MRL #011- How To Starve Distractions Using An Anti-Routine

Despite what the productivity gurus say, I don’t believe there’s a magical routine that insures success.

In fact, I believe the opposite is true.

It’s the activities we decide not to do that insure our success.

Enter the anti-routine.

An anti-routine is a list of everything you’re not going to do during a given period of time.

On Monday, I left the 800lb gorilla to start over.

My number one priority right now is prospecting.

Anything that is not prospecting is taking me away from prospecting and therefore needs to be ruthlessly cut out.

So, I built an anti-routine for the next 365 days.

1. NO Social Media

I have deleted every social media app off my iPhone (including most of my non social media apps).

The only 5 apps that are left are my meditation app, banking app, calculator, and 2 prospecting apps.

That’s it.

Anything I do with Max Revenue is done on my laptop through a 3rd party app in two very specific time blocks on the weekend.

2. NO Notifications

All notifications and sound are disabled on my phone.

Every time my phone rings or buzzes I catch myself reflexively picking it up and responding like Pavlov's dog.

Which got me thinking... why do I have to respond to every call, text or email, right away?

The answer is "I dont".

No one has ever died from not being texted back immediately (including my wife).

Surely, they can wait.

3. NO Meetings

I have absolutely no need to meet with anyone other than prospects right now.

No carrier meetings, no work lunches, no staff meetings.

95% of meetings are a waste of time anyways. Doubt I’ll miss much in the other 5% I avoid.

4. NO Late nights

No more treating weekends different from weekdays.

I’m not much of a partier, but I am guilty of staying up late on weekends to enjoy a cigar or watch movies with my wife.

As I get older, swings in sleep affect me more and more.

From here forward, lights out at 9pm.

5. NO Extra-curriculars

Happy hours, fantasy football, the occasional golf outing...

How much time and mental bandwidth do these activities drain from your week?

For me, too much.

I’m in a season of building. They do not serve me right now.

They can only detract, therefore they must go.

Now that all of these are removed, all that’s left to do is the work itself.

Ok, that's it for this week...

Hope your 2023 is off to a blazing start.

If not, try implementing an anti-routine.

Focus is a powerful thing.

See you next week.

Kick ass take names,

Maximus F. Revenue IV