The Single Hardest Entrepreneurial Habit Ep 231

In this episode, the host discusses the importance of sleep for entrepreneurs, emphasizing how it influences energy levels and overall productivity. He shares his personal experiences and observations, noting that successful individuals often have a disciplined sleep routine. The conversation highlights the challenges of maintaining such habits, like foregoing social events and managing the impact of travel across time zones. The host, Alex, underscores the necessity of discipline, prioritization, and the willingness to make tough trade-offs to ensure optimal performance and decision-making. He also touches on the broader implications of sleep on health, such as weight management and cognitive function, advocating for a consistent sleep schedule as a foundational element for success.

• The conversation revolves around strategies for business growth, customer acquisition, and retention.
• Personal habits that contribute to success, particularly for entrepreneurs, are highlighted.
• The importance of maximizing personal output is emphasized.

Welcome to the game where we talk about how to get more customers, how to make more per customer, and how to keep them longer, and the many failures and lessons we have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy and subscribe.

This quote sets the stage for a discussion on business strategies and personal habits that contribute to entrepreneurial success, focusing on customer engagement and learning from past mistakes.

• Energy management is central to entrepreneurial success.
• The conversation suggests that successful individuals have a well-managed routine for energy optimization.
• The speaker reflects on the personal journey of improving energy levels through fitness and diet.

And so what I mean by that is how to maximize your output as an entrepreneur. Because the end of the day, all we have is ourselves.

The quote emphasizes the need for entrepreneurs to focus on maximizing their personal output, suggesting that self-reliance is a key component of success.

• Physical fitness is linked to mental clarity and productivity.
• The speaker notes a personal observation that stopping exercise and healthy eating can lead to feeling sluggish and foggy.
• The concept of "levels" to creating clear output is introduced.

And I think that there are levels to creating clear output.

This quote introduces the idea that there are varying degrees to which one can achieve clear and effective output, suggesting that it is a process with multiple stages.

• The speaker observes a personal decrease in the margin for error as they age.
• The changing cost-benefit equation of behaviors like drinking is discussed.
• The speaker theorizes that people's behaviors change not because of fundamental changes in themselves, but because the consequences of their actions become more significant.

My margin for error continues to shrink.

This quote reflects on the speaker's personal experience of having less leeway for mistakes as they grow older, indicating a need for more careful energy and habit management.

• Sleep is identified as a critical habit that affects all aspects of life.
• The speaker argues that sleep is a foundational habit that influences diet, social interactions, and daily activities.
• Successful entrepreneurs are noted to have a "super dialed in" sleep system.

And that habit is sleep.

The quote reveals sleep as the single, most impactful habit that the speaker believes is central to success, affecting various aspects of one's life and work.

• The speaker suggests that while many people focus on daily routines, a sleep routine is often undervalued.
• The connection between sleep and energy levels is highlighted as crucial for entrepreneurial performance.
• The speaker admits to not having a daily routine but acknowledges the importance of sleep.

I'm telling you, every single person who makes a ton of money that I know has a super dialed in sleep system.

This quote underscores the importance of a well-managed sleep routine as a common trait among financially successful individuals, suggesting that it is a key factor in their success.

• Consistent sleep and wake times are crucial for maintaining energy and maximizing output.
• Irregular sleep patterns can negatively impact bodily functions and overall well-being.
• The body does not differentiate between weekdays and weekends; it requires consistency.

"And you have to wake up at pretty much the same time every day." This quote emphasizes the importance of regularity in sleep schedules for optimal daily functioning.

"Your body doesn't know about weekends or weekdays, it just knows about how your body's supposed to feel, right?" The speaker is highlighting the body's need for a consistent rhythm, regardless of the social constructs of weekends.

• Lack of sleep leads to reduced cognitive function and intelligence.
• Poor sleep can cause weight gain, increased hunger, and slower reaction times.
• It affects short-term memory, processing power, and emotional reactivity.
• Entrepreneurs, who rely heavily on their cognitive abilities for decision-making, are particularly disadvantaged by poor sleep.

"You get fatter, you're hungrier, you're dumber, you're slower, you have lower processing power, you have worse short term memory." This quote lists the various negative effects of inadequate sleep, emphasizing its impact on both physical and mental capacities.

"You have less control in your prefrontal cortex because you don't have enough sleep." The speaker is pointing out that sleep deprivation specifically impairs the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for self-control and executive functions.

• Sticking to a sleep schedule can be socially challenging and may require sacrificing social events.
• Prioritizing sleep often means declining invitations and leaving events early, which can be perceived as unsociable.
• Entrepreneurs may find it difficult to maintain a sleep schedule due to varying demands and social expectations.

"People invite me out all the time for dinner at seven. Well, I'm in bed by 830 or nine, so it's not going to work." The speaker illustrates the social sacrifices made to adhere to a strict sleep schedule.

"It's hard to not go out on the weekends and change my schedule because everyone else does." This quote reflects the social pressure to conform to the norm, which often involves altering sleep patterns on weekends.

• The speaker shares personal experiences of waking up feeling unbothered and attributes this to good sleep.
• They discuss the goal of achieving a consistent state of well-being through proper sleep.
• The speaker acknowledges the difficulty in maintaining such a regimen due to its impact on social life.

"I'm sure there are some times that you've woken up, or me, at least, where I've woken up, and I'm like, man, there's literally nothing that could bother me today. Like, I feel awesome, right?" This quote conveys the speaker's personal testament to the benefits of waking up well-rested.

• The podcast takes a moment to engage with the audience, encouraging them to connect on LinkedIn.
• The host seeks to build a community around the podcast by inviting listeners to reach out.

