Episode #26
Do you feel agitated as if you’re chasing your day and not leading it?
In this episode, Tim & Doug discuss the importance of energy management over time management and how it can affect your daily productivity.
Most men set their businesses in a way where their lives serve their business. And as they go through The Activation Method, they realized that it should be the other way around.
To effectively manage your energy, having a structured daily routine is essential.
Setting up structured routines gives you a sense of focus and direction. The time you get up is not what is important here.
Managing your energy will put you into a state of flow where you can perform at your best because you are completely focused, more relaxed, and completely present on what you are doing.
Starting the day with a routine or a system puts everything in place. Your mind will be free from stress, you can plan and you will be able to use your energy properly without being exhausted at the end of the day while providing better outcomes.
It is also important to know what outcomes you are looking for and then track your performance. If things aren’t working well, change your routine. Set a routine that will improve your outcome and stick with it.
Things you will discover in this episode:
- Routines that are effective and will have a huge impact on your day
- The importance of having “Thinking Time” sessions every day
- How you can find a routine that works for you
- The importance of tracking your outcome
- How managing time can burn you out
- Techniques on managing your energy better
————-
Hungry for more?
Head over to our BONUS page for special access to some of the deeper tactics and techniques we’ve developed at The Powerful Man.
Listen On:
iTunes
Stitcher
YouTube
Spotify
————-
Episode Transcript
Doug Holt 0:00
I don’t do my morning routine; I lack focus. I lack direction. I feel as if I’m chasing my day versus leading my day. That’s the biggest thing I would say.
Tim Matthews 0:11
Yeah, me too. I feel agitated when I don’t do it.
Doug Holt 0:15
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Powerful Man Show. I am your host, Doug Holt, with my co-host, Tim, “The Powerful Man,” Matthews. How are you doing, brother?
Tim Matthews 0:30
Fans go wild. Yeah, I’m fantastic. How are you?
Doug Holt 0:34
I’m doing great, doing great getting hydrated over here. Over the weekend, last weekend I went sugaring. I don’t know if you’re familiar with what that is. I was essentially invited by my brother in law who owns land in the States and in a state called Vermont. And tapped maple trees got the sap out, which is sweet water, right. And we took the sweet water, and we boiled it for like 12 hours. A laborious process, but then you get maple syrup. And it tastes so much better than the maple syrup that you get in stores, just like most things, when it’s fresh, it’s organic. You know precisely what the sources and everything, and you play a part in it. I got to come home with his jug of maple syrup, but I left at 3 am. And so get myself hydrated and re-energized for the rest of the day.
Tim Matthews 1:26
It’s great. Yeah, you usually get up at 4 am anyway, don’t you?
Doug Holt 1:29
4:25. I sleep in. I’m debating about getting up earlier, so I can spend more time with my son. But I like to be there when he wakes up. I always want to get to the gym early in the morning to knock that out of the way and see if I can get to the gym, to my morning routine, then come back, get my son out of his crib. Wrestle with him for a while. Life is good, man. I mean, before most people get up, I’ve already had the most fantastic day.
Tim Matthews 2:00
Was it what difference you found when you get up later and don’t get a chance to do your morning routine? Because obviously, you’re not going to sacrifice playing with the son either. So what have you found that having less time in the morning impacts you there?
Doug Holt 2:17
Well, you’ve seen it. So I’m moodier and grumpier because I feel like part of me is missing. I’m on my journey, right? I’m enjoying the journey as I’m on it. But like my workouts, I know, for me, I’ll let my day get away from me. I’m less likely, and I should say, to go to the gym after, let’s say 2 pm. Right? I’m just less likely to do it. My son gets up from his nap at 3 pm. I like to be there and spend time with my wife and shutting things down. In our previous episode, we talked about people looking forward to shutting down after six. A lot of times, I’ll shut down after three and spend time with them. And that’s what you think about what’s life about why we are doing what we’re doing. And the legacy that we’re leaving through The Powerful Man movement is huge. But at the same time, I also have my family, my son as he grows up, and my wife and honoring her. If I don’t do my morning routine, I lack focus, and I lack direction. I feel as if I’m chasing my day versus leading my day. That’s the biggest thing I would say,
Tim Matthews 3:28
Yeah, me too. I feel agitated when I don’t do it. I have been playing around with different workflows of life, because again, similar to you. Typically over the past year or so, my routine has been to get up at 7 am I’ll spend the first 90 minutes of the day, first half hour is meditation, which is just a little bit, and then I’ll do some journaling for about 15 to 20 minutes, and I’ll do some stretching for about half an hour. And then I’ll get my coffee and get ready and go to the gym. I do not have caffeine before I meditate; I’ll do any of those pieces. I go to the gym, get back from the gym, and that’s when I’ll then get into work mode, if you will, although even at the gym once I’ve had caffeine remains. I’ve certainly had great ideas that come to me because I am learning. You know we’re learning a lot about marketing, quite honestly. In terms of growing The Powerful Man movement, what I tested switched it out, so after my stretching instead of going to the gym, I then put a block in to do the learning that I’ve been assigned. However, that doesn’t mean when it comes to about midday, then I’m scheduled to go to the gym, but I am so in the zone by that time. I just don’t want to go anywhere. Because I know when I don’t, there is a dramatic effect on my mood. I’m a lot moodier, and my body feels a lot less supple. I don’t feel strong; I just hate not going to the gym. I was going about midday, but what I found myself doing was quitting my workout short and wanting to get out of the gym sooner because I wanted to get back to work. So I then switched that around and went back to the routine that I was using before, which just worked so well; it’s so key to have that set. Well, it’s for me anyway there’s a direct correlation with the guys in The Brotherhood who have their routines and stick to them and the results that they get. It’s just so key to have that almost like a recalibration. And for me, I always end up; still have spirit and to be able to reflect. And that then feeds into gratitude that then feeds into the peace of mind. That then feeds into clarity. That then feeds into energy, which then I take throughout my day. And to be able to start my day in that way every day is just huge. And one thing you do that I love that I’ve not got a real habit around yet is thinking time.
