My day is typically broken into three parts:
1. AM (before lunch) – Creating cashflow with words.
2. PM (afternoon) – Creating cashflow with assets.
3. PM (evening) – Reading, thinking, movies, documentaries, games, puzzles, etc.
My AM work session is obviously the most demanding aspect of my day. Writing anything of importance (newsletters, reports, marketing, etc.) requires a certain mental state. Some refer to this mental state as the “zone.” Others refer to it as the “flow” state.
It really doesn’t matter what you label it.
What matters is being able to consistently move yourself into this state.
Over the years, I’ve found that I can easily move into this state through cardio exercise with great music. The cardio that seems to work the best for me is steady state cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This could be running on a treadmill at a slower 6 mph pace. Or it could be an elliptical machine, or something similar. This exercise session DOES NOT include weight training or interval exercises (sprints).
Weight training and intervals actually pull me out of this state. They are too taxing on me mentally.
The music is also extremely important. For me, it must be music that gets me fired up. As you exercise, pull the energy out of the music.
As I exercise, ideas begin to flow. I also start to feel amazing (exercise is the best drug around) and when I’m finished, I’m ready to conquer the world. I can sit down and the words flow very easily. What I write tends to have a different feel to it. It’s significantly better than when I write outside of this state.
I have no idea why this works, but it just does. It is almost magical how it works every single time.
Why am I sharing all of this?
Well, if you engage in tough mental work (creating cashflow from words), you might give this a try. Once you realize how powerful this actually can be, you might consider arranging your work schedule so that you do hard mental work after cardio exercise. You’ll produce better content and you’ll get a lot more accomplished with less effort. You might also plan your weight training and interval workouts on days when you don’t have challenging mental work on your schedule.
