In fact, thanks to a new year’s commitment, I haven’t missed a single day of flossing in 2019.
Whether I was on a business trip in London, attending a wedding in Germany, wandering the streets of France, or visiting my friends and family in America, I always made sure to floss before I went to bed. It hasn’t mattered if it was 9 p.m. (good boy, Ian) or 3 a.m. (bad boy, Ian). I always gave my chompers the TLC they deserved.
While oral care is all fine and good, I’ve noticed some interesting “knock on” affects brought on by this new habit.
First, it’s further cleaned up my nutrition. “All that junk food will make flossing harder,” I think to myself. So, I abstain from that caramel-filled candy bar.
Second, it’s helped me stick to a daily schedule, with some exceptions for things like events or travel. I’m usually in bed at a reasonable hour each night, because if I wait too long, I’ll be too tired and might skip flossing. So, I pick an earlier bedtime which – you guessed it – has helped me get better, more consistent sleep.
Third, it’s helped program a “shutdown event” into my day. Cal Newport talks about this in his book “Deep Work;” essentially, it’s a ritual or habit that – once performed – signals the end of your day. For me, this is flossing. Once I’ve flossed, I’m getting my booty into bed.
Finally, and most obviously, flossing every night earned me a smile and a nod from my dentist at my last appointment. “Your gums look great,” she said. No more awkward exchanges where I try to explain that I kinda floss, kinda don’t, well there was that one time last year, oh, and not on days that end in “-y,” yadda yadda yadda.
In short, one small, nightly habit that takes me all of three minutes has had significantly positive “knock on” effects in other areas of my life. I wasn’t thinking about these things when I put string to enamel. They just… happened.
So… What little daily habits can YOU look at incorporating that might have similar knock on effects?
Maybe you could fill up a water bottle at night and leave it in the fridge for the morning. Drink it as soon as you wake up.
Perhaps, after lunch, you can take a short, 5-10 minute walk around your building or outside instead of going right back to work (it’s not going anywhere – I promise).
Maybe you’re prone to snacking on whatever’s around during the day? Buy some healthy “convenience foods” – think almonds, protein bars, or fruit – and toss them in your bag to have in case hunger strikes.
These small habits and behaviours – even if they seem inconsequential – can have big payoffs.
Your morning water helps jolt you awake, hydrate you, and staves off hunger and cravings that might make you reach for a less-than-desirable snack as you rush out the door. It’s a healthy, momentum-building “win.”
Your 5-10 minute walk after lunch incorporates movement into your day, helps you get fresh air, and clears your mind so you’re ready and raring to work when you return.
Your protein bar will prove to be a healthy, filling alternative to junk food snacks. Plus, protein helps keep you full and is thermogenic – meaning it takes more energy to digest. This is great if we want to build healthy, sexy bodies.
These are just a few ideas and examples – I’m sure you can come up with plenty more to fit your lifestyle.
Maybe try flossing?
Love ya lots.
Ian
This post was originally published on September 19th, 2019
Life lesson: eat at the bar more often. You never know who you’ll meet.
Andy (on the right) is a consultant at Accenture. He’s from the U.K., has several patents (one of which helps automate the docking of sky bridges on airplanes, making everyone’s lives infinitely easier), has been to over 90 countries, speaks several languages, spends – by his own admission – half his day reading (hinthint), and has an extensive knowledge of Bond films, theater, and cocktails.
In short – he’s a cool ass dude.
Around 10 p.m., as dinner was winding down, we noticed a girl (Kathryn, middle) working in the bank across the street. She’d been diligently plugging away for a few hours and looked pretty tired.
“We should send her a care package,” Andy said, staring out the window.
“That’s an awesome idea. Let’s do it,” I replied.
We ordered a few tapas plates and some wine. The bartender – Lerone – jumped over the bar and ran with me across the street to deliver the goods. Given that Kathryn was sitting on the second floor, we decided throwing snowballs at the window was a good substitute for knocking on the door. She came downstairs, surprised someone was visiting at this hour.
