Why productive people always make time to exercise

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

One of the rules for highly effective people, as described by Stephen Covey, is: "Sharpen the saw." People who always have time to do everything know this principle, so they always set aside a few minutes for morning exercises. Understand how it works and join a productive team.

Sven and Jack are woodcutters. One day, Jack decided to argue which of them would cut more trees in one day. Sven could not help but accept the challenge. The rules are simple: everyone picks up a saw and goes into the forest to cut as much as possible by the end of the day. The loser prepares dinners for the winner all week.

When the whistle opened the competition day, Jack took the saw and got down to business. Sven decided to go the other way. He does not rush to the first tree, but takes out a tool, leans back against the stump for 45 minutes, processing several hundred teeth.

Other woodcutters scoff: “What did you spend so much time on ?! Get ready to try on a chef's hat!"

But Sven knows what he's doing. He is confident that 45 minutes, which seems like a waste of time, will pay dividends for him in the form of productive work.

When Sven starts to cut, Jack has already knocked down a few trees, but he was tired. Working with a blunt instrument has exhausted him, Jack slows down. And Sven at this time fells tree after tree. Its razor-sharp saw helps you work almost effortlessly.

By noon, exhausted, hunched over with fatigue, Jack is out of the game. Sven overtakes him, continues to cut until the evening and at the end of the day looks at his results with pride. He wasn't even out of breath.

Want to be productive? Sharpen your saw - go to a workout.

Sven started by sharpening the saw instead of jumping for the trees, for the same reason that the most successful and productive people on Earth start their day with a jog in the morning.

Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson said that, despite being incredibly busy, they jog in the morning, taking their time to go to work immediately after waking up. Why are they prioritizing this when they are pressed for time? Striving to get into a "star" sports team? Nothing like this. They run because physical activity helps them to be at their best.

Try it yourself., a runner who has covered marathon distances on all continents (yes, in Antarctic conditions too), started training six years ago. As he recalls, after lunch, he desperately wanted to sleep every day. Judging by the popularity of coffee and energy drinks, he is not alone.

But just a few weeks after starting daily training, he noticed a change: thoughts became clearer, energy increased. Difficult problems were easier to solve, work was accelerated, fatigue no longer came in the middle of the day. The only thing that could be unsettling was a meal that was too hearty (which the athlete quickly refused).

Tyler, like Sven the Lumberjack, has learned to sharpen tools - to be more productive and energized for work by running.

The effectiveness of the method is confirmed not only by the personal experience of stars and athletes. In 2014 alone, three randomized controlled trials were conducted on this topic. The effect of aerobic exercise on sedentary people was studied. Tests have shown that even a light exercise provides a burst of energy. What's more, studies in mice suggest that exercise can slow brain aging.

So, if you want to recharge and pump your brain, follow the advice of the researchers and go to. Take a few minutes each day to sharpen your saw. If it seems to you that there is no time for this, remember that in fact everything is exactly the opposite.