Matt Harris

I've been meditating for nearly 8 years. I've tried different practices from sitting in silence to mantra-based meditation and guided meditation.

However, it wasn't until I signed up to Mindvalley - the online learning platform - last year that a tried a meditation practice which actually makes me feel happier.

• What is 6 Phase Meditation?

Vishen Lakhiani, Mindvalley's founder, developed the 6 Phase Meditation in 2013.

"It’s the distillation of thousands of years of scientific and spiritual wisdom, where the key benefits of meditation are dramatically amplified - while all unnecessary dogma is erased."
- Vishen Lakhiani

In just a few minutes a day, 6 Phase Meditation can transform the way you think, perform, grow and shape the world around you.

• Practicing the 6 Phase Meditation

The practice goes through the following phases:

- Phase 1: Circle of Compassion

- Phase 2: Gratitude

- Phase 3: Forgiveness

- Phase 4: Envisioning the future

- Phase 5: Your Perfect Day

- Phase 6: The Blessing

This process can be completed in less than 20 minutes a day (I've managed it in 10!).

• Best time for 6 Phase Meditation

The ideal time to complete the practice is in the morning when you're still in an alpha state.

I usually practice around 6.30 am after finishing my workout and things are quiet in the house.

• Why do I feel happier?

I believe that phases 3, 4, and 5 have had the biggest impact on me.

Going through the process of forgiveness has helped me let go of negative thoughts and feelings for a person or situation that happened.

Visualizing what I want to happen in the future also reinforces my goals and is a constant reminder of what I'm working towards.

Planning out my day also helps me to retain focus on the present and how what I do today, will help me achieve the future that I envision.

Creating a Not To Do List allows you to simplify your life and create space for the things that are important.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
- Albert Einstein

The idea is simple: Cut things that don't matter out of your life so that you can spend more time, effort and focus on the things that do.

“Not-to-do” lists are often more effective than to-do lists for upgrading performance. The reason is simple: what you don’t do determines what you can do."
- Tim Ferriss

• Start your Not To Do List

Creating a Not To Do List helps you systematically cut unnecessary tasks and things that you don't like doing, out of your life.

Things like:

1. Looking at your phone first thing in the morning

2. Answering calls from unknown numbers

3. Constantly checking emails and social media

4. Drinking coffee late in the afternoon

5. Agreeing to useless meetings

6. Going to be later than intended

7. Pleasing everyone

By cutting out the inessential from your life, you can start to place more emphasis on the essentials - family, health, and relationships.

• Don't know where to start?

Try this simple thought experiment, which was taught to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, by one of his college professors.

Later today, you receive two phone calls:

1. In the first call, you learn that you’ve inherited $20 million, with no strings attached.

2. In the second call, due to a rare and incurable disease, you only have 10 years left to live.

After receiving these calls, what would you stop doing?

• Just Say No

Focusing on what really matters, starts with saying 'No'.

Saying 'No' is a critical skill for you to develop. It allows you to focus on the things that are most important to you.

Saying 'No' also helps you start your Not-To-Do List.

The 80/20 Principle has influenced many important achievements, especially in the world of business, computer science, and quality engineering.

However, very few people apply the 80/20 Principle to optimize their everyday life.

As a result, miss out on some important impacts it could have on their health, happiness, and success.

80/20 Your Life

What are the 20% of your possessions you get the most value out of?

What do you spend 20% of your time doing that gives you 80% of your happiness?

Who are the 20% of people you’re close to who makes you the happiest

What are the 20% of the clothes you wear 80% of the time?

What’s the 20% of the food you eat 80% of the time?

These might be easy questions for you to answer, you just haven't considered them before.

Once you've answered them, you'll realize how simple it is to apply the same formula to other areas of your life where you increase efficiencies.

Doubling Down

At its core, the 80/20 Principle is about leverage. What changes could you make in your day-to-day life by incorporating the 80/20 Principle?

Identify when you are happiest, where you find the most fulfillment and what brings you the most success.

Doubling down on these elements while reducing your exposure to the rest is a surefire way of designing a lifestyle that's optimized for you to be your best.

"It doesn’t occur to us that there’s an efficiency to every aspect of our life, to everything we do. And not only is there an efficiency, but we have control and influence over that efficiency. It’s something we can take responsibility for and improve."
- Mark Manson

It might be impossible to rigidly apply the 80/20 Principle to everything in your life.

However, it can be used as a useful tool to help you make choices that lead to better health, greater happiness, and more success.

Over the past 5 years, I have read 20+ books on the subject of lifestyle design.

Most of them contained useful tools and tips which could have easily been blog posts or even newsletter emails.

This morning I listen to a Tim Ferriss podcast episode where I was reminded that these 3 books will help you design a life that is centered around working less, getting away from distractions, and doing things that are more meaningful to you.

I encourage you to give them a read, they're well worth the time.

