In the summer of 2019, I traveled to Germany, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Poland, and London.
Along the way I hosted several coaching workshops…
Helped run a 4-day entrepreneurship camp…
Delivered seven speeches…
Hosted a networking event in London…
AND continued to run my business back home.
Oh, and I did all this without getting sick, gaining weight, or skipping out on the good stuff.
So it doesn’t surprise me that one of the most common questions I get from friends and clients is this:
“Craig. How do you have such high energy levels with your crazy travel schedule and busy life…It seems like you have everything figured out?”
And they’re right, I do.
Over the past twenty years, I’ve tested (almost) every strategy under the sun to optimize my performance and make the most out of every hour of my day.
And it turns out…
Becoming an “Entrepreneurial Machine” is a lot simpler than most people think.
You don’t need to take daily B-vitamin IVs, buy an expensive red light therapy device, or ingest a cocktail of un-researched stimulants.
To get more energy and sustain peak performance during stressful times, you can just follow these 5 simple strategies…
1. Use The #1 Sleep Hack to Double Your Energy Levels
When I was in my late 20’s, I hit a wall.
I was working crazy hours in my online business, hitting the gym five days a week, and partying like a madman on the weekends.
And eventually, my hectic lifestyle caught up with me.
My creativity dropped, my output decreased, and my ability to GSD all but disappeared.
So I turned to my mentor Mark Ford for guidance.
“Craig,” he said, “You need to start waking up at the same time every single day…even on the weekends.”
I hated that advice so much I ignored him for seven (!) years.
But when I finally gave in and tried this deceptively simple suggestion…
It had a profound impact and helped me bounce back from burnout fast.
As Dr. Matthew Walker explains in his New York Times best-seller, Why We Sleep…
Your body craves routine and structure and will reward you with better sleep at night and better mental performance in the morning.
But when you have an erratic sleep schedule your circadian rhythm is thrown off, making low energy, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and burnout all but inevitable.
If you want to increase your energy and cognitive abilities quickly and naturally, start with this:
Wake up at the same time every day for the next 30 days and see how you feel.
If you stay out late or have a night of less than stellar sleep…
Wake up at the same time anyway.
You can make up for your lost sleep with a short nap or by going to bed earlier the next day.
2. The 4-7-8 “Tranquilizer” Formula to Beat Insomnia and Get the Best Sleep of Your Life
When struggling with chronic anxiety attacks years ago…
I accidentally stumbled across a simple breathing exercise from Dr. Andrew Weil that works like magic to combat insomnia and help you fall asleep fast.
I recently shared this strategy with my former editor, who was struggling to “turn off” and fall asleep at night.
Here’s what he reported back:
“Craig, I’ve been tracking my sleep with the Oura Ring you sent me and, after using the technique for a few days, I was able to fall asleep in 20-minutes instead of two hours…it’s scary how well this works!”
Even my pro-athlete clients — who struggle to fall asleep during their season because of constant travel — swear by this technique and use it daily.
I call it the 4-7-8 “Tranquilizer” formula and it goes like this…
I - Gently breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
II - Hold the breath for 7 seconds
III - Exhale through your mouth, pursing your lips for 8 seconds
IV - Repeat 4 times to calm down or 12-15 times to fall asleep
I know this sounds simple….
But I promise you, it works.
3. Take Your Coffee Like a Neuroscientist to Increase All-Day Energy
Although it seems like the entire Western economy runs on caffeine…
95% of the population uses it the wrong way.
According to a 2004 study, the conventional model of gulping down a Double Mocha Venti Frappuccino (or four) actually lessens the positive benefits of caffeine…
…while increasing the negative side effects (like anxiety and jitters).
Luckily, there’s a simple solution.
Instead of “megadosing” with caffeine and consuming 800+ mg in one sitting…
Consume smaller but more frequent doses (20-200 mg) throughout the day.
This will improve cognitive function and stop you from feeling manic in the morning.
However…
It’s important to remember that the half-life of caffeine is roughly 5-6 hours depending on your metabolism.
This means that if you drink two cups of coffee (~200 mg caffeine) at 12pm…
You will still have 100mg of caffeine in your bloodstream by 6 pm.
To avoid tossing and turning for hours after you go to bed…
Follow my 10-3-2-1-0 formula for perfect sleep and stop consuming caffeine at least 10 hours before bedtime.
If you want to check out the rest of my “10-3-2-1-0 formula”, you can see it fully explained in this short article I wrote on our website EarlytoRise.com
Anyway, give these 3 all-natural energy boosting tactics a try.
They cost you nothing and work like gangbusters.
Shoot me a reply and let me know if you liked this topic.
If I get enough replies, I’ll share some more strategies and tactics like these ones.
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
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