Did this in college. Listed out all of my work for the semester, including the finals and projects. Then listed every step i had to take to be successful in those tasks. Woke up at 5 or 6 a.m. and got the long term work done before I went to class, which always gave me a psychological boost of feeling like I succeeded at something before I left the house. It works.
Finals week was always my favorite because I was actually prepared. Everyone would be cramming and I would just be chilling with a movie and some pizza because I actually knew stuff 😂
Not to mention the only day or week that sucks is the first one. The first workout. First month is saving money. After that it's all just fun and benefits
@@DamienHanma Its not all just fun and benefits after that. You are guaranteed to always have some kind of obstacles on the way. Its just you kind of adapt to situation better then.
Thank you Jocko. That's life changing advice. One of the things that happens to me is that I do the "chores" first and, at the end, it always feels like the day is "done". That just kills the long term projects. You're definitely right. Strategic plans before dailies.
This is perfect advice. As a business owner, I always do the things that are going to grow the business first. Working on a new program, building new systems etc. The long term survival strategies are more important than getting one invoice out today
This is good, makes sense. Strategic goals, for me, are absolutely working out. Also, my language study. And reading bible and writing in journal. All 3, every morning, before work. I wake at 3 a.m., go to bed by 8. Done this for years, it suits me.
I have Jocko's youtube Shorts in a folder and I listen to it consistently when I'm in subway or any down time. It's incredible how focused I have become by physically listening to wise words rather than let my mind wonder.
If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning, if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first
It's easy to prioritize the most urgent for the NOW vs most strategic for the future. This is a mind shift for most. It's about commitment and discipline to remain focused on our future self. I'll admit, my discipline wains from time to time. Takes discipline to remain disciplined.
I have been handling my business and because of that I want to chill. I have to crack the whip on myself. You become your own drill instructor when you hit your stride at age 50. I feel that laziness and there is a voice in my head that awakens and breaks up that little party pretty quickly. I start pointing out your not getting this or that done. Unless you keep yourself abreast to what your doing in some academic way or practically applying skills you are not progressing. 5 years progressing in an industry with the same militarism and you will excel. Follow through is everything. Pile that knowledge up over a 20 year career applying skill and you can become like an invaluable person in the industry. Everything they teach in the military, applies to the construction world so seamlessly. I want to encourage all the military guys to try construction management or construction trades. There is a constant need for men and women who show up and are willing to put the extra effort in. This is what industry wants, so I follow a militaristic way with myself discipline. You have to live it to be a Mentor. I'll teach any retired soldier to serve in the construction industry. We need that discipline in this sector. Instead of cops, look into construction, we need guys and girls like armed forces people. That discipline is very needed. We act just like a drill instructor when someone is irresponsible, late, anything like that. I catch a guy sleeping and I make an example. Code Reds are totally legal in the real world. Tom Cruise is not coming to defend you. All they have to do is call you incompetent and responsible for an error that is worse than any punishment. We know this is how people learn so don't be afraid to screw up. You will get fired so bad in this industry, it's not for the sensitive. You may be calling for new jobs as you grow and learn in the industry. Some trades are very hard and as a Construction Superintendent you will have to learn all the trades over time and experience. When you know how to coordinate the mechanical work with a Project Manager, you'll start getting paid more and more. There are high paying jobs for people that can stay focused on a task, do it well with the appropriate support in the field or call the right people in the company to correct the work. Go for an apprenticeship. The practicing constructor is practicing himself and would be glad to show you how to do his work so that everyone learns. Knowledge is currency. College tuition is like $10k in education specific to that trade. The military is such a great start for a professional constructor. Do you know what the machine operator make? Crane in NYC is $500k annual. Go Army Corps Engineers and you'll jump into this, but there are all kinds of branches of the US military which can teach you infrastructure. This is a great industry with diverse trades and the largest industry that never stops. If you don't go military or are very serious about college and graduate education, you'll do fine, but just like that drill instructor they will find out your character so fast, you'll be gone fore you learn anything. They will figure you out in 1.2 seconds for any job that pays $40k or more annually. These jobs pay $100K+ so it is an intense process and they will test you regularly in academic via the safety rules. You will be required to pass exams and certifications to get into and stay in the business. If you are looking to retire and all that, this might not be for you. This is for the highly motivated individual field construction. Dewatering, excavating, concrete piles, underpinning large buildings and construction administration for all the subcontractors is all needed personnel. I even encourage ex NYPD cops to give Construction Safety Management a try. Security is available to these guys, but it is overpopulated with other cops and ex-military. New industries are everywhere OSHA is. There is a whole life available to people. Military people have the focus we need in construction. I have caught sleeping tradesman on the job and it is not permitted for you to be unconscious on a permitted construction job in NYC, besides the scaffold you are sleeping on says never to be unconscious while on the manufacturer's equipment. You own the equipment, but if you misuse a tool, the manufacturer is not responsible. When you fall off the scaffold and hurt yourself, it becomes an accident investigation and the boss is going to get nailed. Definitely serve in the police, fire departments and US military, but then come to the construction industry. We love you guys.
I’m in exactly the situation you describe about halfway through this. I’m an overweight guy, and I started lifting weights and jogging about 4.5 years ago. I was very consistent for those 4.5 years and made a drastic change in my body composition and energy levels. My wife and I started a business 6 months ago that has BLOWN UP quickly. We’ve got 70 employees in six states, and I stopped working out a couple of months ago because I was so busy. I knew all along that I needed to make it a priority and I kept saying that I would, but I still hadn’t. Now I’m in a position where I wake up every day with pretty severe back pain that used to be alleviated by working out. Finally got up and went for a jog this morning, and my performance was terrible. I basically feel like an old man all day every day, and I just turned 39.