Doug Holt 6:16
Just one thing? Yeah, thinking time is huge. I must find a leader, and a business owner allows me space. Look, here’s the deal, all of us, anybody listening to this right now, you are not going to complete your to-do list today. Welcome to the real world; as soon as you knock it off, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or business owner, it’s going to grow, people will fill it up. The thinking time allows you the space to work on your business rather than in your business or on yourself, right. And there are times when thinking time you and I will take out to think about life situations like my family, and we’re going to be moving, we’re location independent, which is awesome. Simultaneously, being location independent has its problems, such as we can live anywhere. So now, our options are endless. And now we’re going to narrow it down, right. But the thinking time is such a critical process. And maybe we can do a whole episode on thinking time at some juncture. But one thing I think it’s funny that a lot of the guys talk about in The Brotherhood is, and you mentioned it, I get up early. Sometimes you and I are five hours apart. Right? Right now, I’m on the East Coast of the United States before I was on the Pacific Coast, but you’re in the UK and sometimes on the weekend. We reached out to each other. And you’re like, “Yeah, let’s talk. I’m just getting up.” And I was driving, which is hilarious, right? But it’s different stages of life, and this is what I want the guys to understand. They’re listening to this and why I’m sharing it is because you hear so much you have with Jocko Willink, you have all these people, Robin Sharma, the 5 am Club, they’re all saying get up at this specific time, which I don’t agree with them. The reason I get up so early is one of the reasons is my son is only two years old. So he goes to bed early, and so at night, my wife and I have an opportunity to connect. I also get up early so I can get my morning routine done and get a start on my day before my son gets up. Right? He’s at that stage. Now, later on in life, when my son decides to stay up later. Right, I probably will adjust my schedule accordingly. And that’s why I do it. So I don’t think it’s when you get up like so many of these books are proclaiming; I don’t make them wrong for doing it. It’s an easy way to do it, and you want to model successful people. Right? And who’s going to argue with Jocko Willink’s discipline? Certainly not me. It’s not to him. But the idea, right, the idea is to find one that fits in your life. So I get up at 4:30, you get up at seven. But by the time we start our workday when we’re in flow, right, when we’re doing it right, we’re not perfect, and then we hit the ground running. And that’s where I think the men should take from this, not when we’re getting up because I can already see guys penciling this down. Okay, Tim gets up at seven. How many ounces of how many minutes do you meditate? How many ounces of juice do you have? And that’s great. You want to model success, and Tim, you’ve been extremely successful. You’re kind of like a spiritual gangster, so to speak, to all these guys. They should model you, quite frankly. But you guys, you don’t have to model the exact times that Tim, myself, or anybody else is doing it. Just find a routine that works for you.
