Actor and comedian Jerrod Carmichael eats scrambled eggs with blueberries and almonds for breakfast almost every morning. Why? He likes it and it’s one less thing to think about. Sometimes he mixes in walnuts, but that’s as crazy as it gets.
Almost everyone knows about Steve Jobs wearing the exact same wardrobe each day, which was quickly followed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
And while many speakers I know spend countless hours figuring out their keynote wardrobe, mine takes just seconds. I wear the exact same kind of jacket and jeans every time. I have six shirt, pocket square, and shoe combinations when I pack for a trip. It takes absolutely no brain cells to figure out what I’m taking with me wherever I’m going.
In my 20 years in marketing, I’ve noticed that just about all successful marketers create a streamlined process in one area so that they can be creative in another area. They look to free up time outside the creative process, becoming as efficient as possible.
This is exactly the reason why we focus on things like workflow. No one is creating better storytelling through workflow. No one is creating the next viral video or podcast hit. Our goal is to be as efficient as possible with our workflow so that we can expend all our energy for creative storytelling.
But sadly, what I’ve found with most marketers is that they are not deliberate in finding areas of efficiency.
Do you want to be more creative in a particular task or project?
You should be searching for every single area of your life that can be simplified. Things where the brain doesn’t have to be used at all and then we can take that energy and put it into ideas and thoughts that can truly make a difference in our lives… and in the lives of others.
You need to be waking up every day looking for things to simplify.
It could be what you eat.
Or how or when you exercise.
It could be how you get to work every day.
It could be the time you spend on social media and in your email inbox.
This week take some time to think about what you can simplify. Start by choosing just one thing and commit to it for at least two weeks.
I find it helpful to list daily tasks. Once you do that, you can choose ones to make more efficient. Or better yet, stop doing them altogether.
I think you’ll find your brain changing and working in mysterious ways. Believe me…it works. Good luck.
The following was an excerpt from Joe’s newsletter. Only subscribers receive the full version.