Book #1: The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

I first read this book in 2018. This book was ahead of its time.

And here's why you'll love it:

• The book sets out a philosophical approach to why you can and should design the life that you want and give you practical steps to achieve this.

• The book explains how lifestyle design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times

Book #2: Deep Work by Cal Newport

This book was recommended to me by Steph, an investment banker friend.

Here's why I think you'll love it:

• The book explains why deep work is necessary if you want to get better at what you do and how you can achieve more in less time.

• The book also advocates the practice of being bored in order to become more creative.

Book #3: Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Finally, I think everyone should read this book.

And here's why I think you'll love it:

• The book teaches you about a disciplined way of thinking by pursuing the right thing, in the right way at the right time.

• This pursuit of less enables you to take control of your choices and channel your time, energy, and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter most to you.

Starting the day on the right foot increases your productivity and gets your mind right to face the challenges of the day.

“If you WIN the morning, you WIN the day.”
- Tim Ferriss

Unfortunately, many of us prefer to hit the snooze button and spend extra time in bed instead of getting a head start on the day.

Most people just don't want a morning routine.

They believe that not having a morning routine:

• Doesn't determine how their day goes;

• Doesn't make them more successful; and

• Doesn't make them more productive.

However, there are some simple habits that you can implement to help you start the day right, without having a full blow morning routine.

Here are three habits to help you have a good morning :

Step 1: Define your chronotype

A chronotype is your body’s natural disposition to be awake or asleep at certain times during the day.

We all operate differently, with different biological rhythms, preferences, and productivity styles.

That’s why it’s important to work with your chronotype instead of against it if you want to be rested and as productive as possible.

Step 2: Drink Water

After going several hours without water during sleep, your body is dehydrated first thing in the morning.

Drinking a glass of water after waking up rehydrates the body, aids digestion, and increases your metabolism by as much as 25%.

Having a glass of water after waking helps you get into a routine of drinking water throughout the rest of the day.

Step 3: Leave the phone alone

Our phones are always with us. It's an instant gratifier for boredom and discomfort.

By checking your phone as soon as you open your eyes, you start your day on the back foot. That’s not a good way to start.

Give yourself time to ease into the day by leaving your phone alone for the first 30 minutes.

I never used to analyze the outcome of successful or unsuccessful decisions I took within my business.

I read two books this year that made me change this approach - David Goggins' You Can't Hurt Me and Jason Fox's Life Under Fire.

One of the key lessons I took from these Special Service operators is the concept of carrying out an After Action Report once a project, decision, or action has been completed.

• What is an After Action Report (AAR)?

An AAR is a structured review process for analyzing:

- What happened;

- Why it happened; and

- How it can be done better next time.

The aim of an AAR is to help you or your team learn from the actions and decisions that were taken in order to avoid failure and promote success in the future.

• An AAR provides clarity

The purpose of an AAR is to answer 5 key questions:

1. What was supposed to happen?

2. What was the reality?

3. What went well?

4. What did not go well?

5. What should be changed for next time?

Answering these questions provides clarity about the actions and decisions taken and how these contributed to the final result.

Carrying out an AAR leads to you or your team capturing the lessons learned from the actions and decisions taken.

• Weekly and Project-based reviews

Since learning about AARs, I've implemented them in two ways:

1. Weekly AAR - I carry out a weekly AAR in my Bullet Journal. Every week I'll set out my 'Must' Deliverable Tasks and then review my execution at the end of the week, listing what worked, what didn't work and the lessons I learned.

2. New Projects - After completing every new project, whether that's finishing a course or taking action within my business, I'll carry out an AAR.

The insights I've gained and the learning I've experienced since doing have been transformational from spotting repeating patterns that don't serve me to identifying the one action that provided the greatest leverage during a project.

I don't have very many close relationships.

With age, I've learned that investing in the right relationships is important.

"Without relationships, we are dead to the world - or dead."
- Richard Koch

Developing the right relationships comes down to communication.

Regardless of whether you are dealing with friends, family, work colleagues, or partners.

Learning how to communicate enables you to build lasting relationships. The better you communicate, the deeper your connection.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people, that are not very good at communicating.

They prefer to talk rather than listen.

Other than communication, people struggle to build lasting relationships because:

• They're quick to judge;

• They don't pay attention;

• They prioritize the phone; and

• They don't say what they mean.

However, you can take simple and effective steps to improve your relationships.

Here are 3 simple and effective steps that will help:

Step 1: Active Listening

Make a conscious effort to hear the complete message being communicated.

Do this by paying careful attention to the person you're talking to. Take the time to answer thoughtfully and without judgment.

Step 2: It's not who you know but how you treat them

Happiness doesn't come from having lots of relationships. It comes from nurturing the right relationships.

A small number of our relationships account for a large proportion of our emotional value. They require work.

However, if you treat these relationships well, they will treat you well.

