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“It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. If you have a daybook, write down who you’re trying to be, so that you can refer to this self-definition. Precisely describe the demeanor you want to adopt so that you may preserve it when you are by yourself or with other people.” Epictetus, Art of Living
What upsets us, he said, are not things themselves but rather our judgments about those things.
He teaches us to create boundaries, to eliminate envy and temptation, and to concentrate on what is right and meaningful for your best life.
The formula for the Perfect Day is built on the Three Cs: Control, Conquer, and Concentrate.
Greatness requires you to think and act differently, especially in the face of intense peer pressure.
remember this mantra: Control your mornings. Conquer the chaos of your afternoons. Concentrate on what really matters in the evenings.
Epictetus. He teaches us to control what we can, and cope with what you can’t. Think about how this applies to your own life.
You can control what time you wake up, what habits you start the day with, what temptations enter your life, and what systems you have in place for dealing with those.
The most important ritual in your life is what time you choose to get out of bed, and the best decision you can make is to start getting up fifteen minutes earlier.
Do not linger under the warm covers. That is for average people stuck in the struggles of ordinary lives. You are destined for greatness. You will not stand for failure.
Your success is your personal responsibility. Take action. Do the...
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Your morning victories start with preparing properly the night before. You must have a plan in place to take action the next morning. The earlier you rise, the fewer opposing forces to your self-control, and the more momentum you’ll have to overcome the inertia of procrastination.
Your job is to identify your Magic Time, to block it off and ruthlessly protect it from others, and to use it to your advantage.
Why would you think anything but a well-planned day would lead to maximum productivity and progress?
Success is simple once you accept how hard it is. It may sound counterintuitive but once you accept how difficult it is going to be, then and only then will you be mentally willing to accept the challenges that it will require, such as sacrifice, dedication, preparation, planning, and perseverance. If you accept these facts, and you must, then it is a simple process of doing the work to create your Perfect Day. You’ll simply put your head down and do it.
You must be willing to match your level of desire with the same level of action and commitment to success.
Creating your rules for living and sticking to them will guide you to a life of success and wisdom.
But if you want advanced results you must take advanced measures, even if they seem extreme.
Your rules are an essential part of success. Use your rules for living as a clear set of personal philosophies that will make your daily decisions easier.
the power of rules, or what you can also call Personal Philosophies,
Your rules automatically dictate that you make the right decisions, making it easy to overcome obstacles and resist temptation.
Your rules replace your reliance on willpower to get you through challenges.
Think of your rules as a way to eliminate your bad habits and replace them with positive routines that make the right decisions almost automatic.
Rules make it automatic!
Life will be simpler once you start adhering to your own personal philosophies—and not worrying about what others think.
The biggest pitfall is biting off more than you can chew, or perhaps said better, writing down more than you can do.
Breaking down your to-do list goals into what are called process goals will help you realistically set your schedule and, more importantly, accomplish what you set out to achieve.
Scripting and scheduling tasks, complete with a beginning and end time or goal,
You are better to make specific process goals, such as writing a daily word quota or dedicating a specific amount of time to writing each day. Block time for this process goal in your daily script.
The best to-do list sticks to a handful of very specific, actionable, and non-conflicting items.
Schedule your number one priority first. Attack it immediately in the morning. Start there and you will win your morning
lack of preparation handicaps us in all areas of life.
Ben Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
it all begins the night before with creating a to-do list and scripting and scheduling your workdays.
If we know our priorities, we can build our routine, scripting out tomorrow today in order to maximize the time and effort spent working towards what matters.
Your script also requires you to set start and end times for all tasks, phone calls, and meetings. This prevents time vampires from sucking your schedule dry.
Reverse Goal Setting.
Trying to do too much will ruin a Perfect Day.
You must plan your days so that you know what you will get done.
Scripting your day also allows your subconscious mind to work at night for you while you sleep. When your brain has its to-do list, it will generate ideas while you rest.
Your least important tasks should be scripted for the time of day when you have the least mental energy.
Script your schedule to have a dedicated time, preferably as late in the day as possible, where
It was then that I made a rule—and thus started my Not-to-do list—by making a pledge to not check my email before 9 a.m.
Research shows that checking email delivers the same powerful dopamine response as sugar or drugs.
On Sundays, I do not use the Internet or my mobile phone at all.
The scripted day is the best day. The best day leads to a great life. A great life ensures a lasting legacy. Each minute is a battle to be won. Make the right decisions with your time.
Listing your daily achievements and the people who’ve helped you will put a smile on your face.
Be clear about what you will and will not do each day. Be clear about what you will not do for success.
The morning is the greatest opportunity you will have to make progress.
You will also find it helpful to identify two solutions for each not-to-do obstacle, should you find yourself giving in to temptation.
or better yet, keep them out of your house.