Tim Matthews 9:52
Yeah, the key thing is, it’s all about energy management and time management, isn’t it? If you are tracking your effectiveness, which you and I both do and the guys we work with doing as well. You’ll know the output that you’re looking for, don’t you? And you can see where you are about that, whether you hit it, whether you’re near or far or whatever. So if you are tracking the outcome, then how you get there, when you get up at 4:30, or seven or whatever, becomes a variable. In my opinion, the thing that gives me the biggest joy in life, which is ultimately what is life about? Really? I don’t say we want to say we all because that’s a gross statement. But we often see the men that come into The Activation Method initially; their business is very much set up in a way whereby their life serves their business. As they go through the process, they come to realize that hanging on a minute, and it’s kind of backward, my business gets to serve my life, because at the end of the day, the guys that we work with, they’re all committed to living a certain lifestyle, for themselves and their family. And the business is the vehicle that gets them there. But for me, the pilot lifestyle is having a lot of joy in my life. I love it. Peace and fulfillment, I value that highly. So in the past, I have got up at 6 am. I got up at 5 am. I’ve tried various things. And I’ve always gauged it on how I feel. It’s all about energy management versus time management and consistency. We can all hustle. It’s easy, isn’t it? We can all push and grind and force and gather at 5 am and do it straight for a month and but ultimately, what ends up happening is unless you are managing your energy, guys often get burnt out because they’re managing their time and not their energy. They’re ignoring how they’re feeling or their body’s telling them, and how easy the journey feels because it really can feel easy. Easy doesn’t mean a lack of action. Easy doesn’t mean a lack of production or results at all. We’ve all heard about being in flow spots, people have been in flow, no spots, people who perform the best and perform the best because they are in a state of flow, meaning you are completely present, you are relaxed, you making decisions, you make them quickly, and you’re very detached from the outcome and expectation. The same applies to business. It can be in the same state, in business. And within life. It doesn’t come from managing your time; it comes from managing energy. So what that means for you, you get up at 7 am, or 8 am, or 4:39, or whatever; you just have to find a rhythm that works for you. It’s all about what works for you.
Doug Holt 12:56
So true. Yeah, and I think coming with those energetic outcomes of what you want out of this experience. Getting control around that is the key; when I say control might not be the right word.
Tim Matthews 13:13
Flexibility, isn’t it?
Doug Holt 13:15
Yeah, it’s flexible. It’s a kind of control with flexibility. So that’s where flow comes in. Right? If you want to have something that allows you the freedom to move forward through your goals and what you want. As a business owner, right, the first thing you do most business owners do is, when we talk to them, Tim, the first thing they do in the morning, they roll out of bed, and they check their email.
Tim Matthews 13:39
Social media
Doug Holt 13:41
Right. They go right to work mode. Now you’re releasing all this cortisol, adrenaline coming through your body. And now you’re fighting upstream the rest of the day, you’re exhausted by the end of the day, you have some drinks you disassociate, you watch TV, go to bed, and you do it all again. Right? Repeat, repeat, repeat. So you want to set yourself up for success. And the weird thing is there is freedom in the structure of doing so. Right? And that’s what I fought for so long, man. I am just such an independent person. Default.
Tim Matthews 14:20
Is that what you call it?
Doug Holt 14:25
Yeah, you probably haven’t noticed that I could be a little stubborn and independent. So even with structure, even when I design structure, I’m like, “Ah, the first thing I want to do is break all the rules” don’t eat carbs, then I’ll go out and get donuts or something. Just that, but what I found over the years is that by having that structure that morning routine, having some structure in my day, I have an afternoon routine, ideally an evening routine. That gives me the freedom to do what I want to do and look where I am now, managing multiple companies, and being able to chat with you and help men around the world. And do work with the movement work with these guys. I don’t say that to impress anybody, but to impress upon the listener that like, “Look, these are decisions,” right? These are decisions we all get to make on how we want to live. How do we want to write the next chapter in our story? How do we want to move forward? Because if you’re listening to this, right, you’re not the average man. You’re just not, you wouldn’t be listening to Tim, and I talk. And you certainly wouldn’t have hit this far in this episode. So you’re not average. So stop acting as if you’re average. It’s time to step up your game, right? or otherwise, you wouldn’t be here doing this. And so I’m effectively calling you out. This is time if things aren’t working, do something to change that. And I can start with something as simple as a morning routine and changing your outcomes.
Hey, guys, I want to interrupt this episode because I want to talk to you about something important. We put together a case study on how almost 300 men have taken control of their lives, their 4X in their business revenues, and they’re having more connected intimate sex, all without sacrificing their relationships or their health by using The Activation Method. Now, many of you have contacted us, and they want to know how they’re doing it. We put together this short 11-minute case study just for you. So you can see how these entrepreneurs are achieving this level of success. To get this case study, all you have to do is go over to ThePowerfulMan.com/bonus. Yep, that’s one, one. And you can get the case study right now. All right, it’s only 11 minutes, and it’s going to show you exactly how these men have done it. Alright, let’s get back to the episode.
