Productivity

Get Your Game Face On: 4 Keys to Breaking the Slacker Cycle

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Aragorn

Get your game face on. Do you have a game face? Do you know what that is? Game face is that look of focused determination that you see on athletes from Lebron James to Will Durant to Simone Biles to JP. Who’s JP? That’s my son. More about him later.

We all want to be successful. No one wakes up and says, “Gee, I hope I royally screw things up today.” We all want to be named among the best and the brightest. The hardest lesson for any any of us to learn is the one of discipline. The “D” word as I like to call it. This is especially true if, like me, you consider yourself of the creative mindset. Really. We creative types pride ourselves on being outsiders and, well…free.

The Catch-22 of that reality is that to be truly excellent at anything creative requires far more structure and yes, discipline, than most of us ever imagined. Actually, to be truly excellent at anything at all requires discipline. Discipline is what sets the true superstars apart from all the rest of us.

I am an expert in everything it takes to avoid discipline. I’ve personally authored nearly 1,000 excuses as to why I can’t get something done. Well, maybe not 1,000, but a lot. The truth is it’s much easier for me to utter an excuse than it is to admit that I just didn’t do the work I needed to in order to achieve the success I wanted.

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So to help myself move forward and to achieve my dreams, I’m going to own my issue here, publicly, for all the world to read. Hi. My name is Matt. I am a recovering slacker. (Please don’t read that statement as lacking sensitivity. I am deeply sensitive to and respectful of what it takes to overcome any addictive behavior and those men and women who choose that path are perfect examples of what this post advocates.)

There are, from my perspective, research, and observation, 4 keys to breaking the slacker cycle. Each builds on the next.

Key #1: Discipline

Discipline  is the foundation on which the other 3 keys will rest. Easy word to say, difficult habit to develop, and impossible trait to succeed without. If you want to be truly excellent, you have to be disciplined. Structured. Dare I say, organized?

There are those of you who are much more wired for this than others of us. (Notice what I did there?) Some people are just naturally more disciplined. Some people can eat the same thing for breakfast day in and day out with very few exceptions. Some that can schedule their day down to the minute and actually follow through on that schedule.

My son, JP, is a competitive athlete. During the track season, he is incredibly disciplined about what he eats, when he sleeps, what he drinks. Every decision he makes is in service to what will give him the best chance to perform well.

That’s the foundation – what is it going to take for you to perform at the highest possible level? Every choice you make must then serve to meet that goal. What is going to enable you to close the most deals? How will you ensure the highest performance from your team? What can you do today to ensure you hit your bonus at the end of the year? Those are the kinds of questions you need to be asking yourself every day. Then say yes to those things that move you forward and no to everything else. That’s what discipline looks like.

Key #2:Consistency

The next level is Consistency. Once you develop the discipline to work in service to your goal, whatever that is, next you need to work at it consistently. Not just for today or this week, but constantly.

The track season typically lasts from January to May. For those 4 odd months, my son is very consistent. He is in bed early, he is up with enough time to eat and allow that food to digest before he has to be at practice, he works on school work before and immediately after practice, he packs his water and snacks, he makes sure his uniform is washed, he warms up the same way, he cools down the same way, day in and day out. At practice he follows the program laid out for him by his coaches. He works it with the same intensity day in and day out. It’s hard work. He is generally exhausted by the time practice is done. When he doesn’t get something right in practice, he does it again.

This summer, he’s participating in a club team that competes in the Junior Olympics. At his very first practice with this new team, the coach gave them an exercise to do that consisted of running around the full track (400m) in 25m cycles of jog, sprint, float, walk. I noticed at one point that everyone else had stopped, but he was still going. On the way home I asked him about it he said, “Coach said to do 5, I did 5.” By inference, everyone else did not.

That’s discipline and consistency at work.

Key #3: Execution

The next rung up the ladder is execution, getting it done when it counts. Discipline and Consistency prepare  you to execute well. You cannot expect to simply show up the day of a track meet and win. It doesn’t work like that. You have to put the hard work in to be ready to perform the day of the competition.

The same is true for you in your professional and personal pursuits. You can’t just decide to make a call one day and expect the potential client to buy what you’re selling. You have to be prepared. You can’t show up to the job interview and expect that they will hire you without first knowing as much as you can about the job and the company so that you can show you are genuinely curious and concerned.

This is the point where you just need to get it done. If you’ve developed the discipline to focus on what’s important and prepared consistently, then you are ready to execute flawlessly. And repeatedly. Over and over again. Rarely does one client call or one contract change the entire course of your business’ performance or lead to the dream job offer you are hoping for. Duplicate, duplicate, duplicate. Execution is the key that will unlock that door.

Key #4: Excellence

Discipline, consistency, and execution are what lead to excellence. Excellence is a result. It’s the tip of the iceberg. It’s the outcome. It comes last in our list because it comes last.

When Adele took the stage at Radio City Music Hall in the fall of 2015, she didn’t wake up that morning and say, “Hey, think I’ll go sing a bunch of new stuff tonight.” No – she worked at it in the rehearsal studio, the recording studio, and the stage long before the audience were in their seats and the TV cameras were plugged in. Simone Biles didn’t just wake up the best gymnast in the world. She executed flawlessly for a long time. Simone Manuel didn’t just show up that day to win her first gold medal in the pool. You get the picture.

Excellence comes from disciplined, consistent execution.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 11: Gold medalist Simone Manuel of the United States celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 100m Freestyle Final on Day 6 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

So the question for you is what do you need to do today to build that disciplined approach in your own life? Where have you faltered in your consistency and need to get back on track? What have you not pulled the trigger on that you need to?

Let’s get after it. So that you get to stand on the medal stand.