“Hey!” Lerone and I said. “We noticed you working from across the street and wanted to bring you some eats. It might be a good way to unwind after a long day!”
Kathryn took the food, laughing and thankful. We moved to show everyone else in the restaurant waving through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Lerone and I returned to raucous applause and cheers. Everyone was stoked we could help spread some joy to someone’s life. Positivity has a way of being contagious.
A few minutes later, Kathryn showed up at OUR door – food in hand and grin on her face. Applause broke out again.
“I am still in shock at all of this,” she began. “And I need to take a picture with you guys, because none of my friends are going to believe me.”
And so it was.
Embrace “yes,” be positive, and seek to spread joy. Always.
❤ Ian
This post was originally published on January 6th, 2017
It’s a spreadsheet where my work is captured, tracked, commented on, and completed. Thanks to centralizing and keeping things simple, work rarely ventures into “Must have missed this email” land.
Getting my work done this way makes me ridiculously productive. It also frees up hours in the day for “me time” – exercise, reading, writing, or calls home to family and friends.
Here’s a breakdown of each column of my To Do list and what belongs there. At the end of this post, I’ve included a free copy of the spreadsheet I use – yours to make a copy of and customize to your needs.
Ready to get shit done? Great. Me too. Let’s dive in.
Task
We’ll start with the fundamentals. What do you need to get done? List that here.
In the example above, I need to get client programs written and sent for this month’s coaching.
Careful observers might see something else included: this section isn’t only for my tasks. It’s alsofor others’ tasks that I’m involved in.
For example, “Review and sign off on sales copy ahead of new product launch” is something I am involved in, but it requires Jeff, our hypothetical Marketing Team Lead, to complete, too. That’s why it lives in the list (I need to sign off on it), but also why Jeff is the “Owner” (getting it done depends on him owning his part of the project first).
In short – any tasks that affect your day or business – whether you need to do them directly or they rely on you working with others to finish – belong under “Tasks.”
Concerning
Our next column is “Concerning,” which consists of different themes of tasks you need to do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This section is totally customizable and should reflect the broader themes of work you do.
In the example above, our categories are “Coaching Plans,” “Lead Gen,” and “Client Feedback.” There are lots of possible iterations of tasks that would qualify, but it would be inefficient to list them all.
Instead, group tasks by theme so you can visualize the broad areas of work you’re doing. That way, when you look back on your week’s work, you can see where you spent most of your time, whether or not it was worthwhile for you and your business, and make changes for next week if needed.
Tasks like writing coaching plans for clients and getting paid for them is a good use of your time. Do more of those.
Tasks like back and forth emails, meetings with no clear agenda, etc. are not a good use of your time. Do less of those.
A Quick Note on Effective Categorization
In order to make this replicable and easy to review, you’ll need to leverage two spreadsheet functions:
Conditional Formatting, which lets you automatically apply things like colors to cells if the right inputs are present.
Data Validation, which lets you control the inputs and create a drop down list of all your tasks’ themes.
For conditional formatting, I’d recommend using a simple color scheme that corresponds to the task at hand. “Lead Gen” in our above example is green because, well, more leads means more money. Keep it simple. Pick whatever color combos you’d like and think represents your tasks best.
For data validation, you’ll want to group inputs you plan to categorize as tasks into a drop down list. That way, as you add tasks, you can quickly and easily select the corresponding theme from the drop down list under “Concerning.” Here is the view you’ll want to use to accomplish that, customized to your needs:
“Criteria” should be “List of Items,” in which you list out all of your themes separated by commas. Make sure to check the “Show dropdown list in cell” box below as well.
If you get your conditional formatting and data validation correct, you will end up with a nice color-coded list that you can begin populating once you start and complete your tasks.
Priority
Our next column is “Priority,” which lets you rank how important completing certain tasks is.
Need to complete a big project by Friday that will have a significant impact on your week or business? High priority.
Email from your cousin encouraging you to check out this hilarious article full of memes and Buzzfeed-style quizzes? Low priority. Or maybe just spam it. Depends on how much you like your cousin.
