“So what do you want to do with your life?”

Tim Ferriss sat across from me, at a boutique hotel by a brackish beach in Lamu Island, Kenya. 

It was July, 2011. I was just shy of 26 years old. 

It was a big question, and more than anything in the world at that moment, I wanted to impress him.

He had been my hero for years, I had read his first book 7 times, and his ability to seemingly bend reality to his will around him was already gaining legendary status. 

We had run into each other and had a friendly exchange, just two Long Island boys at the gym in Cooper Square, NYC a few years earlier, and when the opportunity to spend 10 days together traveling arose with his latest book launch, I jumped all over it. 

I told him a bit about my burgeoning career in equities trading, my goals and dreams. I had lost my dad unexpectedly the year before, and I was obviously still spinning a bit. 

He thought for a minute, and finally said: “Do you want to go to North Korea?”

I couldn’t process the question – “Why?” was all I could muster. 

Tim: I think it would be good for you, my friend is running a mastermind group there. 

Me: Who’s your friend?

Tim: I can’t tell you that, he’s a private but well known person. 

Me: Are YOU going to North Korea? 

Tim: No. 

Me: {File not found} 

Suffice to say, I didn’t go to North Korea, but when I got home and recovered from the malaria I contracted that very night on the trip (mosquito nets, people) I got an email from Neil Strauss, who had just gotten back with a small group to North Korea for a new mastermind group he had started, to help men evolve into their best selves. 

Not willing to tempt fate by ‘refusing the call’ a second time, I rang his team up, and joined straight away. 

Little did I know, I would finally enter my entrepreneurial incubation period, surrounded by people who I would learn invaluable lessons with, traveling the world, and finally becoming a more productive, effective and aligned version of myself. 

Now I’m just shy of 40, and for many years I’ve been building, leading, joining, and helping people launch and scale countless mastermind groups, all the while meeting and learning from all types of successful people. 

Masterminds are still my number one hack, the one thing I would focus on if I could only focus on one thing. Done right, they are the biggest force multiplier in my life. 

3 of the businesses I’ve started have hit the 7 figure mark, and I’m still in love with the game, learning, growing and sharing what I learn as I go. 

One thing I believe holds a lot of entrepreneurs back is a failure to consistently prioritize and stay on track toward their goals. 

We all want what we do to matter, instead of getting to the end of the day and feeling like you ‘did a lot of stuff’ but nothing important got done.

It also sucks when there is more ‘month’ at the end of the money.

Every entrepreneur has also faced that overwhelming feeling of staring down a long list of tasks, unclear on where to start. It’s easy to get lost in the swirl of to-dos, meetings, emails, and messages that demand our attention. 

However, without clear priorities, progress stalls, and as the good book says: “Without a vision, people perish.” 

Or binge watch Netflix and doom scroll on Insta. 

The ability to hone in on what matters most is often what separates the people who are thriving from just surviving or worse, giving up entirely. 

In this article, we’ll explore a few key productivity hacks and mindset shifts to help entrepreneurs (like you!) prioritize effectively, maintain flow, and achieve results that truly matter.

Tony Robbins RPM 

One of the most impactful concepts I learned from Tony Robbins is the RPM strategy—Results, Purpose, Massive Action. 

Simply put, it’s about getting clear on what you want (results), understanding why it matters (purpose), and then aligning your energy and actions to achieve it (massive action).

Many people have endless to-do lists, checking off small tasks that keep them busy but not necessarily productive. They haven’t defined what success looks like or why it’s important to them. When you define your results, you get clarity. When you understand your purpose, you build drive. 

And when you commit to massive action, you create momentum. 1% better per day doesn’t seem like much, but it compounds, 3778% better in a year, in fact.

The 3×5 Note Card Technique

One of the simplest, most effective hacks I’ve adopted for prioritization comes from, you guessed it, Mr. Tim Ferriss: the 3×5 note card technique. 

Every evening, I write down 3-5 high-priority tasks that must be completed before anything else the following morning. You are forced to be clear, precise and brief, and you can’t fit too much crap on the card. 

For me, the best time to tackle this list is right after I wake up, during my most productive hours. 

Before checking my phone, emails, or social media, I dive straight into this prioritized work. This has the dual benefit of creating a clear path for the day and taking advantage of my peak mental clarity.

Things that are priorities for the future, are put on the calendar to be placed on another card for another day, or discarded if they are no longer relevant when we get there. 

I work on priorities and exercise in the morning, and communicate and take calls in the afternoon. 

I attempt to eliminate, automate, or delegate anything and everything that’s not a thousand dollar an hour task or more. 

That’s it. 

What makes this method powerful is its simplicity. It forces you to confront what truly matters and will move the ball forward each day. When your tasks are limited to only a handful, the impetus to execute on those specific items increases, and the likelihood of achieving them becomes higher.

Finding Your Flow: Strategies from Steven Kotler

Achieving flow, that state of complete immersion and heightened productivity, is crucial for tackling high-priority tasks effectively. 

Steven Kotler, a world leading flow expert I had the pleasure of having dinner with not long ago in Scottsdale AZ, shared a simple hack that has helped him write 14 books and counting, many of them bestsellers: 

Edit your writing from the previous day. 

