I’m still here in Punta Cana! You’re missing some really fantastic weather & salsa dancing!
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Every day that I’ve been here, I’ve had a work to-do list. (Don’t feel bad for me – I love my work and I love investing in everyone in the Primal Potential family each day).
I wake up between 4:30-5am to get in some quiet, focused work time before spending the rest of the day on the beach.
It has been (and is always) tempting to tackle my list by doing the easy things first.
I do this at home, too. I’ll glance down the list and cherry-pick what is easiest or fastest, letting the harder, more time consuming or mentally taxing things pile up.
I’m getting things done; I’m spending my time working, but I’m not making fast progress. Plus, there’s a looming sense of dread because, as I burn through my best time of fresh focus, the hard things are still waiting for me.
In fact, I’ve been guilty of adding things I’ve already done to my list just do I can check them off! That is seriously unproductive. It’s a time waster. That’s about ego & distraction way more than it is about doing the right things & doing them well.
Knowing this, I try to do the most important things first. Yes, there is a book about this called Eat That Frog. Decent book – if you want to increase your productivity, that’s a great read. Even more so, I’d recommend The One Thing and Essentialism.
I spent yesterday morning consciously choosing the most important, hardest & most time consuming tasks first. Then later, while reading the Harvard Business Review at the pool, I read a short article that reinforced this strategy. The article was called, “Productivity: Stop checking off easy to-dos“.
Exactly.
Stop checking off easy to-dos.
It talked about research conducted looking at doctors. Emergency room doctors are trained to triage their patients, seeing the most critical patients first. However, many doctors select the simplest cases first so they can see more total patients during their shift.
They looking for efficiency (as are we – get more things done quickly) but we’re all missing the mark.
The research concluded that while completing tasks makes us feel good, when we do the easiest tasks before the harder ones we are significantly less productive.
Whatever is on your list, stop checking off the easy stuff first.
…
Guys, yesterday’s workout was so fun! I wasn’t really in the mood for a typical gym workout (though I did do a little bit of lifting in the gym) so I hit the beach. I was walking in the water contemplating sprints in the sand. It was hot & the dry sand was scorching my feet, so I decided to take my sprints into the water.
Sprinting in the shallow water (running sprint, not swimming sprint) was such a challenging stimulus but also really fun!
Since it’s my last full day here, I’m going to skip the gym and go kayaking. Not a full-on workout but a totally fantastic way to get in some movement on this last full day of vacation!
On the food front:
Per usual, I drank a boat load of black coffee to start the day while I worked & meditated.
We went down to breakfast and I had eggs & cheese. Simple. Yummy.
I am writing this before lunch but I’m keeping the lunch simple here: salad and ceviche.
Last night we had lobster tail and a pretty decent steak – I think the plan is to do the same tonight for our last night here.
There’s really no temptation to snack here because you don’t want to leave the beach! I love that!
In today’s episode we’re talking about how there’s a difference between knowing how you want things to work and doing work.
In life & business, many of us struggle to create success because we aren’t balanced or consistent in our approach.
Today I’m talking about the book The E-Myth Revisted by Michael Gerber. Though the book is about business, it talks about how there are 3 primary approaches to work and how we struggle when there is an imbalance in them.
While this is certainly true in business ownership, it’s just as true, if not more, in life.
The tactician – executes tasks. Gets things done. A to-do list lifer!
The manager – strategist. Pragmatist. Planner.
The entrepeneur – visionary. Dreamer. Big ideas.
We need all three. We can’t just go through life crossing tasks off a list. We can’t create plans without executing them. We can’t have vision without action. We can’t succeed without vision.
If you feel like you aren’t sure what you want for your life, listen to this episode.
If you feel frustrated that you create plans but don’t implement them, listen to this episode.
If you feel like you’re so busy doing what has to be done that you have no time to create a life you love, listen to this episode.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
As I write this, I’m sitting on my balcony looking at the ocean in the Domincan Republic. I’m staying at an all inclusive resort so, of course, food & alcohol is absolutely everywhere.
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Before I get specific about how I evaluate all temptations around me & decide which indulgences are worth it, how much & when, I have to share something I read yesterday…
Yesterday on the beach I read “How To Write Like Tolstoy” and the book opens up with a quote I loved:
While I could wax poetic about all of those, the three that resonate with me the most when it comes to evaluating indulgences are: a simpler form, practice & getting beyond influence.
A simpler form:
I’m not into meal plans, food lists, rules about food or any complex dieting strategies or procedures. A simpler approach has been a game changer for me.
I eat when I’m hungry, I eat what is really worth it and I constantly consider how I’ll feel in the morning.
I love dessert. A great bowl of ice cream or delicious piece of red velvet cake is almost always worth a bite to me.
However, much of it straight up sucks. I tried a piece of red velvet cake the other day that had almost no flavor. Texture was nice, it looked great, but it wasn’t very flavorful.
So, I put my fork down and simply stated: “not worth it”.
Yes, I indulge. But, I indulge when it’s really worth it.
That makes indulging pretty infrequent because most things, to me, are just average.
I’m looking for the treats that are so good I want to share it. I’m looking for the treats that make me say, “Oh my God you have to try this!!”
If it’s not worth it, I’m done.
Practice:
A decision to improve my food choices means almost nothing. Every single day I practice. Leaving one bite of something yummy on my plate is practice.
Leaving a pile of bacon on my plate because it isn’t cooked to my personal preference is practice.
