High Performance Hacks for your High Performance Life
If I learned anything in my 8 months of High Performance training with Brendon Burchard's company, online training platform and coaching services, it's that sometimes we have so many demands on our time and so many little habits and things to remember that utilizing technology to help is crucially important. So, here are some of my favorite apps, browser extensions, etc. that have made my life so much easier implementing all my high performance habits!
Browser Extensions & Computer programs
StayFocusd. If you're a high performer, doubtless one of your goals is to be more productive. And that's pretty tough when there are a lot of things pulling at your attention span. StayFocusd makes it easier. It gives you limited amounts of "playtime" during your day, tracking the amount of time you spend on specific time-wasting sites, such as Facebook or Instagram, which you can designate. You can also designate the amount of time you allow yourself to spend on those sites, at a minimum of 10 minutes, and the hours during which StayFocusd is tracking your time. Check out StayFocusd for Chrome Here.
Newsfeed Eradicator. The thing with Facebook for me is the vortex that is the Facebook Newsfeed. I can get completely lost in the Facebook Newsfeed between people's photos, updates, shares and all the targeted ads, a quick browse can turn into an hour of lost time. I like the Newsfeed eradicator because it replaces the Facebook Newsfeed with a quote. And I love quotes! Click here to check out the Newsfeed Eradicator for Chrome Here.
Google Calendar. I love and probably will always use Google Calendar. Why? Because it synchronizes between your browser and your app, everyone uses it, and so many other online program synchronize with Google Calendar to help you to coordinate your schedule. Plus, I schedule EVERYTHING, which is one of the biggest things I've learned from my High Performance Masters training. What I will say is that Google Calendar seriously needs to work on their app. It freezes and is one of the most frustrating apps I've ever downloaded. Fortunately, the seamless integration and the ease of the browser version makes up for that! Click here to check out Google Calendar.
Calendly. If you run any sort of business where clients need to make appointments with you, I highly suggest using calendly. It's a simple, easy-to-use platform, that, like so many other programs, seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar, while automating everything. Not only can you designate different types of appointments and services, you can set the appointment length, the amount of time you want to leave as a buffer around other appointments, the length of the appointment, you can ask the client questions regarding the appointment, and you can attach a fee-for-service with the upgraded plan! There are so many options! And the appointments seamlessly integrate around everything else in your Google calendar! It's awesome! Check out calendly here.
smartphone apps
Forest. Sometimes staying off your phone is as big of a productivity killer these days as your browser is. That's why having an app on your phone that helps you be more productive is of the utmost important. I love Forest because it essentially gamifies productivity on your phone. How the app works is you plant a tree and designate the amount of time you want to stay off your phone, usually 25 mins is a good starting point. If you leave the app, your tree dies. The more times you are able to complete the designated time, letting your tree grow completely, you start to grow a forest of trees! And you earn points! So fun! Click here to check out Forest for iPhone. See the top image to the right for a preview!
Toggl. How long do your different tasks take? Are you implementing the Pomodoro technique? Or are you spending way too much time doing things that don't actually have much benefit to your life or your business? Do you have a Virtual assistant who is spending 5 hours doing something that only takes you an hour? That's why I like Toggl. No more not knowing where all your time goes. You can use this app on your phone or their website dashboard to track how you're spending your time, even batching your different activities into projects! Check out Toggl here. See the second image from the top on the right for a preview!
Pester. In my first few weeks of The High Performance Master's Program, one thing (okay, a ton of things) became abundantly clear. Brendon Burchard is a fan of triggers and rightly so! Triggers are pretty fricken phenomenal and a great tool for reminding you of the changes and patterns you're trying to develop. But his doorway trigger has never worked for me. I'm working on my mindfulness, but I oftentimes just miss my trigger when it's something that is that everyday. My absolute favorite tool for implementing technological triggers into my life is the app "Pester" on my phone! I use it to remind me of my affirmations or the words that I aspire for people to use to describe me. Check out Pester here. And see the second image from the bottom to the right for a preview!
Focus Keeper. One of the other things that Brendon talks about in The High Performance Master's Program, is working in blocks of time of giving yourself breaks. Well, there's an app for that too! Focus Keeper is great because it is all about focused productivity. Simply put, it's a timer. But a timer that you can strategically program to remind you to take breaks at the specific intervals that you've set. 50 minute working periods with 5 minute breaks? No problem. Just set it and go. However you like to work, you can set this timer to remind you to stand up and take breaks! Plus it also has a built-in, longer break period after 4 shorter sessions. It's perfect for those of us that can work for far too long without properly taking breaks. Check out the Focus Keeper app here. And see the bottom image on the right for a preview.
1Password. Remembering passwords is the biggest waste of time. Especially because it's becoming even more dangerous for people to use the same password for everything! Using longer CAPTCHA passwords, which are random mish-mashes of letters, numbers and symbols in random assortments. Those are by far the safest and most secure passwords to use, but they are also damn near impossible to remember. That's why I love 1Password. You can download an app on your phone and a program on your computer and sync both to each other. Additionally, you can download a Google Chrome extension so that all you have to do is right-click and it will automatically fill in your password at the respective website It's probably my all-time favorite program and is so seamless! Check out 1Password here for the iPhone app, here for the Chrome Extension, and here to download the Desktop program!
Buffer. I'm big on pre-planning content and posts for the communities that I manage on Facebook and just pre-planning posts for Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Buffer is great for that. The FREE Buffer account limits the number of accounts you can manage, but it's relatively cheap to upgrade. Additionally, the have an iPhone app that syncs between the online platform. Check out Buffer here.
Plann or Planoly. If you're someone who can waste a lot of time figuring out what to post as you grow your Instagram (me!), then having a planning tool is so so helpful! I started using Planoly, which I love, but recently I've switched Plann. They both have great features, but bottom line it's nice to have an Instagram game plan, to plan the look of your Instagram feed. The biggest differences between the two is this. Planoly has a browser tool, while Plann does not. Planoly has a calendar view, while Plann does not. Planoly also tracks the Instagram caption length, while Plann does not. However, Plann also has lots of useful features. Plann has the ability to save hashtags by category in app and has the ability to do in-app photo editing. Plann is the cheaper of the two options, with the ability to manage 3 accounts for $12/month, while Planoly only allows you to manage 2 accounts for $19/month.
Other tools.
Bullet Journals or other notebooks. My planning and organizational system is pretty straightforward in my head. I Bullet Journal, yes, but basically, I write down and pre-plan EVERYTHING. My workouts. My appointments. My tasks. My goals. The people I need to get ahold of. My client appointments. Prospective clients that I need to contact. Everything. My Bullet Journal is integral for that.Check out my Bullet Journal Tips for Beginners here. And keep your eyes peeled for more information about how I use notebooks to help keep myself organized.
The Miracle Morning. Another thing I learned in the High Performance Master's program is the importance of routines in implementing new habits and in maintaining them. That's why I love the Miracle Morning. It's allows me to lump all my important lifestyle habits together and gives me an enjoyable routine for how to spend my morning. Check out more on how I spend my Miracle Morning here.