Getting up early and doing the most critical strategic tasks definitely is life changing. For me it's exercising to ensure I stay healthy, then working approx. 1 hr on my own goals before going to work fasted, to save time and ensure staying in shape.😀
Yup I lost 3 months of progress (or gained very little progress) of losing weight and self studying because I was prioritizing my low wage income job (a job that has no growth) that was just too difficult for me to balance with my long term strategy because of certain conditions, and I tried my best to push through it with willpower and tried different tactics, but ultimately failed. I found a different job that handles my bills and gives me enough time to prioritize my long term goals. If I try to use Jocko's thinking method. I think what I failed to see during those three months was I was so fixated on the job/problem that I couldn't find a solution, essentially I didn't detach properly. Also I was too damn stubborn to acknowledge my limitations. Now the speed of my progress has increased so much more and my sacrifices have reduced.
This is smart- When I wake up is when I’m most energized and willing to do things. So if I do the long term stuff first then that’s what I use the most energy on. For activities due today, I will have the excess energy and pressure of a due date for today. If I did what was due today first and then the long term then I’d feel that “oh I could just do it tomorrow.” Mentality, and I’ll have less energy to work with. Which’ll make it that much more difficult
I absolutely love using checklists. It's a good way to make sure you have everything when you go to the field, go to work, school, and it's also a good way to get your work done. Weekly Planners are a great way to keep tasks on your radar, so you can be sure to get them done!
My brain wants to get everything done right now, so when I'm writing the list, I'm also trying to prioritize and want to jump in and go. Stop. Step back. Make the plan before you dive in. I've always struggled with doing long-term projects, my brain sees what needs to be done Now or Not Now. That doesn't mean I can't implement this strategy, I just need to adapt and shift targets strategically. The top of the To-Do list will now have Long-Term Projects. Doing the strategic actions before people show up is genius.
Yeah, it’s another thing that IF you do the things that “do not have to be done” first…. Then you’ll absolutely do the things you HAVE to do today because you HAVE to. If you start with the HAVE TO things then you might be tired later and not start the long term stuff at all.
You don’t have to feel guilty. Doing your highest priority (not urgent) project first is a cornerstone of the Eisenhower matrix, which is a foundational element of almost all productivity systems.
My most productive days cane from engaging in this practice, which I have forgotten after getting swamped for multiple days and inadequate supplementation and sleep hygeine practices. Thank you for this reminder.
Hmmm... I have been stuck in the "gotta stay up later doing fire-quenching tasks so I can get to the long-term stuff" for a LONG time. Of course: not getting to the long-term stuff because I run out of time and need to find sleep. Today's Jocko Gem has upended everything. Maybe I really do need to get up early and do the long-term stuff first. Let's see how that flip affects the next few weeks. This makes a lot of sense. Darn it, Jocko. Why didn't you tell me this years ago??!? Thanks for finally getting around to it. :) Cheers.
Well I can tell you that I've never made a checklist for packing. I've forgotten a great many things as I traveled hours or days away without that item. In the end its wasteful at the least. Costs money for sure when I forget something I'll need on the trip. I'll make a checklist next time. If I remember.
I like this rule. I find that I do the opposite and what happens is my long term projects just keep getting pushed out. The small stuff will find its way to get done or it was never that important in the first place
Doing long term things first is following a simple principle: if you have a backpack to fill with bricks and sand, do brings first or they will never for after sand 4:41
I heated him say get up @5 set my alarm for 5 taken me about two years. Maybe the summer helps. Finall I’m walking before my alarm still got more to fix up. Bit planing before bed getting to be early getting it all done before bed. Helps getting up next day and flowing easy. Best thing I’ve heared. System is flawed now. Stress you out work hard make money is the only drive
This is what Steven Covey meant when he used the analogy of the jar. if you don't put the big rocks in first, they won't fit. they will get crowded out by the smaller rocks.
I was doing checklists and strategic routines first since Jocko was in diapers. :-) Totally agree. During times when I didn’t do it, I was definitely going backwards. BTW - it doesn’t always guarantee success. When you take risks, like starting a business, it doesn’t guarantee success. But it does allow you to get back up and start over again.
Yeah…but you can justify almost ANYTHING as being strategic. A nap is strategic because I’ll be more focused and intent later. But it isn’t productive. I think it has to be OBJECTIVELY strategic.
i wonder what that means during SEAL recruit's filtering process when i see a guy gets out of the room put and line up their "234" helmet on the ground next to other helmets, and then rign the bell. success? fails? the tests was last man standing, right? or maybe i just dont know.
It makes sense. If you only prioritized what is immediately due, and never work on the long term stuff, then there will literally always be something that is immediately due, and you would never get to work on the long term stuff.
Curious what image model you're using to generate the pics of Jocko for the thumbnails recently cause the resemblance is really good. Haven't been able to get such good results for myself using either SDXL or SD1.5
You lot I just started going gym and it’s been 2 days and my muscles are still really hurting, is that meant to happen on the first time or should I wait before training those muscles again
Long term consistency is key. You do whatever you have to do to build up your resiliency, discipline. Eating protein and sleeping (rest) is also a large part of it. When your muscles hurt that bad, it's common for people to alternate between different muscle groups each day. At the same time, your journey for working out is different from everyone else's. It's probably a lot more practical to read up on NUTRITION and healthy sleep habits for optimal recovery than it is to just hitting up the gym because that's what you see people on TV doing.
Legs/Core tend to take more time to recover. I've done Leg workouts where i couldn't walk for 3 days. But if your Arms are still hurting after 2 days you might want to cool it a bit. Drop a few lbs on the Arm workouts and go for max reps and control/form. You might be damaging some ligaments/tendons going to heavy to quick.