Tim Matthews 16:48
Yeah, measuring them. I’m always shocked by the number of guys we work with within the initial phase of The Activation Method that generates multiple seven figures yet, KPIs out there within the company. They’re just kind of hustled and pushed them fast and ground the result out, which if you want to experience more joy and grow within your personal life, have more freedom and have a lifestyle that gets to change, of course. And one thing you were saying before that I’m kind of backtracking a bit here, but I think it’s going to be beneficial. People can become addicted biochemically to hustling. And what I mean by that is, let’s say you wake up in the morning, not you. So the listener, we’re experimenting. And the first thing you do is, like you’re saying, Doug, you get your phone out, and you check your email, you go on social media, whatever it is you do, you do the same thing every morning. As soon as you do that, you will fire certain neurological pathways and also a biochemical response. And that biochemical response will be about how you perceive checking email or going on social media. Let’s say that over the past few years, checking your email has elicited a stress response, then in terms of fight or flight, you’re going to straightaway be in fight or flight mode. And that will then trigger the release of stress hormone within your body. And then, over time, as you go about your day, the more you feel stretched, the more you drink caffeine, the more you view things through that same filter, the more your body and brain continue to fire off those same pathways and same biochemicals. So there is a phase to this, whereas you go about changing and sending about a new morning routine, and who knows, maybe getting into nature more or meditating or journaling, or whatever it is. There’s going to be a period of change where it’s going to feel very strange because you’re almost going to feel like you should be busy, come out the smoker who gives up smoking and then needs something in the hands of a pen. It’s the same with the hustler giving up hustling, you’re going to feel like crap, I need to be doing something with this time and space. And that’s just because of the response that your body has been useless, there’s going to be a drop-off. And then it’ll get into a new norm of your body, realizing that this is the new way in which he operates. Having more peace, having more calm, having more joy, which doesn’t mean you’ve got to retreat to the mountains and become a monk. You can still lead your company; you’ll lead it more effectively and more efficiently. You can make more money easier while having more time off and trusting more people because you’re trusting yourself. You’re our fight or flight mode is a game-changer. It’s not an overnight switch. You will have tendencies more than likely to want to go back to the old ways because that’s been your predominant step for decades. No doubt. As long as you’re headed, you have a strong north star, and you surround yourself with like-minded men who are also going there, then you’ve got a high chance of success.
Doug Holt 20:21
So true. So Tim, coming out of this conversation, as we think about this, what are some things that a man listening to this could do right now? Give them some action points.
Tim Matthews 20:34
Okay. So the first thing we always say to the guys in it is, “What do you want?” So I’m going to assume that you don’t know what you want, and you’re waking up every day, you are going into your business, you’re running the company, and every day is kind of the same. And all you do all is you want to change, and I’m going to assume that’s where you’re at. So the first thing is to understand what it is you want. The lifestyle that you want for you, Doug, you’re very clear that you want it to be there with Bodhi so that you could wake up and wrestle with him. Cool. That’s why one, how does everything else fit around that. So the first thing is getting clear on what you want. My advice to you would be to include how you want to feel energy management versus time management. The second thing, once you are aware of that, is to establish some routines. I’d highly recommend meditation. If you don’t know where to start with that, start simple five minutes, do some guided meditation, just get used to being present, have a rule that you do not go on your phone for the first 90 minutes of the day. If that’s too much for you, do it for the first 30 minutes. If you use your phone for meditation, then cool, do it on flight mode. You don’t need your phone to be on to be able to use it for meditation. Start with some meditation, start with some journaling. And get into nature more, nature is huge, it’s just such a powerful tool and being able to ground yourself and be present. Maybe part of that morning routine for that first hour, or however long you set aside, is meditation, journaling, or walking in nature. And then the third thing alongside knowing what you want and having the routines is to commit to managing your energy, and you’re going to tend to want to step back into that same response, fight or flight, that same energy that you’ve been in for many decades, you just are. But you get to find the evidence and stack the evidence for this new possibility. And this new fee and also make sure you’ve got the outcomes you measure there. So that if the stories come up, you should be working harder, or you should be doing more than you can always look at the results you’re producing. And how you still produce great results and achieve what you want if not overachieving by utilizing this different way. We talk a lot about being the dumb way and the smart way. And that’s no disrespect to anyone. But it’s very easy just to hustle and work hard. It’s very easy. It requires you to work smart to do when to implement and live in a way we’re talking about. So you get to stack the evidence for how that was the smart way, managing energy over time, is producing the results for you in your life. And because of that is going to give you the leverage to continue to do it. Boom.
Doug Holt 23:29
Well, well said. Tim, as always, guys, I recommend re-listening to some of these things that Tim had mentioned bookmarking this and coming back to it because it’s something that you want to put into practice time and time again, as you’re on your journey and like a muscle, until you build this into a habit. You want to check back and make sure you’re on track and make sure you’re going. That’s it for us guys; we will see you in The Activation Method group on Facebook until next time. And please rate and review on whatever device that you’re listening to us, whether it be Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, etc., wherever you can find this episode because that helps other men like you join the conversation. And that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking to unchained and unplug men all over the world just like you. So until next time, have an amazing day.
