The Productivity Paradise Challenge
Video Version: https://vimeo.com/651087815/98013940b4
This graphic from waitbutwhy.com depicts a 90 year human life in months.
Instantly, my logical brain asks the question… “How should I spend my time?”
Then I ask the second logical question…
“How did my ancestors spend their time?”
For the vast majority of human civilization, humans spent their time worrying about survival. We used the tools of rocks, spears, knives, among others… and overtime we elevated ourselves to the top of the food chain.
On the Lex Fridman podcast Jon Danaher said…
“the minute man kind’s existence became more or less guaranteed, the problem shifted from survival to meaning…. it was hard to win the battle of survival, but it’s 10 x harder to win the battle for meaning…”
Today we don’t use rocks and spears as often as we do “The Black Mirror”.
This tool helps us connect, create, organize, among many other pros…
But, there’s pros and cons to every tool.
The biggest con of the black mirror is that it has the capacity to control us. Instead of us controlling it. The black mirror can be as destructive as the rocks, spears, and knives we used to use for survival.
Many are a slave to this technology.
They lack confidence and control. They’re distracted. Their thoughts are scattered all over the place. They’re lost. They’re unproductive.
They lack meaning.
They’re searching for meaning and they’re not finding it anywhere.
Luckily, you have the opportunity to use these tools for good.
By challenging and improving yourself, you can tap into your creative energy and help improve the lives of others.
The second way I look at this chart is using my creative brain…
Every circle is a new month of opportunity for growth. Every person who’s ever lived has had a chart like this. Any life I can imagine for myself can fit into these boxes…
Why am I sharing all of this?
Because this is the Productivity Paradise Challenge. And your productivity level depends highly on how you engage with the black mirror and how you spend your time…
On a scale of 1–10 (10 being Ben Patrick level productivity and 1 being laying in your bed all day doing nothing)…
How would you rank your productivity?
(If you don’t know who Ben Patrick is, he’s a productivity god)
Hopefully you can come to a number.
The next question is…
If there was 1 behavior you could change to improve your productivity level… either stopping something or starting something…
What’s your one thing?
What is the Productivity Paradise Challenge?
The Productivity Paradise Challenge is an opportunity for you to make this one change.
It’s a custom designed challenge by you and for you.
Designed to…
- Increase your confidence — because it’s a self experiment and you get to learn about yourself.
- Increase your productivity — because you take control over this technology.
- Increase your achievement — because it helps you focus on your goals.
Please remember you don’t have to participate.
But if you do want to, you control the intensity. You can go beyond this one thing if you want to. That’s completely up to you.
There is also a productivity paradise telegram group chat.
It’s completely free.
I believe we all have the capacity to have a creative impact on the world. Sometimes it takes restrictions, or some sort of challenge, to unleash that creativity.
This chat will be an environment where productivity ideas are shared and developed, and everyone will hold each other accountable with their unique challenges.
Similar to the environment created in the uncommon success group chat… except the theme is very narrowly focussed on productivity and productivity hacking.
The Overview
We’ll start with my story with this challenge, then Ben Patrick’s (the main influence for this challenge), and finally key learnings and neuroscience from Paul Counsel.
I’ll steal a quote from Paul Counsel when I say, “I’m very confident in the information that I will share… “because none of it is mine”.
Who am I?
I flip my picture upside down because…
“I’m just the weird kid at school trying to get better everyday…”
I like this idea of Upside Down because it makes me look crazy. And it tells people that it’s ok to look weird. It’s ok to be different…
Because I’ve noticed that most things that are good for me, do make me look a bit crazy.
I have a confession, I haven’t achieved productivity paradise. I’m just a kid trying to get there.
Where I was?
This picture was taken at the end of May this year.
Forget about my body, look at my face. I look miserable.
I joined ATG For Coaches in early April and my first two months were pretty rough for me.
At the time, I was in what felt like an endless cycle of regressions with my physical training.
My body was weak.
My confidence in my body and myself was at an all time low.
I was stuck in negative thinking cycles which led to negative emotional cycles.
And Then…
I heard Ben Patrick talk about how he had given up Entertainment for an entire year, in this video.
The very next day I committed to live according to certain rules… until I achieved the bulletproof standards in ATG.
My Rules
No TV
No sports games
No Netflix
No movies
No video games
No cheat meals
No useless scrolling on social media
No music with lyrics
No porn
No masturbation
It’s pretty uncomfortable for me to even share all of that.
The last rule may be a bit questionable for some, and I understand that.
