastinationFar greater engagement at work, which is defined as vigor, dedication, and absorption (i.e., flow)Greater work-life balance, which directly relates to quality of lifeGreater marital satisfactionGreater mental healthWhen youre at work, be fully absorbed. When its time to call it a day, completely detach yourself from work and become absorbed in the other areas of your life.If you dont detach, youll never fully be present or engaged at work or at home. Youll be under constant strain, even if minimally. Your sleep will suffer. Your relationships will be shallow. Your life will not be happy.Not only that, but lots of science has found play to be extremely important for productivity and creativity. Just like your body needs a reset, which you can get through fasting, you also need to reset from work in order to do your best work. Thus, you need to step away from work and dive into other beautiful areas of your life. For me, thats goofing off with my kids.Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, has studied the Play Histories of over six thousand people and concludes playing can radically improve everything - from personal well-being to relationships to learning to an organizations potential to innovate. As Greg McKeown explains, Very successful people see play as essential for creativity.In his TED talk, Brown said, Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity. Nothing fires up the brain like play. There is a burgeoning body of literature highlighting the extensive cognitive and social benefits of play, includingCognitiveEnhanced memory and focusImproved language learning skillsCreative problem solvingImproved mathematics skillsIncreased ability to self-regulate, an essential component of motivation and goal achievementSocialCooperationTeam workConflict resolutionLeadership skill developmentControl of impulses and aggressive behaviorHaving a balanced-life is key to peak performance. In the Tao Te Ching, it explains that being too much yin or too much yang leads to extremes andbeing wastef ul with your resources (like time). The goal is to be in the center, balanced.Listen to brain music or songs on repeatIn her book, On Repeat How Music Plays the Mind, psychologist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis explains why listening to music on repeat improves focus. When youre listening to a song on repeat, you tend to dissolve into the song, which blocks out mind wandering (let your mind wander while youre away from work).WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg, listens to one single song on repeat to get into flow. So do authors Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss, and many others.Give it a try.You can use this website to listen to YouTube videos on repeat.I generally listen to classical music or electronic music (like video game type music). Heres a few that have worked for meOne Moment by Michael NymanMake Love by Daft PunkTearin it up by GramatikTerras theme from Final Fantasy 3Duel of Fates from Star WarsStop crying your heart out by OasisGive up by Eligah Bossenbroek (so beautiful)Heart by StarsThis cover of Ellie GouldingFragile by Daft PunkSon of Flynn by Daft PunkCool by AlessoSun Through the Clouds by Matthew MorganTesting by CKYBorderline by MadonnaEvery You and Every Me by PlaceboMain Titles composed by Alan Menken for The Little MermaidHalcyon On and On by OrbitalThere Goes the Fear by DovesNever Follow Suit by The Radio Dept.Thisarticleoriginally appeared on Medium.