Episode 66: The hidden secret behind effective days and weeks
What icebergs can teach you about effective weeks...
Welcome to the SPS Podcast
“If you build that foundation, both the moral and the ethical foundation, as well as the business foundation, and the experience foundation, then the building won’t crumble.”
— Henry Kravis
-----
How do you have a good week?
You start by focusing on good days.
Nope....wrong.
It doesn’t work like that.
That’s like trying to hit a dart with the dart board from 8 feet away.
It’s entirely backwards.
But this is the advice on X or LinkedIn.
I see it almost daily.
ChatGPT productivity posts filled with shallow ideas on having good days and weeks. Stuffed with more platitudes than fortune cookies on steroids.
All the same ideas you’ve read 100 times before…
Prioritize your tasks. Use time management. Stay positive. Set goals. Have balance. Stack habits.
Sure…these things help…but they are tactics that only work if you have the right strategy.
So…what does work?
You have to think well beyond your days and weeks to have good days and weeks.
You need to think months…if not a year or more out.
You build good weeks by working backwards from your future goals.
Is this revolutionary? No.
But it sure as heck gives you a more reliable chance of success than reading some dumb sh*t post like…
Give me 7 minutes, and I’ll give you 7 productivity hacks that made me 7K in my first 7 days running a business online as a 7-year-old.
I think we’ve all been there.
I know I have been.
Focusing on the mirco without even thinking about the macro.
12+ years ago, when I first got into personal development, I fell into the trap of hacks and shallow ideas.
I had the morning routine. I was fasting. I was taking mini-breaks to recharge. I was getting good sleep. Drinking water. Going for walks. Eating healthy. Tracking my hours. Using a gratitude journal. Taking cold showers. Getting up at 5 am. Reciting affirmations.
But all that energy was going into 9 to 5 roles with imitations.
It took me years to start something on the side that I could grow.
It took me years to align all these tactics with a long-term strategy.
Without a long-term strategy...these hacks are like running in waste-high water.
A lot of effort for a little distance covered.
The thing is…
When you discover personal development or high performance…
It’s like seeing an iceberg for the first time. You focus on the ice above the water. You’re in awe of this magnificent white island floating in the sea. But then you notice how deep and far down the ice goes.
And if you want to have good weeks and days.
You have to go that deep with your strategy.
When I did…I made giant leaps forward. I transformed my life.
I went from a frustrating plateau of hacks and short-term systems to tapping into perpetual momentum.
So grab your deep-sea scuba gear…. get a bigger boat…
And let’s look at the 4 key steps you would do to improve your days and weeks.
Step 1: Reflect And Review:
Most people start with actions.
You should start by collecting data. Finding your trends. Stacking your wins. And creating a vision.
Why?
It builds momentum and lets you know your current situation and direction.
You don’t create great weeks without the right foundations and vision.
Step 2: Plan And Act:
Now you plan your actions.
You need to plan your next 90 days to have excellent days and weeks.
You need to highlight your high-value and high-dollar activities and structure your days, weeks, and months around those.
You need to select power moves that force you to take action.
Like hiring a coach, joining a community, or onboarding help.
Step 3: Build And Test:
You need to connect your macro goals with micro daily actions.
Too often, I see people with big goals but no actions or vice versa…lots of daily actions but no specific direction.
This will take work.
You will have to adapt.
The actions you think will help you win…might not help you win.
Test the plans you built and get it right.
This will lead to amazing weeks.
Step 4: Review And Improve:
You need feedback loops.
Weekly and monthly systems.
From journaling to business analytics. You should be collecting your data.
With data, you can make more informed decisions. Rather than knee-jerk reactions to the wind changing direction.
When you flip-flop with your micro-actions, you never reach any macro goals.
This is why...
90% of the productivity advice online for business owners sucks.
It goes straight to tactics and ignores the foundations…data…and vision you need for those tactics to work.
If you want to have great days and weeks.
You have to look way beyond the tip of the iceberg…you gotta get deep.
The question I have for you today...
How deep are you going with your foundations?
Stephen links:
PRO-Accelerator, select a time here:
https://www.stephentimoney.com/pro-accelerator
Visit the website:
https://www.stephentimoney.com/
Join the email list:
https://www.stephentimoney.com/sps-newsletter
Follow me here:
Big love,
ST
Fan of icebergs
