- Productivity secret # six:
Create a peak productivity environment.
This is probably one of my biggest secrets.
Create an environment that works for you, not against you.
So, make sure that your environment works
for you instead of against you.
For some, your work environment is
not designed for peak productivity.
Now there is,
depends on.
'Cause sometimes I get this question,
does that mean I have to have a super organized desk?
Does that mean it is peak productivity?
Not necessary.
- No?
- You see, like scientist and very effective people
you go into their office, it is like a freaking mess.
- It's like organized.
- It's like organized, chaos.
- Chaos, yeah.
- That's what works for them.
You have to find what works for you.
But what I am talking about environment that I think
one of the most important concept I teach all my students,
I am going to teach it to you now,
it is the concept of the Wealth Triggers.
- Hmm hmm.
- Wealth Triggers meaning having items, having objects,
having artifacts around you in your environment
because both your conscious, sub-conscious minds respond to
all sorts of things, stimuli right?
Introducing like objects, including objects around us so
I want to have things that would help me
to create better performance.
- Right.
- So, whatever works for you.
Now you have a number of things.
- Yes.
- You have got the, actually the Mont Blanc pens.
- Yes, the Mont Blanc pens.
- Right, and what else do you have?
- I have got books on my shelf that talk about gold.
- Yeah.
- You know, I've got books that also talk
about being a good Dad, a good father.
So, those are, because family time is important for me.
So, the family time cars in the initial stages,
I'll be very honest, I think for a lot of you,
for me what's important now is not
so much the materialistic things.
It's more like, I would actually put up wealth triggers
that show me my net worth or invest the next level.
Like the next portfolio, the money monthly projects.
Those things, some things that, from that just reminds me
I need to work on.
Because now the projects are like a three year project
or a five year project.
It's not something that, oh okay.
I might put on some suits though,
I do like suits and clothing and stuff like that.
- Whatever works for you.
The environment for some, it may be a very nice painting.
- Yes.
- They find it very calming, gives them peace of mind.
Awesome.
For some, they might like a motivational kind of like quote.
- Yeah. - That's awesome.
I actually have a number of students
who print out my quotes.
- Your quotes, yeah.
- And then they post them, motivates them.
They also like the pressure of me looking at them.
Guess you're done.
That's also good.
Your goals that might work for you, I recommend a clock
in front of you because a clock is good wealth trigger.
It reminds you of the value of your time.
- I shit you not guys.
Do this!
Because for years, I had Sifu's magazine on my desk
and it worked.
Like just having it there.
Because every time I am trying to slack or on Facebook
I am, oh shit, Sifu is right there.
What if he was watching, right?
- Yeah.
- Then some of you guys go and put a sticker right here
over your camera right?
Because I shit you not, Sifu used to,
I used to say like, cameras in my house.
He knew exactly what I was doing all the time.
He someway or the other hacked my computer
and figured out I was slacking
and just when I am doing it he will send me a message.
Hey Desmond, did you get this project done?
And I asked you this three days ago.
Yeah, I am working on it.
(chuckles)
I forgot about it, I didn't write it down.
- Yeah.
- So, you know, busted right, exposed.
But it really works.
Print Sifu's picture and--
- I cannot emphasize this enough.
Your environment is very, very critical.
You will not, just think as an ath.
If you are a peak performer athlete you want to train
in a good facility, right?
- Yes.
- You want to have all the equipments, you want to have the
environment, the coaches.
So, whatever works for you.
This is your office, that's your headquarters.
That's your priority, that's where all the actions happens.
You have to protect it.
Make sure, I would say no distraction.
No noise.
Like if you have kids, I know you train your kids too.
You tell them, if Dada is working, do your thing
but like Dad is working.
- Yeah, today.
Seriously I opened my door and I yelled upstairs
and I am, like, boys, dad's about to get on a call.
It's being recorded, I can hear you guys.
Don't play the piano.
That's it, right?
Go do something else.
- You got to communicate with your family members,
I am working, I am building something for our family .
I need my time.
I need the time where there is no distraction,
I need to be in my zone,
I need to do this, right?
So, you need to have that communication ahead of time.
- I do communicate with them
and I let them know my schedule as well.
Many times we are teaching a class I will let them know
about it, even if I am home.
Guys tonight dad's got a class,
you know what, you guys can go and watch a movie,
I don't care.
You guys can go on to the third floor do whatever you want,
do something creative, play lego.
I give you permission, right?
But just don't be right above me because I have got to
teach the class at night.
I don't want to have the distraction.
- Yeah, so, with me I have the vision board in front of me.
Always reminds me of my Why.
I close the door when I am working on important tasks.
I want no distraction.
I could be in there, in the office for hours
but I close the door.
That means I don't and Jenny knows.
If I open the door it means that you can come in
and give me a kiss and you know all that stuff.
But when I close the door it means that I am thinking.
- In my case, my door is closed, most of the time.
But what I have trained my family to do is, they knock.
My boys will even knock.
They know not to just open the door.
Especially if they can come to the door and they can hear
some talking going on in the room.
Normally I am on a call,
my wife will do is she will open the door very slowly,
she will put her head in and if I am on a call
and that happens.
She will just see my hand go up like this,
she will close the door.
She knows that don't come into the room right now.