Everyone’s priorities will be different. Assign yours in a way that reflects your work best.
Status
Is it done? Mark it as “Complete.”
In-progress or waiting on feedback from a stakeholder or client? It’s “Pending.”
New task or something that’s re-opened and needs actioning? It’s “Open.”
As you work, tasks live between these three states. For example, an “Open” task requiring you to send an article or project contribution to a teammate becomes “Pending” once it’s in their hands, awaiting sign-off or feedback. Once they do, it’s “Complete.” Or, if there’s more work to be done, it’s back to you and “Open” again.
Always aim for “Complete.” This forces you to sharpen your focus on the next best action to take in order to get closer to that end state.
Owner
Up next is “Owner,” or who is responsible for completing or advancing the task?
In most cases, this is you. However, if the task requires collaboration, another person may be the owner if a “Pending” task requires their input. In the example above, we need Jeff to write and edit the sales copy ahead of a new product launch, so he is the owner for now. Once he’s done, I will become the owner again. Once I’ve signed off, the task is “Complete.”
Email Title
Use this column to quickly sort through your inbox and find emails containing info or next steps. Bonus tip: use the hyperlink function to link directly to the email. You’ll save some copy/paste steps in the process and never wonder where an email went again.
Last Update
This column helps keep track of when you’ve last interacted or made progress with a task. If you’ve done something meaningful to move closer to completion, note the date when you did. In doing so, you won’t ask, “When was the last time I worked on ‘X?'” You’ll have the date readily available, which is useful for both your own project timelines as well as updating others.
Deadline?
When does a task or project need to be completed? Note the end date so you can make sure your work is on pace to hit it. This helps you prioritize what needs to get done, as opposed to what could get done. It’s easy to complete things for completing things’ sake. It’s another thing entirely to work on the right stuff.
Bonus Tip: You can make your Deadline column dynamic by adding conditional formatting. As the end date nears, you can have cells automatically change colors to reflect urgency. I don’t personally do this, but it’s a nifty possibility worth exploring if you need it.
Notes
Notes are where you leave comments, such as, “Email sent to Mary. Waiting on her reply.” This lets you add context and serves as a reminder for next steps.
Conclusion
There you have it – an overview of how I structure my To Do list for maximum productivity and minimal confusion. As we say at Google, please “steal with pride” and use it to suit your needs.
Until next time, stay productive and stay awesome,
Today, I had the privilege of being invited back to speak to junior and senior classes at my high school alma mater, Brother Rice – an all boys catholic school on the South side of Chicago.
I spent several hours with 50-some-odd young men talking to them about navigating transitions from high school to college, how to manage their time, build good habits, and generally prepare for being out on their own for the first time. I gave them a whistle-stop tour of my experiences and imparted many lessons I learned along the way. I had plenty of slides (80, to be exact, which I finished making at 1 a.m. – classic), but I felt the slide below was the most important one of all.
When I was younger, there wasn’t a huge emphasis placed on men being vulnerable and opening up about their feelings. Men were rewarded for being tough, playing sports, partying, and towing the social dividing line of “cool vs. uncool.” This isn’t particular to my school experience, but I feel being an all boys school on the South side of Chicago exacerbated it.
Knowing how it feels to be in that environment and understanding how the world has become more empathetic, I included this slide and spent the most time on it vs. any other.
I thought it was important to help these young men understand that it’s okay to be open and honest with themselves as well as others about how they’re feeling. I told them the old adage “boys don’t cry” is an archaic way of thinking about their masculinity. I recounted some examples from my life when I was in very low places mentally, and that the only reasons I managed to come out okay in the end was because I swallowed my pride and admitted, “Ya know what, actually, everything is pretty shit right now. I need help.”
“Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness,” I concluded.
Several of these young men have reached out to me via email afterwards. One of them said, “I took a lot away from [your talk] which I hope stays with me through college and life.”
That, right there, is what volunteering and paying it forward is all about.
