The Fourth High Performance Habit
- Michael Lawrence
- Apr 22, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 3, 2022
Productivity. There is always a quantitative and qualitative aspect in all our aims to create, whether art, manufacturing, services, or what have you. In this chapter of Brendon Burchard's High Performance Habits", he breaks down concepts of what high performers do to execute prolifically. These subsections compose Burchard's game plan: increasing vital outputs, selecting five major moves, and progressive mastery. According to Burchard, this plan of attack will drive productivity at a high level.
One of the worst feelings in the world is to be incredibly busy but feel that you're not making any progress. You're fighting the good fight, but your approach is....compromising your well-being... Happiness is always a distant horizon never reached... - Brendon Burchard
The paraphrasing above literally brought tears to my eyes. For most of my adult life, my mantra has been school and work or work, then work. At the time of this writing, I work 96 hours per week as an employee in addition to the work I do for myself. This was the first time in reading this book that I felt connected to it.
Feeling busy and heading nowhere is the embodiment of the hamster wheel. It's a truly deplorable feeling that I've lived with for far too long. Luckily this chapter has some basics covered to get you started on your escape.
As expected, a key point in productivity is setting goals. Understanding that there is a desired outcome is not the same as having the clarity to define that outcome. With a well-thought-out target, you can practice focus and gauge where you are in the process. Goals become the compass to achievement, helping you realize whether you're on course or deviating, hurting your progress.
Another important practice is the highly coveted work-life balance. What I found most insightful about Burchard's take on this was that work-life balance wasn't measured in hours but progress. This theory implies that it's more about what you want to achieve in different aspects of your life. For example, in your professional environment, you may want to develop a new market strategy that will involve several steps before it can be launched fully aware that it is time-consuming. On the other hand, you feel you could benefit from some meditation practice to keep you zen as you work, knowing it takes years to master. At first, it may seem prudent to tackle your marketing strategy until you finish before seeking nirvana; however, the book would advocate you divide your time so that you work at a decent pace and not resent the fact that you also have some time to allow alignment of your chakras that you don't use for that.
And speaking of deep breaths, Burchard also talks about the need to take breaks. Not only that yearly vacation you're looking forward to, but brief refuel periods throughout the workday. This book and my experience agree running straight through your to-do list can leave you drained, irritable, and less inclined to produce with maximum effort. These breaks don't include other work-related activities like email checking and looking at calendars. Watch a video about something you enjoy, or take a look at memes. Memes. That's professional advice.
Increase Outputs That Matter
This section is all about taking the proper action. Creating outputs that matter means intentional and purposeful, whatever your verb is. This thought is to keep the busy work meaningful. For example, if you are creating a photography studio, ensure that taking pictures is the bulk of your work. If you are a salesman, keep those deals coming.
The term used by Burchard to describe the skill of tactical creation is prolific quantity output or PQO. This is the practice of identifying primary objectives and increasing their qualitative and quantitative characteristics. PQO also turns its back on the unnecessary activities we claim to help us accomplish our goals. There is nothing to gain from manipulating information we won't use (such as old emails) or stepping outside the discipline we pursue if the results aren't applicable (such as trying to master things better left delegated).
Through developing our prolific quantity output, we increase our skill levels through experience, each product showing us our room for improvement. At some level, we all practice PQO in some way or another. Every time we turn in an assignment, the skills involved develop a bit. Every time we interact with others, our social skills are affected.
Create often, and the very process becomes a guide.
Five Moves That Matter
You may be able to set your goal with a single sentence. The goal itself may be a S.M.A.R.T goal, but goals entail a process. This chapter is an anecdotal piece describing Burchard's experience in becoming a writer and interviewing some of the best.
In a nutshell, this chapter talks about the importance of recognizing five critical aims that will eventually help execute your master plan. Burchard advises taking these objectives, dissecting them into smaller deliverables, and giving yourself solid deadlines. This chapter instructs us to plan critically and with timelines.
To parallel Burchard, I will discuss my five major moves that ultimately lead to establishing a respectable small business consulting firm.
Establish Credibility - through the use of blogs, freelance work, and performance as an employee, exhibit knowledge in business practices securing my position as an authority
Create Brand Awareness - by exercising marketing strategies and public relation practices, develop the proper optics to familiarize prospects with my company, Laurel Mint Solutions, LLC
Staying Informed - practice kaizen principles keeping me abreast of information pertinent to businesses and business owners to be able to provide cutting edge assistance
Network with Specialists - establish a pool of experts to be able to address niche topics quickly
Promote Sales - present tangible benefits in a relationship with Laurel Mint Solutions, LLC
These goals can be further broken down into segments that can be set to a deadline. The overarching goal of establishing a reputable company can be met through adherence to the deadlines.
Developing Key Skills
The last segment on productivity advises us to level up our skillset. Burchard provides a bit of optimism, letting us know that every skill can be developed and that it is important to develop the skills of our ideal self. The skills we should develop are both of a general and specific variety. We could all benefit from better communication skills, but we could get more specific about pursuing public speaking, for example.
Although this section is short, something that was left unsaid is that many people share similar backgrounds. Imagine a recruiter reviewing applications for an administrative assistant position. Depending on where you live, the chances are people have graduated from the same schools you have and with the same degree. On those merits alone, you would be indistinguishable from your competition. However, picture continuing your education in an, even more, niche subject. It could be that taking the time to master certain applications or systems could give you the upper hand when it comes to your marketability. This concept applies to all fields. Specialization has its reward. The way Bruchard instructs us to develop our skills is through a ten-step process called "progressive mastery."
Summarized, they are as follows:
Identify your desired skill.
Determine your stretch goals signifying improvement.
Remain emotionally engaged in your development.
Address both your strengths and weaknesses.
Picture the victories to attain and the setbacks to avoid.
Critically test the results of your growth.
Determine your new position in terms of ability.
Engage with others in pursuit of growth.
Escalate your targets.
Reinforce your knowledge by teaching others.
Avoid Being Busy - Doing Nothing
There is a world of difference between being busy and being productive. There is a neverending list of potential things to do, but if these things don't bring value, there is no reason to do them. Stay on top of the things that help you grow and take you further in life, then delegate the rest.
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