So, if you look at world-class, it is less about your genetics and it’s more about your habits. That’s really the basis of talent, having good daily habits like joining The 5AM Club, running the five great hour rule that I talk about in the Circle of Legends, my monthly mentoring program, where if you look at the research, it doesn’t make any sense to work more than five intense world-class hours every day.
I call it the Five Great Hours Concept. And then after that, go get a massage, take a nap, read a book, go for a walk, hang out with your family. It’s not about the hustle and grind. Really, world-class performance is less about working really hard, 24-7. And it’s more about working really hard when you work and then taking the time to recover and rest.
And if you look at one of the models I teach in my mentoring methodology, it’s called the Twin
Cycles of Elite Performance. You’ll see that there’s the high excellent cycle, the HEC, and then the DRC, the Deep Recovery Cycle. And every day, work for five hours, the Five Great Hours Concept, and then pull back and have fun, rest, renew. And then every week, take a weekend off. Every month, try to take a week off. Every year, try to take two months off. And the interesting thing is, number one, rest is the elite performer’s secret weapon. Number two, this is so important, if you want to get more done, take more time off. Because if you’re working 24
-7 in a linear way, versus like a pulse, what starts to happen is you erode and deplete your genius.
And in my methodology, I teach the Five Assets of Genius, including mental focus, physical
energy, three, personal willpower. But just remember if all you do is work, you’re going to empty your batteries. You’re going to deplete your well. And that’s why the smartest performers, the great athletes, the great industry titans, the great humanitarians, these people all have learned one thing. Work in cycles. If you were to look at the great weightlifters of the Olympics, they all had one thing in common and it was periodization, periodization. And periodization simply means they exercised and then they rested.
I remember watching a Mike Tyson documentary. It was excellent. And he said, “When I was
heavyweight champion of the world, I only did three things. I trained, I ate and I slept.