Then she will send me a text message and after I finish,
I see the text message and I am like okay.
In the house she sends me a text message, right?
She is like, oh, I am going out,
I am going to go get some groceries.
The kids are whatever they are doing.
- And sometimes if it's not your home then even back then
I would go to a hotel, I would like the environment,
I'll go to a very nice hotel, work in the lobby.
That used to work for me before.
So, a lot of objects around me that represent like wealth
and success and motivation, inspiration,
whatever works for you.
You got to find what works for you right?
You're setting yourself up for success.
You're setting up the environment for success.
And for some it maybe also like,
I also believe in Feng shui.
- Yes.
- It is like an ancient Chinese term which is meaning
the way you organize your furniture.
The way you organize the environment.
- Are you facing the window?
Did you put a mirror by your door?
- It can bring more success and prosperity
whatever that works for you.
- Maybe it is the placebo but maybe it works.
- That's right.
So, your environment very key is the last secret.
Understand that you cannot manage time.
Notice we didn't say about managing
time in this whole class.
It's not about managing time.
Because you cannot manage time.
Because time management doesn't exist.
You cannot manage time, you cannot make it go faster,
you cannot make it go slower, you cannot make the time go
forward nor backward.
You cannot make up for lost time.
Like this second, this is going to be gone.
Just a second, that's gone.
You cannot make up for lost time.
So, you cannot actually manage time.
What you could manage is how you use your time.
It's the only thing you can manage.
That's why knowing your magic number is so critical.
That is the only thing you can manage.
So, ask yourself very simple.
Do the actions that you take on a daily basis
move you forward in the direction that you want
- Hmm, that's right.
At some point I was going to write out
because when you write it out you can
- Yeah, you can get it outside your head.
Put it on a piece of paper or a journal
Put it in a notebook, right?
- Do you recommend having an accountability partner so
if you like, you know writing it down sometimes,
lot of us will lie to ourselves.
Let's just be honest.
We write down things and if nobody checks it.
I remember when I had to send in the monthly,
that I was like shit I didn't do that much this month.
- Yeah, so I think for having accountability probably helps.
For some, like for some put it on the wall, it helps.
I like to do public declaration
- Hmm, that's the ultimate accountability.
- I like that the best.
Tell the world that's your goal.
Put it onto Facebook, that's my goal.
So, that everyone looking at you, you don't make it
you feel embarrassed.
Good.
I like to tell the world, when I had, what goes on
my YouTube channel, when I had 10000 subscribers.
I already told people, I am going to grow it.
So when we hit, I said we are going to hit 100,000,
we hit a 100,000 subscribers on YouTube and I told people
I am going to hit 1 million subs, I told the whole world.
Tell the whole world about it, right?
Millions of people know that I had that intention,
that's my goal.
Good, I want the whole world to hold me accountable.
So, there's no, I can't backout.
I can't like oh I don't know, no I am not going to do it.
Just like now I am telling you that I am going to hit
10 million subs on youTube.
It will take some time but that's my goal.
Tell the whole world about it.
And I keep telling the world about it.
Not just once I am like I hope no one hears and then I keep
telling the world about it.
I like that.
I like to see people shocked.
I like to see my enemies where challenge.
- Challenge you?
- Good, if they don't think I can do it, let's see.
Let's see what happens.
That's more the rookie in me where I want to live up to the
challenge but that's what I do, I like to do.
Just imagine public declaration.
It's a very powerful way to do it.
So, what do you focus on now?
Do your actions move your way from your priorities?
If you just ask yourself daily,
is what I am doing worth x amount of dollars an hour?
Is what I am doing moving me closer to my goals?
And if you know your goals, what your goals are and
you setup that peak performance environment
and have wealth triggers around you, this works.
It is not complex, it really isn't.
You do this on a consistent basis and its becomes a habit.
You will then find your productivity level compared to other
people, you will be like this.
And you feel good, not you feel very good about yourself.
Not because you are saying that, oh I am better than you.
No you are not coming across I am better than you.
But you know your habits are better than them.
And that's why you are successful and they're not.
So, at the end of day time management
is really priority management.
- Yeah.
- And at the end of day priority management
is really self management.
That's what we are talking about.
It's self management.
Do you have the discipline?
Can you focus?
Do you have clarity?
Can you act without hesitation?
Can you take action without a lot of lower self,
with a lot of emotional baggage?
It's all self management.
- Or even just being organized.
Knowing what you are doing.
- It's all battling all your inner demons.
Are you okay with your parents,
your family not understanding you
why you want to avoid minimum wage activities.
It's all internal things, internal conflicts.
So, at the end of it, it's not the technique
I have given you the technique,
but can you execute on the techniques and apply
this strategies is your self management.
Period.
You will not be a highly effective person if you have
a strong inner game.
You have a strong inner game,
you will be more productive than most.
You can act with a lot of emotional baggage
to hold you back.
That's the difference.
People who are not productive have a ton of emotional
bullshit in their head.
Guaranteed.
If you are not productive,
I know lots of stuff going on here.
- Lack of confidence.
- Lack of confidence, what if it doesn't work,
I don't know what to do.
I could be fear, fear of failure, fear of success.
What will other people think of you.
That just paralyzes people.
All those things, all those stories,
all those chatters in your mind it paralyze you.
And that's why you are not productive.