Mike 

Medici <mail@sendfoxmail.com> 31/5/2020 09:31

How Habits, Routines and Systems Make You Anti-Fragile

Para vitor@mailbox.org  

How This E-Mail Will Change Your Actions

You will Develop Habits, Establish Routines, and Create Systems that allow
you to improve Physically, Intellectually Socially and Artistically despite a less
than ideal environment.
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At various points throughout life you will find yourself in an environment that is not
conducive to productivity. It will range from something as small as moving
apartments or cities to something as large as a getting laid off during a Global
Pandemic.

An example from my own life is my recent job change. Adjusting to a new role,
working at a much larger company and traveling 2 weeks of every month is not my
idea of an environment primed for productivity.

While at times I was running in place, working hard but making no progress, overall I
have done a good job of moving forward despite the period of adjustment to my new
normal – I owe this to the Habits, Routines and Systems I have developed over
time.
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Habits
Habits allow you to complete tasks on autopilot.

It is essential to develop as many good habits as possible and allow them to “run in
the background” while your mind is otherwise occupied.

Think about how you automatically shower, brush your teeth, and get changed in the
morning. You do these things every single day, without an ounce of will power,
regardless of anything else that may be going on.

Now imagine feeling the same about going to the gym, eating healthy food, reading
books and keeping a journal. Imagine developing a Training Habit so ingrained
that you wind up at the gym after work and forgot driving there because it was
as automatic as brushing your teeth.

If you can get to this level of Habit development you will be able to naturally continue
moving forward simply due to the automatic actions you take every single day.

If you want to learn more about how to create good habits that stick and the powerful
effects they have I suggest reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and following him
on Twitter @JamesClear
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Routines

Routines allow you to make state changes on command.

You need two routines – one to “Turn On” and one to “Turn Off”

What this looks like in practice is an action or set of actions that tells your brain “It is
time to work” or “It is time to relax”

I originally picked this up from my college baseball days. Everybody had a pre-pitch
routine to keep us present and tell our brain “It’s time to hit” as well as a release
routine to refocus on when things.

For example, if I was hitting and the umpire made a bad call I would step out of the
box, look at a specific spot on my bat and take a deep breath. This allows you to
forget about the last pitch and refocus on the present. You then go back to your pre-
pitch routine and you are back into a “hitting state of mind”.
You can do this same thing to put yourself in a productive state of mind.

If you repeat the same steps every time you perform Deep Work, eventually your
mind will be conditioned to think “If I do these steps I need to be prepared to work”
and you will be able to enter a flow state on command.

This “Trigger” can be 5 minutes of meditation, making a coffee with a french press or
even listening to a specific song (or all of these). It doesn’t have to be long or
intricate but it has to be consistent.

You can do the same thing to relax. Every night before I sleep I put on a specific
show while I stretch and then make chamomile tea and read. This tells my body it is
time to sleep.

These routines become extremely useful to override conditions outside your control.
When I need to work on a plane I can simply use my “Trigger” to put my brain into a
Productive State. When I am sleeping in a hotel I can still use my nightly Relaxation
Routine to tell my body it is time to sleep.
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Systems

Systems allow you to efficiently complete meaningful objectives.

Less specific than habits or routines Systems are ways frameworks of thinking or
acting that make complex tasks simple, repeatable and effortless.

PISA - Physical, Intellectual, Social, Artistic is an example of an Organizational

System.

Core 4 - Training, Nutrition, Sleep and Supplements is an example of a Physical

System.

C.R.E.A.M – Performance based Career + Reduce Fixed Expenses + Extra Income

From Side Business + Assets that Produce Income = Millionaire is an example of an
Intellectual System.

These Systems or Mental Model allow you to take complex tasks – namely
organizing and utilizing massive amounts of information, getting into elite physical
shape, becoming a Millionaire – and make them simpler, easier and more
consistent.

When facing difficult times, or a less than ideal environment, you can revert back to
the systems you created in good times to stay on track. Think of life like a chaotic
jungle, Systems are a machete that allows you to hack a straight line path through
the vines and reach your destination by focusing on what is essential.
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One Sentence Summary

Good Habits, Set Routines and Robust Systems will allow you to remain
Steadfast in times of Struggle and Change and Build an Incredible Life.

MRM

Twitter: @MikeRMedici

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mikermedici@gmail.com 1601 E CESAR CHAVEZ STREET AUSTIN, TX 78702 United States