Saying “no thank you” to the offer of a snack because I’m not hungry is practice.
Every single day the world offers me up thousands of opportunities to practice and I’m always looking for them.
I’m not a purist or a perfectionist and I don’t have to be.
I am, however, always practicing.
Getting beyond influence:
Oh man – this is magical and really deserves and entire podcast unto itself. I’ll make that happen.
Even when I’m not on vacation, people routinely offer me food, drinks or make choices around me that aren’t choices I want to make for myself.
Yesterday at the pool everyone was doing shots, including my boyfriend. “C’mon!” he said. “Take a shot with me!”
No thanks, I’m good.
It’s not that I have anything against shots (I did a new-to-me shot last night, in fact) but I don’t do it because of influence. I do it by my own choice.
For me, getting beyond influence means making the choices I want to make because I want to make them, not because of the influence of those around me.
I don’t eat french fries because everyone else is – I eat the french fries if I truly want them, I’m hungry and I think they’re worth it.
Similarly, I don’t eat clean because everyone else is & I don’t want to look like a piggy. I eat clean because that’s the choice in the moment that will make me feel my best.
I don’t skip my workouts because no one else is going to the gym on vacation – I decide to work out or not based on what feels right for me.
Just like practice, getting beyond influence is something that takes consistent & deliberate practice.
A simpler form, practice and getting beyond influence. Super powers!
…
I’m happy to say that I’ve worked out every day that I’ve been here. For me, working out increases my energy. Plus, when I’m drinking more than I usually do (I’m not much of a drinker), I want to make sure that I’m not just laying on the beach or sitting in a pool all day.
Today’s workout is going to be a simple beach run. Running is hard – running in the sand is super hard & I can’t wait!
On the food front:
My food choices have been pretty consistent since arriving on vacation. What varies most is alcohol. On the first two days I hardly drank at all. Last night was probably the most I drank and I’m definitely not feeling so stellar today.
Breakfast has been simple: black coffee, bacon & eggs.
Lunch: ceviche & a salad.
Dinner varies but I know tonight I’ll be having steak & lobster.
The real key for me is only eating when I’m truly hungry & only eating what’s really worth it.
Are you too busy working in your life that you aren’t ever working on your life?
This is a trap most people fall into. I have! Repeatedly!
They are so busy keeping up and crossing tasks off their lists that they feel they don’t have time to fundamentally change or improve their lives.
They’re too busy to do the most meaningful work.
I recognized this so profoundly in my work – I have been too busy working in my business that I’ve felt there is no time or ability to work on my business.
It’s a huge mistake.
It’s penny wise & pound foolish. It’s what we’re diving into today! Don’t miss it!
It was a fun day of swimming & exploring but I couldn’t miss my daily check-in with you guys! It’s just a wee bit late! Thanks for understanding!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t recognize the potential disaster of an all-inclusive resort.
There was certainly a time in my not-so-distant past where vacation meant food & alcohol free for all. Add all-you-can-eat food & alcohol to the mix and it would have been a recipe for stuffing myself stupid, rapid weight gain and feeling a constant tension between wanting to eat all the food and hating myself for eating all the food. Yeah…I’ve experienced that a time or two!
However, I’m excited for the opportunity to really hammer home the idea of intersecting pleasure & happiness. Because honestly, when I over eat and drink too much, I feel pretty terrible. I don’t want to feel terrible for one single minute of this trip (or of my life!!)
What I’ve learned from painful and extensive experience is that when I over eat, yes, there are definite moments of pleasure & enjoyment, but I feel gross, uncomfortable and unmotivated. It sucks.
These days, I’m looking to seek both pleasure and happiness, but never one at the expense of the other.
Choosing pleasure at the expense of happiness means drinking & eating too much.
That’s not what I’m going for. At the same time, however, I am not looking to be a purist or perfectionist.
I’ll tell you specifically what that practice looked like for me today:
I drank black coffee throughout the morning – no need for early morning snacks at the airport
When I started to get hungry on my flight, I had a turkey/almond/cranberry EPIC bar
I had a second one a few hours later on the drive to the resort
I skipped the alcohol & desserts during the afternoon and opted for a variety of ceviches
I had a couple sips of my boyfriend’s cocktails – enough to realize they were tasty but too sweet and they’d make me really tired. No thanks.
I had a glass of wine at dinner
My entree was grilled mahi mahi and we shared a couple sushi rolls as an appetizer
No dessert. I thought about it, but there wasn’t anything (yet) that screamed out at me as a must have. However, I’ll be the first to say that there is a cocoa (real chocolate) speciality shop with a workshop (?!?!) and I plan to check that out tomorrow!
Was it a perfect day of clean eating? No.
Did I feel deprived or like I was missing out? No.
Did I stuff myself stupid and feel gross all day? No.
Plus, I moved as much as possible and tried to focus on enjoying experiences instead of items.
Create memories, don’t consume them.
That was my practice today. That will be my happy practice for the next few days.
What about a workout?
Didn’t happen. I was up at 3am, out of the house by 3:30am and then getting settled in. I did, however, spend a couple hours swimming and more than a couple hours walking around exploring. Good for me!
Plus, I found a few different fitness centers within the resort and I’ve already planned out tomorrow’s workout. For those who are curious, I’ll be doing 10×10 dumbbell thrusters & burpees. (That means 10 thrusters, 10 burpees times ten rounds.)
I’ll definitely keep you posted throughout the trip! Stay tuned, especially on my Instagram stories!
