66 Day High Performance Challenge

It’s day 18 of my 66-Day High Performance Challenge. You’re probably wondering what in the bloody hell is that. Well, I’ve developed my own challenge, because, well, I like a challenge. Basically it works like this:

Every day for 66 days I need to adhere to the following;

• 2 x Workouts every day (at least 1 outside)
• Gratitude journal
• Prioritise high impact work
• No alcohol
• Produce content every single day

I’m doing this challenge because I felt like although I am a high-performer in the sense of work ethic, perseverance and personal growth, I wanted to take it to the next level for a short-period of time. The reason behind 66 days is because research shows that it takes 66 days to form a new habit. I don’t plan on continuing all of these habits after the 66 days, but if I can hang onto a few, I am going to be in a much better position than I was previously.

Why have I chosen these particular habits? Here’s my explanation;

• 2 x Workouts every day (at least 1 outside)
  This is probably doubling my previous exercise volume. That’s a lot. What it does make you do is plan. I’ve setup a workout schedule which I’m updating every Sunday to make sure I manage my energy and the intensity of each workout as well as ensuring I’m getting in at least 1 workout outside each day.
• Gratitude journal
  I have found journaling such a grounding experience in the past and it really helped me maintain a consistent mindset. It’s one of the exercises that you don’t really need as much when you’re flying, but it’s the bad days where you get the most value and if you can keep it going consistently it really grounds you and in a way separates yourself from the uncontrollable factors of your day and enables you to appreciate what you have.
• Prioritise high impact work
  We all are guilty of wasting precious time on unimportant tasks. Each day I write down ‘ONE THING’ that I should be prioritise that will have the biggest impact on my work. I try to do this first and get it done. The other stuff follows after if there’s time.
• No alcohol 
  For the record, I’m not a big drinker. But, it really knocks me around and sometimes you can lose a day being hungover as well as not being ideal for your health. By cutting alcohol I’m eliminating any potential wasted days and ensuring I’m in tip top shape.
• Produce content every single day
  This is arguably the most important of all of the habits. It’s something that in the past I would do in waves. I would start producing some really engaging content then a project would get in the way and I would completely stop. It’s Day 18 today and I am really enjoying producing content again in multiple formats – audio, imagery & videos.

Would I recommend this challenge to my friends & family? No I wouldn’t quite frankly. I would say for most it’s over the top. Two workouts a day everyday for 66 days is enough to push anyone over their threshold. However, I would recommend they take 2-3 of the habits that would have the biggest impact for them and go for it.

I’ve got a long way to go in this challenge but so far I’m feeling much more alive, very focused on what I need to do, healthier, more motivated and frankly happier with what I’m putting out into the world.

 

As a friendly disclaimer, I’m not recommending you to take on this challenge and if you want to do something similar you should seek advice from a professional.