Though, I personally believe it can a very powerful tool for young men to hone their creative energy.
The challenge that I’m presenting for you is simply for you to change one thing. Hopefully these rules can spur some ideas for you. But you don’t have to do all of them like I have…
My mantra for life is:
“living life to the extremes, so other’s will take the first step.”
Where am I now?
This is a picture from a random video I took a few days ago, while rocking my blue light blocking glasses.
I’m just happier.
I don’t see myself going back to how I was living for at least awhile.
This tool is my edge over the competition. It gives me confidence because it’s something I can control. It’s my game. I get to compete with myself everyday.
I’m so grateful for the uncommon success education and ATG for coaches community. This community has influenced my diet, my sleeping, my training, my breathing, etc…
But without this challenge, I don’t know if could’ve made these changes.
Please, don’t just take it from me…
Ben Patrick was my original influence for this challenge…
Where Ben Was…
Back in 2018 Ben had 50 members online and 2000 followers.
Then two environmental factors shifted in his world.
He connected with Keegan Smith and joined the Real Movement Community (which is now ATG For Coaches).
And he endeavored on his no entertainment challenge.
With these 2 environmental factors, it’s no shock that he is where he is today.
Ben has taken 2 years off from Entertainment…once in 2018 and once in 2021… and he recently posted that he doesn’t see himself going back to his old way of living for a long time.
Ben’s Rules
His rules taken directly from this article.
“No TV
No Netflix
No movies
No video games
Not even any sports games!
[And DEFINITELY no porn but I am married, and I am NOT judging single guys. This is a very tough subject for some people and I completely understand that.]
I exclusively used technology to further my knees over toes research and educate on the truth about knees over toes.”
Where Ben is Now…
Atgonlinecoaching has well over 25k members. I’m just estimating here… it may be even higher.
Ben has 1.7 million followers collectively across his 3 main platforms
Not that followers mean everything. But, if Ben had not decided to tap into his untapped creative energy…
You wouldn’t be reading this article.
Over the years, he’s created philosophical principles to live by. I’m going to share a few of them with you today.
Ben’s Philosophy For Life
These are some of the principles that have had the most impact on me. Though there’s many more beyond these…
No Excuses Ever For Anything
This is Ben’s #1 rule for life. According to Ben, every complaint we speak is a lie to the Universe. And, the Universe doesn’t like when we lie to it.
Karma
He words this one in a few different ways…
“You get what you put your energy into”… “Ask for more engagement, get more engagement”… “Every second spent not working towards your goals, is telling the universe “I DON’T WANT MY GOALS”.
Slow Patient Confrontation
Ben says, “When you avoid confronting ANY area of your life, you may not feel the heat today, but you are creating a ticking time bomb that can EXPLODE much worse later on!”
Confront and handle your problems, and the universe will thank you.
Duty
Your duty as a human being is to serve others. Everyday starts and ends with duty.
Love the Other Guy
Humanities ultimate game is getting along. So “Love the other guy” and never argue with them. Nobody wins an argument.
Find the Reason
When an obstacle comes your way, quickly find the reason for why it happened, take the lesson, and let it go.
We don’t all have to be Ben Patrick. We can develop our own philosophies. But, what he does seems to work. So for me, he’s not a bad target to shoot for.
Speaking of good targets to shoot for…
Paul Counsel
He has the good looks, the charm, and the personality, and he’s not shy about telling you that…
But aside from that, he has immense wisdom to share.
These are some of the most impactful ideas, related to this challenge, that I’ve learned over the past few months from Paul in the Gen Freedom program.
Dopamine
Many modern technological inventions are comparable to slot machines.
Things like porn and social media are designed to release unnaturally high levels of dopamine. Dopamine makes us feel good and encourages addictive behavior.
Paul says, we can retrain our brain’s reward system to release dopamine when we want it to. By limiting your engagement with the unnaturally high dopamine releasing technologies… you can make a book seem a lot more exciting.
The question is…
On a scale of 1–10 (10 being you’re its master, and 1 being it’s your master)…
How would you rank your level of control over your reward system?
Change
Paul says, you must DELIBERATELY decide to change your own mind. MIND is always primary in the best content about extreme success.
Most often the obstacles in the way of change are internal barriers.
Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine is produced when we can FOCUS for a certain quality and quantity of time.
Without this chemical, neuroplasticity is impossible, because acetylcholine prepares our neurons for adaptation.
Focus is the skill that underlies all action.