Step 3: Don't be so sensitive

A key to dealing with people is to remember that what they think isn’t important.

Unless people tell you what they think, how do you know what they are thinking? There is no reason to be sensitive when you're dealing with other people until you know what they are thinking.

They have their own shit to deal with. To find out what people are thinking, ask them.

Progress towards our goals comes from taking consistent action.

Once you start taking action, you need to generate momentum. The secret to generating momentum is the sense of certainty.

Uncertainty combined with little potential and taking little action provides shitty little results.

To change your level of certainty, you need to achieve your goals in advance in your mind.

You need to visualize, feel, and experience what you want to achieve over and over again with enough repetition so that you get certain.

Whether you actually succeed or get a result, or you imagine it vividly, it makes your body more certain.

• Building Certainty

So how do you build a strong sense of certainty?

1. You have to be obsessed.
   
   Decided on your goal and you focus on it. Think about it all the time and unleash the energy in you that makes you find the answers to achieving your goal.
   

2. Take MASSIVE ACTION.
   
   Even if you didn't know where to start or what to do for your particular goal, start where you are and try anything. If what you try doesn't work, try something else.
   

3. Modeling.
   
   You can speed up the process of taking massive action and effective execution through modeling.
   
   Find someone who has taken a significant part of their life to figure out how to do something and learn from them. Read books, listen to podcasts, and watch YouTube videos to understand how they achieved their goal.
   

4. Know exactly what you want to achieve.
   
   Focus on what you really want, very clearly. You've got to be specific.

"Where focus goes energy flows."
- Tony Robbins

When you know exactly what you want to achieve and you get yourself to take massive action, you can start to reach the goals you want out of life.

This causes you to take more action and get better results and that's how you build momentum.

In 2018 I was introduced to Wim Hof at a Tony Robbins, Unleash the Power Within event.

Nicknamed "The Iceman" after breaking a number of records related to cold exposure, Wim Hof developed the Wim Hof Method after learning to control his breathing, heart rate, and blood circulation to withstand extreme temperatures.

• What is the Wim Hof Method?

The Wim Hof Method is based on 3 pillars:

1. Breathing;

2. Cold Exposure; and

3. Commitment

• Breathing

The Wim Hof Method is a specialized breathing technique that heightens oxygen levels, which increases energy, reduces stress, and improves the body's immune response.

• Cold Exposure

Ice baths, cold showers, and cold body therapy are all linked with numerous health benefits. These include reduced inflammation, balanced hormone levels, and improved sleep quality.

It also increases the production of endorphins in the brain which naturally, elevate your mood.

• Commitment

Conscious breathing and cold exposure require patience & dedication in order to be fully mastered.

With this focus and determination, you're able to explore and gradually master your own body and mind.

• My Practice

Since 2018, I've been pretty consistent with all three pillars.

At first, I was practicing 2/3 rounds of breathing as part of my morning routine and only having cold showers.

Now, my practice is just 1 round of breathing and having a cold shower session after starting with a warm shower.

The benefits I've experienced include:

• improved concentration

• increased willpower; and

• less stress

I can also hold my breath for around 3 and a half minutes!

• Start taking cold showers

The easiest way to start your own cold shower routine is by turning the tap to cold after your hot shower and taking one breath under the cold water.

Try to get to 3-5 breaths under the cold water before starting to time your 15-30 second cold shower.

The benefits will be worth it ;)

Having a good morning should start the night before.

It’s easy to overlook the end of the day when all the focus is on starting it in the right way.

“How we close out the day matters. The decisions we make. The reflection we encourage. All of it is about finishing well…because then and only then can we start tomorrow better too.”
- Ryan Holiday

My Evening Routine

To prepare for tomorrow, today, my evening shut down routine consists of 3 steps:

1. Decide on my most important tasks for tomorrow and write them in my Bullet Journal.

2. Reflect on the day by writing in my 5 Minute Journal and noting the day's highlights and what I have learned.

3. Going to bed at a set time (9.30/10pm) so I can wake up at a set time (4.30/5am)

The benefits of preparing for tomorrow, today:

• Creating a To-Do List the night before is more time efficient, reduces stress in the morning, and marks a definitive end to the day.

• Preparing the night before makes it as easier to stick to a morning routine. Simple things like preparing workout clothes to exercise in the morning and setting up the tea or coffee machine the night before help.

• Reflecting at the end of the day by asking questions and taking inventory of how the day was spent raises awareness, impacts happiness, and contributes to personal development.

• Having a consistent bedtime and waking up time conditions the body, which makes waking up less painful. The body's circadian rhythm thrives off of consistency, which is why it’s important to stick to the same sleep schedule even at the weekends.

"How we close out the day matters. The decisions we make. The reflection we encourage. The time we drift off to sleep. All of it is about finishing well…because then and only then can we start tomorrow better too."
-Ryan Holiday