If I said something today that inspired one of those young men to live a better, healthier, more focused, and more purposeful life… Hell, even if one of them heard or read something I presented and said, “Huh, I never thought about ‘X’ that way before,” then it was worth it.
I hope the young men I had the privilege of speaking to today have learned something so that they, too, might pay it forward one day. Learning, applying, teaching, and becoming better together. That’s the goal.
Hope you feel the same.
Have a great rest of your day. Love you lots.
Ian
P.S. If you want the full set of “what I’ve learned” slides, DM me and I’ll send them to you.
This post was originally published on September 4th, 2019
Give me a flash card, and I’ll give you a lifetime of health and fitness.
If someone came to me and asked, “Ian, what do I need to do to be healthy for life,” I’d hand them this. I’d tell them to check these off as consistently as they can week after week, month after month, year after year.
This flash card summarizes the five key principles I’ve learned after a decade of involvement in health and fitness. If followed consistently, they will help you build and maintain a healthy body that looks great naked and will serve you for life.
Feel free to copy, share with a friend, and use it as a reminder of what to stick to in order to live well. If you have questions or if I can help in any way, just let me know. I’m always a quick message away. 🙂
To our health,
Ian
This post was originally published on April 21st, 2018
I woke up in a hotel in San Francisco. It was built in 1923 and has survived all manners of innovation in SF’s financial district. I took a shower with clean water pumped from a purification plant, whose source is a watershed located in Yosemite National Park over 160 miles away. I then rode the elevator downstairs and got a cup of coffee, the beans of which were from Guatemala. Planted, grown, harvested, packaged, shipped, ground, and brewed – all culminating in my 8 ounce cup of coffee.
I then took a cab to the airport, got to my gate, and called my girlfriend, who was 9 hours ahead of my time zone, using a pair of noise cancelling, bluetooth Bose headphones. This model has 4 microphones that detect and isolate my voice amidst a crowded, buzzing airport terminal. It also lets me control the amount of ambient noise I cancel from my environment. It was like my girlfriend and I were on our own little planet.
I then boarded a United airlines flight bound for Chicago. The plane was a 737-800, built by Boeing, which started in Washington D.C. and whose headquarters are in Chicago. It joins a slew of other marvelous feats of engineering from the company, such as rockets and satellites.
While in the sky, two captains flawlessly navigated us for 4 hours at 30,000 feet, assisted by an on-board autopilot system. This system helps control all major parts of a commercial flight, run through software that reads a plane’s position and makes adjustments accordingly. The body is engineered to withstand tremendous force, which I was reminded of as we flew through a turbulent thunderstorm just west of Denver.
After successfully touching down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, I took a cab back to my family home in the suburbs, where I will eat dinner at the table, surrounded by my family and friends. I’ll probably have some kind of organic meat, coming from a farm in the Midwest, as well as some vegetables from California, where I woke up this morning. After that, I’ll lay in bed and read from a book written by a Japanese warrior from over 600 years ago, translated for the modern age.
Full-circle, connected, and interdependent. The result of people working together with one another, as well as complex machines, systems, and infrastructures.
That was what I did today. I’m a lucky, grateful bastard.
My point is, if you don’t think the things that enable you to go about your days are incredible, then you simply aren’t paying attention.
Life is fucking amazing.
Love you,
Ian
This post was originally published on September 9th, 2019
While reading outside a coffee shop downtown this morning, I saw a father and his young daughter walking towards me. His daughter was crying and kicking up a fuss, and I could tell he was having a rough time assuaging her.
Naturally, I did what any rational person would do in this situation: I made a silly face.
I managed to catch the daughter’s gaze and, upon seeing my silliness, she stopped crying and began to smile.
“There we go! What a great girl you’re being today!” exclaimed the father. I could hear the relief in his voice. They continued down the road, the daughter’s tears replaced with laughter.
Little bits of goodness, one soul at a time. That’s what life’s about.
