Becoming “Best-In-Class” Requires a Powerful Productivity System
These Two Books Will Inspire You To Create One In 2022
I yearn to become a world-class writer and book review critic with “Great Books, Great Minds” serving as my sandbox.
My aim is to create the ultimate ecosystem for human connection worldwide, one book at a time. As a passionate global book ambassador, I am passionate about supporting others in adapting and thriving amid the massive changes occurring on this planet.
So here’s what I’m learning on my journey — the achievement of “Best-In-Class” status requires focus, vigor, and direction. Amid life’s messy cocktail of distractions and re-routes, finding your peak performance mojo, however, can be quite challenging.
Over time, I have learned that an imperative for success can be captured in one word
Life Systems
Whenever I read books about those who are world-class in their beings and doings, what strikes me are the life systems they have developed to ensure a sustained, consistent path to greatness.
By way of example, one person I have been following closely of late is iconic NFL quarterback Tom Brady. In 2021 at the age of 43, he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win (his 7th total).
Brady's book “The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance” explores his roadmap to longevity and success, proving that one cannot rely solely on natural talent to advance forward in life. He credits his longevity to the lifestyle systems he consistently employs, related to diet, exercise, and recovery habits, a regimen he has created.
Given that I am hardwired to think in systems, there are two books that I have returned to of late for inspiration. Here are the lessons that I am learning, or for that matter re-learning from them, as I strive to up my game for 2022.
Book #1: Work The System — The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter
Lessons and Reminders:
Invest the majority of your day preparing for the work you're going to do versus jumping in unprepared. For me, that translates into spending far more time organizing an article I am going to write than actually writing it. Following this system I find makes my writing process exponentially easier and more meaningful.
The more you focus on enhancing your business systems, the more profitable and productive the results you’ll produce
Embrace a simplistic and minimalistic approach to your work. In other words, avoid the tendency to complicate what isn’t complicated.
Aim to make more money through less work. The 80/20 Pareto Principle is the key to this. Find a way to be more efficient in your daily routines allowing more focus and energy for your best work. Strive to be calmer, collected, and under control with your work. Develop a personal system that embraces flow in your work versus force.
Focus on delivering value to others. The great thought leader Zig Ziglar said it best — “You can have everything you want in life if you simply help enough other people get what they want in life.”
Book 2: Work Clean — The Life Changing Power of Mise-En-Place To Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind By Dan Charnas
Culinary arts is the one profession that has developed an enduring philosophy and comprehensive system for maximum productivity. This system called Mise-En-Place is the bedrock foundation for my daily work as a writer. It is a system that can be applied to any part of your life.
The concept of “Working Clean” embodies three universal values of Mise-En-Place: Preparation, Process, and Presence. It’s the core of culinary philosophy (what chefs believe) and systems (what chefs do).
The essence of a successful life system is one that allows you to channel your energies, thoughts, and emotions productivity so you can navigate through a tough workload with excellence.
Working clean whether in a kitchen or life involves working with an economy of time, space, and motion.
Presence, the third universal value, is what ultimately allows one to extract meaning from their work. As author Charnas notes in the book: “When sitting, just sit. When cooking, just cook. Care for nothing but the work when you work.”