18403720_10213242754167116_6395152159876927182_n If you’re interested, this is JP (not what we call him). At the end of his season he captured 3 top 8 finishes in the State of Florida out of 4 events. He’s ranked nationally in those same 3 events. That’s excellence personified. Not that I’m biased or anything…

Stop the Insanity: 5 Strategies for Maintaining Focus

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fomo1-1I will admit that I regularly experience an overwhelming sense of FoMO when it comes to my profession. FoMO, or Fear of Missing Out, is a uniquely 21st Century condition. At it’s core, FoMO perpetuates the fear of having made the wrong decision on how to spend one’s time, because one imagines how things could, or should, be different. It’s usually linked to social activities and tied to an near-obsessive use of social media. But I would argue that in our busy, overcrowded world, FoMO can manifest itself in multiple areas.

This was brought into sharp relief for me the other day when I read a post from Liz Ryan called These Ten Policies Are an Embarrassment to the HR Profession . I agreed with some of it. I was baffled by much of it. Liz is a disruptor. I’m actually a fan of her philosophy at The Human Workplace– which I would summarize as keeping the workplace human. Great idea and something I have always been committed to in my 20+ years as an HR leader.

While I support her philosophy, I struggle with some of her messages. And not just hers (I’m not picking on Liz, her piece just happened to be the tipping point for me). I find myself increasingly frustrated and overwhelmed by the ideas that are flying around about what should and should not be allowed, expected, or addressed in today’s workplace. Couple that with the voice of the employment attorney (hint: not necessarily known, as a profession, for their innovation) and what’s your average HR Director to do?

I don’t think this is unique to the world of HR. It applies in multiple arenas: parenting, education, medicine, communications, marketing and advertising, technology…you name it. Insert the specifics of your world here and I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar.

I get it  – there are different types of people and different types of leaders. Some of us are born to push the envelope, relentlessly pursuing and pushing those around us (or dragging them, kicking and screaming) on to the next big thing. Then there’s the opposite extreme, the ones who never vary from their tactics or approach because it has always worked for them in the past and if it isn’t working that’s somebody else’s issue.

Personally, I think I’m somewhere in the middle. I think most of you are, too. I am all for new, but not just for the sake of doing something new. I’m also a big fan of tradition, but only insomuch as that tradition serves a real purpose or a real need.

Maybe you, like me, are finding yourself unsettled by those who are disrupters by nature. After all, our culture today rewards disruption. If you push the envelope, sacrifice the sacred cows on an open flame, or flat out ignore things that you no longer believe to be relevant – you are a hero. I am not opposed to innovation. Neither am I a fan of “throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater” approaches to anything.  

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STOP. THE. INSANITY.

Seriously. It’s enough to make a guy run for the hills (or actively seek out a career change).

I think, though, there is room for the middle ground here. Anything we adopt or bring into our lives or professional practice should exist for one purpose – to move us closer to our vision. We should be incorporating the best of what’s out there in order to get better at what we do, whether that’s as a leader, a homeschool mom, a pastor, or whatever your role in the world.

If, like me, you are trying to learn how to manage the craziness, maybe these approaches will help you.

Turn Off the Internet

In other words, stop reading EVERYTHING that comes out (except this blog, of course). That is far easier said than done, but at the end of the day you do NOT have to read it all nor do it all. Period. You simply have more choices today than at any time in history. If you’re working on multiple new habits or techniques, then stop reading about more for the time being. When you’ve completed some of the transition, then you can start looking around again.

Or file what you’re reading away for another time. Use a tool like Pocket or a site like Pinterest (yes, guys use Pinterest, too) that allow you to save content for future use.

Know Your Business Cold

Whatever your business may be, know it cold. What are you focused on? What drives your success? What are you trying to accomplish? Be crystal clear about what it is that defines success in your endeavor. This is critical for your filtering mechanism. Once you have that down, you should be able to quickly identify when an opportunity, technique, or idea will help you achieve that success or take you in a different direction. If it isn’t moving you towards success, get rid of it. Do not give it any attention.

See the Truth

Be realistic about what’s working or what’s not working as it relates to your goals. Especially if what’s not working happens to be you! By honestly knowing yourself and what you are and are not willing to adjust to move forward, then you know what to pay attention to and what you can ignore. Don’t make a decision on the basis of what you want to be true, make it on the basis of what is actually true about your capability, your circumstances, your time, your family, etc.

Craft Your Vision

What does your future look like when you add that new technique or change how you do what you do? If you were the exact leader you most want to be, what does that look like? When you release your kids into the world, what kind of people do you want them to be? Where is all of this going? Write it down. Then, if you’re reading the latest blog or “research” you’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if it can help move you towards your vision.

By the way – I’d love to help you work through and create this vision. Just click on contact and let’s talk about it.

Be Realistic

Contrary to popular belief, you really can’t do more than one thing at a time. And you really can’t focus on a lot of different projects all at once. This tip is closely related to seeing the truth. You need to cut yourself some slack and understand what you can and cannot take on at any given moment. Sometimes, the answer has to be – not yet. Finish some things before trying to tackle others. No one can do it all, no matter what popular culture would have you believe.

Keep Moving the Needle

Slow and steady wins the race. Always. Because, really, the only person you are racing against is you. Whether you are trying to get better at something, change a habit or behavior, or accomplish your life’s purpose, the only competition is yourself. You may not be able to affect change quickly, but you can change SOMETHING. Do that and move forward. Eventually, you will get it done.

Start now. Or better yet, stop now. Don’t ponder. Take one action, right now – before clicking off this page – to stop the insanity in your world. Then tell me about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear your ideas and how it’s going for you.

For additional information, check out Michael Hyatt ‘s new site, Free to Focus.