Ian
This post was originally published on April 7th, 2019
I have an interesting relationship with time in that I track how long I’ve been alive. I use a piece of paper titled “Memento Mori,” which is Latin for “remember that you have to die.” On the paper is 80 years’ worth of weeks, divided into little boxes. Each week that goes by, you black out another box. I’ve filled 26 rows so far.
The indefatigable march of time.
Yet this thunderous march is also a reminder that time is a gift – a gift that is so graciously given to all of us.
We all have time. Some have more, some have less, but we all have it. We all live in it.
Yet despite being universal, time comes in different types.
Here’s how I think about it:
Time is given, but it is either wasted or used.
Wasted time is characteristic of people who squander the gift. They embrace sloth, coast along, or take part in dangerous activities that chip away at the time they’re given. People might say one is “lazy” or “a loser” if they waste time. This isn’t always voluntary, of course.
Then there’s time that’s used. Time that’s seemingly made. Time that’s lived with intention, presence, and care. Time that is spent struggling, achieving, and growing as a human. This is characteristic of high achievers who people admire – or envy – because of what they’ve achieved or how they live their lives.
The best part about all of this is that if one is of sound mind and able body, they can decide how they use their time. We all flux between wasting and using time, but the goal should be to spend most of our days using time for all it’s worth. Nobody’s perfect in this respect, but perfect isn’t the goal. Consistency is.
Consistent use of meaningful, present, beautiful time.
Even if your life feels out of control or packed to the brim, you can commit to live better – for yourself and those around you – and take advantage of the time you’ve been given.
But you’d better act fast.
Time is running out.
This post was originally published on February 1st, 2018
Something pretty neat-o happened to me this morning.
I was in the middle of my morning workout – lifting weights, relaxing all cool (hoistin’ some dumbbells outside of the school), when I had a moment of clarity:
Right then, in that moment, I felt so grateful.
I was grateful to be able to get up early and workout. To lift, to sweat, to breathe heavily, to move. To feel that burning sensation in my lungs. To hear my favorite music playing through my headphones.
And ya know what? The rest of my workout was awesome. All due to a minor perspective shift.
——
I often hear people talk about fitness or working out in a self-deprecating way:
“I don’t like the way I look. I need to [lose weight/gain muscle].”
“I want to look like [insert celebrity here].”
“I’m never satisfied with how [strong/lean/muscular I am]. I need to do more.”
Rarely do I hear people say something like this:
“I’m just really grateful to be here, in the gym.”
Or…
“I’m grateful I can workout and be active today.”
The nice thing about adopting that perspective is it – in my experience – encourages you to think broadly about what other things you’re grateful for in life. For me, it was:
I’m grateful for the deep breaths I can take.
I’m grateful that when I finish my workout, the first thing that greets me is the sunrise.
I’m grateful for good food, clean water, and functioning shelter.
I’m grateful for my friends, family, and co-workers.
I’m grateful I can live, learn, and love freely, every day.
There’s a lot in life to be grateful for – something that may have muddied my perspective for a long time (especially in the gym, where my default mode was anger, aggression, and a chip-on-my-shoulder attitude).
And I know the world is pretty rough these days. It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s something shitty happening. It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos that’s seemingly all around you ALL the time.
But being grateful for the little things – sunshine, deep breaths, health – is infectious and can not only help you be happier, but it also makes other people happier too. I told this story to my friend Joe over breakfast this morning, and he smiled and said, “Wow, that’s so awesome, man. Sounds like an empowering experience.” I could tell instantly that he was feeling good, too.
So today, I’d like to challenge you to take a pause and find something you’re grateful for, no matter how small. Hell, it can be something as simple as, “I woke up this morning, and that’s dope.” Then try and extrapolate that to your other experiences throughout the day. It’s pleasantly liberating to not be at the mercy of all the reactive stuff around you.
Oh, one last thing I’m grateful for:
You.
Keep being awesome. Love you lots.
Ian
Ian Estabrook
Helping You Build Healthy, Sustainable Habits so You Can Live a More Productive and Balanced Life
Ian Estabrook 