"So send me a connection request, a note letting me know that you listen to the show and I will accept it." The speaker is inviting listeners to interact with them on a professional networking platform, fostering a sense of community among the audience.

• Successful entrepreneurs dedicate uninterrupted time daily for work.
• This uninterrupted time often involves either staying up late or waking up early.
• The choice between late nights and early mornings may be influenced by lifestyle preferences and social commitments.
• Personal body rhythms and functioning can dictate whether one stays up late or wakes up early.

"Every entrepreneur that I know that's super successful has dedicated time where they're uninterrupted every day."

This quote emphasizes the importance of having a dedicated, undisturbed time for work to achieve entrepreneurial success.

"It might be easier to stay up really late because it allows you to have a little bit more of a social life and then you can still have your work time afterwards if you're disciplined enough to do that."

This quote suggests that staying up late can be advantageous for maintaining a social life while still finding time for work, provided one has the discipline to manage this schedule.

• Discipline is essential for maintaining a productive routine.
• Making lifestyle trade-offs, such as not drinking alcohol, can be challenging but necessary for some entrepreneurs.
• The frequency of making trade-offs can increase if the barrier to doing so is low, leading to a slippery slope.
• Some people, including the speaker, find it necessary to adopt an all-or-nothing approach, such as abstaining from alcohol completely for extended periods.
• The goal is to use substances or engage in activities without being controlled by them.

"Like the trade off of not drinking because it impairs my sleep most of the time is hard right now."

This quote highlights the difficulty of giving up alcohol due to its impact on sleep, which is a trade-off the speaker is currently experiencing.

"At some point you have to draw a line and for most people, they don't have the discipline and so they have to go all or nothing."

This quote suggests that for many, drawing a clear boundary and sticking to it is challenging, leading to a need for a strict all-or-nothing policy to maintain discipline.

• Prioritizing sleep and sticking to a consistent bedtime is a key habit for productivity and well-being.
• Maintaining a routine, even on weekends, is crucial but can be difficult.
• Social events during weekdays are avoided if they disrupt the speaker's emotional state or sleep schedule.
• Travel and time zone changes are particularly challenging due to their impact on sleep patterns.
• The speaker tries to maintain their sleep schedule even when traveling across time zones.

"The single habit, at least for me, that's been game changing, has been always allowing myself to sleep as much as necessary or as much as my body needs, but focusing more on my bedtime."

This quote reflects the speaker's belief in the transformative power of prioritizing sleep and establishing a consistent bedtime routine.

"And by doing that, it does rule out a lot of activities in my life. And that is hard. It's really hard for me."

This quote acknowledges the sacrifices made in social life and travel in order to prioritize sleep and maintain a consistent routine for the sake of productivity and health.

• Alex emphasizes the significance of maintaining a consistent routine for success.
• He shares his personal experience of sticking to his Austin time zone routine even while in Southern California.
• Alex believes that a non-variable start or end to one's day is crucial for establishing habitual habits and outputs.
• Consistent routines are presented as a foundation for having energy, clarity, and making better judgments and decisions.

"And that means all the people that were in southern California were like, well, dude, let's hang out. And I'm like, I'm in bed. And they're like, seriously, it's seven. And I'm like, I don't tell know."

This quote illustrates the social sacrifices Alex had to make to maintain his routine, highlighting the importance he places on consistency over spontaneous social activities.

"You can't have any kind of habitual habits or output if the one thing that starts or ends your day is variable, right."

Alex points out that a stable routine is a key to establishing and maintaining productive habits and achieving consistent results in one's life.

• Alex discusses the necessity of discipline and the ability to make trade-offs for maintaining a routine.
• He suggests that prioritizing important aspects of life is a skill that not everyone possesses.
• The willingness to trade off immediate gratification for long-term benefits is highlighted as a characteristic of successful individuals.

"You have to have discipline. You have to be able to make trade-offs. You have to really be able to prioritize the things that are important in your life."

This quote underlines the essential qualities required to maintain a consistent routine: discipline, the capacity for making trade-offs, and prioritization.

• Alex uses Kobe Bryant's example to illustrate how an additional 20% effort can compound over time to create a significant gap between highly successful individuals and others.
• He stresses that the extra effort is what differentiates the exceptional from the average over time.

"And I think that that 20% extra is what compounds over time and what separates Kobe Bryant from the rest of the NBA, because he always took that 20% again and again and again and again."

The quote emphasizes the idea that consistent extra effort leads to exponential growth and success, using Kobe Bryant as a case study for this principle.

• Alex acknowledges the social sacrifices made to adhere to his routine, including missing out on events like taco Tuesdays.
• He addresses the difficulty in maintaining routines when surrounded by others who may not support or understand the commitment.
• Alex asserts that the willingness to make these sacrifices is a common challenge among those who strive for success.

"And it hurts because I like to see people, and they're like, well, I can't do anything before that. And I'm like, well, then I guess we can't hang out."

This quote reveals the social challenges Alex faces in maintaining his routine, demonstrating the reality of the trade-offs involved in pursuing personal goals.

• Alex offers encouragement to those struggling with maintaining a routine, sharing that it remains challenging for him as well.
• He expresses solidarity with others facing similar struggles, emphasizing that the decision to maintain a routine is a personal choice with significant implications for success.
• Alex concludes by reinforcing the idea that these trade-offs differentiate the top 1% of successful individuals from the rest.

"If you have been struggling with maintaining a routine or a specific habit because everyone around you is not in support of it, I think it's welcome to the club."

The quote provides comfort and a sense of community to those who face difficulties in sticking to their routines due to a lack of support from their social circles.

"And I think that separates the 1% from everyone else."

Alex suggests that the ability to stick to a routine despite challenges is what separates the most successful individuals from the majority, reinforcing the value of consistency and discipline.