In the summer of ‘99 Stephen King experienced a real life version of his book, Misery.
Out for a walk one afternoon, he was hit by a speeding van.
He broke 14 bones and was minutes from death.
Miraculously, he survived.
Five weeks later, while still in excruciating pain, he began to write again following the same morning routine he had followed for nearly 30 years.
At 9am he sat down and wrote 2,000 words before getting up again.
It’s the ONE habit he credits for the volume of work he’s been able to produce … which includes 96 books… over 30 of them being #1 best sellers… (My favorite? The Stand … clocking in at 823 pages.)
King’s productivity was a key to his massive success.
He inspired me at a young age with his writing… and then again 20 years later when I read about his habit in Daily Rituals.
One method I stole from King was his daily “auditing” of his work.
King didn’t write for a set time, but simply for a set number of words… always trying to finish before the Boston Red Sox game would start at 1:30pm.
Today I like to audit my productivity on a regular basis.
Take last Friday for example…
It was a good day... at least I thought so at first glance...
- I woke up early - Wrote a 2,000 word newsletter for my subscribers... - Made coffee for Michelle - Did a 6am coaching call with the CEO of a $30 million manufacturing company - Had an “A-rated” 7am meeting with my marketing team about our Morning Routine funnel - Enjoyed a muddy hour at the park with Michelle and Daisy - Did a killer 9am interview with Ron Mourra for our “Perfect Parent Morning” upsell - Finished another writing project before 10am - Hit an 11am workout with Michelle and our awesome trainer, Alex Turner - Wrote a filming script and filmed an IGTv video and IG story - Had a 1pm lunch with the CEO of Direct Heroes, a big social media marketing company - By 2pm we agreed to work on Accountability App together - 3 pm was home – after selling a coaching package while riding in an Uber - Crushed a 4pm IG training for Dan Henderson’s Australian Mastermind - 5pm Poke Bowl with Michelle ... - And then she made us watch the final 90 minutes of the Chris Voss Negotiation Masterclass
“I don’t like it when things linger,” she said, “We gotta get this done!”
(I’m incredibly grateful for Michelle. She pushes me to get better everyday. And someday I’ll tell you the funny story of how we met, but that’s for another time.)
For now, let’s get back to productivity.
How would you rate my day that I described above...
Good, Great, or “Meh”?
I’d say “good,” but...
What about THIS day... a “normal day” in the life of my client Frank Den Blanken from The Netherlands:
“Craig, what I do in a day is more than 2 weeks for others.
For example this morning I woke up early and shot 48 videos in a row. No script, just a title.
Then I answered close to 200 messages / emails within 2 hours, did a workout, read 150 pages, then had 4 team meetings and did 6 live Q&A's in Facebook groups.
For most people that sounds insane, but I don't even have to push it hard to reach that.”
Hmm...
Just when you think you’ve hit 5th gear... along comes Frank and just BLOWS BY YOU.
Why? Because Frank is...
- Driven by a BIG WHY - Committed to daily improvement - Batching and blocking his time as I’ve told you - Supported by his amazing partner, Paula, who pushes him - Inspired by – and surrounds himself with – the best mentors and associates, like Vince Delmonte, Bedros Keuilian, Joel Marion, and me, ol’ CB.
But also because Frank knows to be “The Chess Master” in his business, not just a “pawn”...
Frank moves the pieces in his business...
He doesn’t “do all the things” himself.
And Frank asks these 3 questions and takes these three actions daily:
1- What am I doing manually that could be done automatically? … Automate it. 2- What am I doing right now that “anyone” could do? ... Delegate it. 3- What am I doing now that is a waste of time? ... Eliminate it.
Now over to YOU.
Ask yourself and be honest…
Are you doing as much as you could be?
If your answer is “no”...
Then it’s time for you to do an audit by asking yourself Frank’s same 3 questions.
By the way...
Frank came to his first Mastermind with me in 2018...
And I’ve watched him go from doing “ok” and working 12+ hours a day…
To building an 8-figure Empire while working less and traveling more than I do.
Congrats, Frank... well deserved!
And I can’t wait to hear your success story next.
Keep me posted on your progress,
Craig
PS - We’ve now announced 90% of the lineup for our January Mastermind...
Our expert panel of heavy hitting 7-Figure business owners and rockstars will be sharing their secrets over two days in January to kickstart 2021 – the ultimate Comeback year of all comeback years.
It’s normally $25,000 a year to get in on this high-level Mastermind program, but right now we’re offering a chance to sit in on this event for a very small investment.
If you’re interested in finding out how successful business owners are having record months even in these crazy times…
Just reply back to this email with the word “INTERESTED” in the subject line and we’ll get you all the details. |