From: alexhormozi
Many people believe that to achieve significant success, they need to add more things to their daily routine. However, an alternative perspective suggests that true productivity and progress come from identifying and eliminating activities that hinder your goals. This concept is known as the “anti-routine” [00:02:04].
The Anti-Routine: A Paradigm Shift
The traditional view of routines often focuses on what to add (e.g., morning rituals, new habits). The anti-routine, in contrast, emphasizes what to stop doing [00:02:26]. Successful individuals often achieve their results not because they possess something others don’t, but because they lack something that others have – namely, an “off switch” or self-imposed limitations that prevent continuous action [00:01:44].
The core idea is that most people engage in activities daily that they should not be doing [00:01:58]. By eliminating these non-essential actions, all that remains is the work that needs to be done, leading to greater effectiveness [00:02:40].
The Season of No
A crucial aspect of the anti-routine is the ability to say “no” [00:03:13]. Priorities mean two things cannot be equally important [00:02:47]. If you treat multiple tasks as equally important, none of them truly are, and you won’t get them done [00:03:08]. This requires a dedicated “season of no” [00:03:24], where you prioritize a single, most important task and actively decline anything that detracts from it [00:03:49].
Mindset Shifts for the Anti-Routine
- Shift from Addition to Subtraction: Instead of asking what to add, ask what to remove from your current routine [00:02:32].
- Challenge the Obligation to Respond: Many communications (texts, emails) carry an implied request for a reply [00:04:17]. However, the time available to reply does not equate to an obligation to do so [00:04:47]. If you received 500,000 texts, you couldn’t reply to all of them, illustrating that the obligation never truly existed [00:04:54].
- Evaluate Social Gatherings: Events, masterminds, and coaching programs often serve social needs more than problem-solving ones [00:05:32]. Once you have the information you need, the focus should shift entirely to execution [00:05:52].
Practical Tactics for Eliminating Distractions
These tactics were implemented over an 18-month period, contributing to a significant financial transformation:
- Change Phone Number: To manage inbound communication and avoid constant interruptions from requests for calls or meetings [00:06:14]. Only communicate with individuals deemed essential, finding their numbers rather than being responsive to everyone who has yours [00:07:00].
- Stop Attending Unnecessary Events: Once you know what needs to be done, additional information from events becomes a distraction from execution [00:07:11].
- Block Uninterrupted Work Time: Dedicate specific hours (e.g., 4 AM to noon) to work on your priority without taking any meetings or interruptions [00:07:35]. This is crucial when you don’t yet have a large team to leverage [00:08:11].
- Maintain Consistent Schedule: Have the same bedtime and wake-up time on both weekdays and weekends [00:08:30]. This consistency reinforces the priority work block.
- Optimize Workout Frequency: Reduce workouts to the minimum effective dose (e.g., twice a week) just to maintain, rather than trying to make progress on multiple fronts [00:09:02]. Allocate your limited “growth juju” to your highest priority [00:09:11].
- Implement Fasting: Fasting one or two days a week can eliminate the time and interruption associated with food preparation, eating, and cleaning [00:09:24].
- Delete Social Media from Phone: Social media consumption can take up three to five hours a day [00:10:08]. Deleting apps from your phone and using a computer for posting only can free up significant time [00:09:51].
In essence, the anti-routine asserts that it’s not a secret magic routine that leads to success, but rather the discipline to stop doing things that hinder your progress and enter a concentrated “season of no” [00:10:29]. This approach to time management and focus can yield outsized returns on productivity [00:03:38].