Learning how to focus your limited units of attention on the task at hand, is the ultimate productivity hack.
Adrenaline
Adrenaline is the chemical that is produced in highly urgent situations.
It can be used negatively or positively.
When applied positively during a focused activity, adrenaline and acetylcholine mix together beautifully to create a focussed sense of urgency.
Mind Set vs. Mind Flex
Paul teaches that Mindset is conventional wisdom.
Mindset is a brain that is unwilling to change. A brain that keeps you in the same place: wanting more… but not producing more.
It’s a brain that’s set firmly in concrete.
Mind flex is a brain that is willing to change. A brain that learns. A brain that realizes that it must move towards the new! A brain that can adopt new frameworks for perceiving the world.
It’s a brain that has flexibility in the activity of mind.
Comfort Zone
You can’t change the feeling. You can only change the meaning of the feeling.
Discomfort is the right feeling. BUT, it doesn’t feel like it.
So we must relabel it as the right feeling, and the edges of the zone will expand.
Time
“You can’t manage time, you can only manage activities”.
I’m not sure if it was Paul Counsel or Keegan Smith who said this, but I really come back to this quote often.
How To Get Started
Let me remind you again, you don’t have to do this challenge if you don’t want to.
If you do decide you want to…
These guidelines are here to give the Productivity Paradise Challenge some structure… you don’t even have to follow these.
Remember, it’s Your Challenge. Get as creative as you want.
If you would like some structure for your challenge follow these steps.
Step 0: Scan Through the List of Rules and Answer These Questions…
As you look through this list… what items jump out at you?
How many of these things are you doing?
What activities aren’t serving your goals?
What’s the most important thing you could change that would make the most impact on increasing your productivity level?
No TV
No sports games
No Netflix
No movies
No video games
No cheat meals
No useless scrolling on social media
No music with lyrics
No porn
No masturbation
You might already be avoiding many of these things. You might be avoiding only 1 of them. It’s ok to be wherever you are.
There are tiers to help you organize your challenge a bit more.
Step 1: Chose Your Tier.
Tier 1: Choose 1 or 2 to eliminate.
Tier 2: Choose 3 or 4 to eliminate.
Tier 3: Choose 5 or 6 to eliminate.
Tier 4: Choose 7 or 8 to eliminate.
Tier 5: Choose 9 or 10 to eliminate.
Choose the tier that will challenge your current level just enough to keep you motivated.
Step 2: Choose the # of Rules Within Your Tier.
Step 3: Choose Your Sources.
Look back to the list.
What specific entertainment sources do you want to eliminate?
Can you think of other bad habits not on this list that you would like to eliminate?
This is very personal. It makes sense to take some time and think about what’s going to be best for you.
You can make multiple changes instead of simply making your one change.
Just be careful that you don’t overwhelm yourself and end your challenge early…
Step 4: Create Your Rules.
You don’t have to look at these everyday… but store them somewhere: in your mind, on your phone, in your notebook, etc.
That’s all you need to get started: it’s quite simple.
What About the Benefits?
I can only speak from experience…
Because of this challenge, I have gained a lot of confidence. I’m more emotionally and mentally stable. And with that stability I’ve become way more productive. I’m learning more, creating more, and having more interesting conversations. I’ve achieved more, and although my achievements aren’t very obvious, I’m more excited for life than I ever have been.
My life is a game… and my winning mentality is translating into so many different areas of my life.
The Stronger the Tool…
The faster the result. The more you push your boundaries, the faster you’ll experience change.
Though, this is a long game. The physical reality takes time to catch up with the the mental and emotional reality.
However…
A 30 Day Challenge Can Still Be Quite Impactful
So what if… as a group… we end the year right and go into 2022 the most productive we’ve ever been?
That’s my dream.
If you want to join the productivity paradise telegram chat, I will send a link into the uncommon success chat.
If you can’t find the link, or you’re not apart of that chat, you can always reach out to me on instagram… here @maxhfreedom and I’ll send you a link to the chat.
Steve Jobs Said…
Would it be ridiculous for you to think… that you could have more of a positive and creative impact on the world IF you were to endeavor on this challenge?
And Finally, Another Quote From Ben Patrick
“Please please please, aim high.
The world is not in a place where we can afford NOT to make a difference, if we want our kids to grow up in a world we can be proud of.
We each have a responsibility to make this a better place, and being in action, fighting for our goals, is more rewarding than sitting on the side lines.
It’s a numbers game, and the more of us that fight for positive goals, the more we all win.”
