3 Ideas I Learnt From Benjamin Hardy

1. Setting Proper Goals

Whenever I set any goals, I failed to achieve them.

So I stopped doing it.

I just thought it wasn’t my thing, and I just kept “making progress” without goals.

But I realised without goals, you have no destination to work towards, no purpose, no priority.

The reason why I failed to achieve my goals was because I didn’t how to actually set goals properly.

10x Is Easier Than 2x

According to Benjamin Hardy, setting goals isn’t as simple as just setting a goal.

You need to have a “seemingly impossible future self.”

Your goals must align with that future self, creating a “10x vision” of your future.

Most people don’t do this, so they default to the “2x vision” where we think short-term by the days and weeks.

With the ‘10x vision,’ we can override the ‘default thinking.’

2 Steps To Have A ‘10x Vision’ Of Your Future

• Set 1-3 long-term goals every 90 days

• Make them goals that feel “impossible” to reach

Set no more than 3 long-term goals over 90 days that you feel is “impossible” to do in such short time, but with dedicated focus, you believe you can do it.

Because the bar is so high and you have that sense of agency, your life must be transformed in order to achieve it and your mind is forced to perform at a higher level.

With such a strong and clear priority in mind, we start saying no to other priorities and distractions.

Benjamin says we can also get better at achieving these “impossible goals” like a skill.

If you want to learn more, check out Benjamin Hardy’s book on Amazon 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less

2. Doing Too Much

I always thought I wasn’t doing enough, so I kept myself busy. Very busy.

But that created a problem in itself.

Keeping “busy” didn’t actually help me achieve my goals.

It just made me busy…

No More Than 3 Priorities

This hit me hard.

I was keeping myself busy by helping people, going out, and playing both tennis and badminton.

There was nothing wrong with that and it helped me stay away from some bad habits.

But there was something missing.

I didn’t have that satisfaction of completing my most important work.

I wasn’t moving the needle forward in my life.

Joe Rogan describes his few priorities by saying his day is “full” and there’s nothing else he can squeeze into it.

Our days are our lives.

Without 1-3 big priorities, we succumb to others’ priorities.

If you say ‘yes’ to other priorities, you’re saying ‘no’ to your own priorities.

How To Do Less

• Limit yourself to 3 big priorities each day.

• Say no to what isn’t a part of them.

Do no more than 3 things per day, and you’ll do more of what truly matters.

If you want to learn more about doing more with less, check out Greg McKeown’s book on Amazon Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

3. Starting The Day Slowly

Mornings suck (if I don’t get good sleep).

When you wake up tired and unmotivated, you’ll tend to snooze and get out of bed slowly.

Then you’ll probably be slow to get in the shower, change your clothes, make your bed etc.

Then it affects the rest of your day.

You might be thinking “why am I so slow today?”

Well, your brain is probably running slowly because you started your morning slowly.

Your mind is still half-asleep!

Not only that, but you’re wasting precious time too.

The Most Important Part Of The Day

Starting the day right (and quickly) will set the tone for the rest of the day.

The early morning is a sacred time of day to do your most important work.

Phase 1 (0-8 hrs after waking)

Andrew Huberman says the first 0-8 hrs after waking up is when most people feel the most alert, energised, and focused, which is perfect for doing demanding work.

For me, waking up at 6am every day has been a blessing.

Few people can reach me (because they’re still sleeping!) and I don’t have any errands to run.

How To Start The Day FAST

Benjamin Hardy’s simple morning routine is to:

• Wake up

• Get out of bed

• Make your bed

• Get hydrated

• Move on to your #1 task ASAP (your most important work)

If you can’t follow this protocol, follow its principles by dedicating the mornings for focus, and keeping distractions to a minimum.

Additionally, the speed in which you get out of bed and make your bed etc. will affect your mornings as well.

Stop Snoozing With Alarmy

When I don’t get good sleep, I may feel tired, burnt-out, and want to snooze in the morning.

With Alarmy, I can still snooze but only for a few minutes before it forces me to get up and take a photo to dismiss my alarm.

I’m grateful for Alarmy because I now use one alarm (Alarmy) to get out of bed within 5 minutes max (I used to have lots of trouble waking up with multiple alarms before this).

Kicking Phone Use After Waking

Waking up to random content on your phone is the worst thing you can do in the morning.

Like a bad diet, you should also be aware of your ‘information-diet.’

What kind of content are you feeding your mind?

Is this content:

• Useful?

• Harmful?

• Distracting?

• Something you don’t need?

The morning is for focused work.

If you’re online, you’re prone to millions of things that sap your brain power and take your attention and focus away!

Walk Faster To Go Faster

If you’ve ever been outside, you’ll have seen how people walk.

Some walk faster than others, some slower.

You can bet that those who walk faster have a mind that’s active as opposed to a mind that’s still half-asleep.

An easy way to be alert is to simply walk 25% faster than your normal walking speed.

Planning Before Bed

Save your brain power for focused work by avoiding making on-the-spot decisions as much as possible.

You’ll want to plan your days and weeks beforehand.

Before going to bed, I ensure I have my clothes and a plan ready for the next day.

Trust me, you don’t want to get a headache whilst doing your work!

You’ll also avoid wasting that precious morning time.

We only have so many hours in the day, and once time is up, it is never given back.

Hope this was helpful.

Laters,

Henry