This method eases you into flow because you’re revisiting existing content, which naturally engages your mind and eliminates the friction that often comes with starting fresh.

In my own routine, I combine this concept with another productivity hack—listening to the same songs on repeat. 

I know it might sound odd, but playing tracks like “Animals” by Martin Garrix and “Tsunami” on loop provides a rhythmic background that helps me stay focused for hours. No lyrics, no distractions, and you train your brain to know it’s ‘go’ time when that particular song comes on. 

With that kind of sustained concentration, I can easily knock out 2,000-3,000 words in a sitting. Recently, I was able to turn out a 42,000 word manuscript for my 4th book in 21 days. 

The key is starting right away in the morning. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate. Jump straight into it, and flow will follow. Start where you are, and keep going. You got this. 

When to Shift Priorities: Health, Family, Business

The challenge of priorities isn’t just knowing what to focus on; it’s knowing when those priorities should shift. For entrepreneurs, priorities should fall into a hierarchy: health, family, and business.

1. Health First: If you’re not healthy, you can’t help anyone else. Physical and mental well-being is the foundation upon which all other achievements are built.
2. Family Next: These are the relationships that make life worth living. Success without someone to share it with is the ultimate failure. A lack of family focus can lead to achieving results that feel empty. This includes not just your default family, but your family of choice, your ride or die people, your sisters from other misters, your brothers from other mothers. 
3. Then Business: Your career is vital for providing the resources to support your life, but it should not come at the expense of your health or family. 

However, life is unpredictable, and there are times when imminent danger, sudden opportunities, or personal emergencies necessitate a temporary shift in priorities. 

The key is to recognize when to adjust without losing sight of your ultimate vision and goals. And getting back on track as quickly as possible. 

Understanding the R&R Matrix (Results & Relationships)

One crucial concept I learned from Scott Whitaker is the Results & Relationships (R&R) matrix. This tool helps you balance the need to drive results with the importance of building and maintaining relationships. 

Here’s a quick overview of how the matrix works:

• Low Results / Low Relationships: People won’t join or stay in your community (e.g., mastermind, team) if they don’t see results or feel connected.
• Low Results / High Relationships: If people are only in your group for the relationships, they’ll eventually feel like they’re just paying to hang out with friends, leading to dissatisfaction.
• High Results / Low Relationships: People get the results they want but leave quickly because there’s no sense of family or connection keeping them engaged.
• High Results / High Relationships: The sweet spot. People stay, achieve their goals, build meaningful relationships, and help spread your message to others, creating a cycle of growth and success, along with that recurring revenue we all need to thrive. 

The goal for any entrepreneur, leader, or community builder is to strive for this high-results, high-relationships quadrant. This balance creates sustained success, whether in business masterminds or other ventures. 

I believe that relationships are to be prioritized higher than money- they can and do become infinitely more valuable as time goes on, and the right relationship at the right time can create infinite money. 

Steve and Steve at Apple, Bill and Steve at Microsoft, Larry and Sergei at Google, Mark and Sheryl at Meta, and so forth. 

Taking care of people, adding value to their lives, and consistently building over time means that you were there before they ‘blew up’ when everyone now wants a piece of their success for their own reasons. 

All the ‘Johnny come latelies” have to stand in line while you can continue to be a valuable and trusted friend, confidant and partner, growing and winning together.

People are always shocked at who I know, and I could write a whole book just on that one narrow topic, but I’ll leave you with a couple questions to ponder for now: ‘Do you need to know everything if you know everybody? How can you dig the well before you need it so you are never thirsty for the rest of your life?” 

It’s not hard, per se, but it does require discipline, consistency and giving a damn. Your values aren’t your values unless you can choose them when choosing is difficult. When choosing them means you may lose something else you value, at least in the short term, to win the long game. 

The Tony Hawk Story: Realigning Priorities

Once you have clarity on your priorities, the next step is to communicate them effectively. Whether it’s within your family, team, or broader community, clear communication is crucial to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands the reasons behind your decisions.

Transparency fosters trust and eliminates unnecessary friction. By aligning your priorities with your actions and words, you create an environment where those around you know what to expect and how to support you.

Take, for example, the legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, as related on the “Blocks” podcast with Neal Brennan. 

For years, Hawk would make his family miserable if he missed a trick after working on it all day. 

The frustration he felt would spill over into his interactions, creating tension at home. They weren’t enrolled in his vision. He felt isolated, they felt left out. 

Eventually, his family helped him realign his priorities, and he adopted a healthier perspective on his performance. 

Remarkably, this shift didn’t make him a worse skater—in fact, it made him a happier one.

This story is a powerful reminder that as we go through life, our priorities must evolve, especially when they’re causing negative externalities in our relationships or health. 

Growth doesn’t always mean sacrificing what’s important to you; sometimes, it’s about reshaping your approach to create a more sustainable harmony between your priorities. 

Balance may be elusive and not a great target to aim for, but a great song has a harmony that ebbs and flows to create a beautiful experience. 

Building Wealth and Maintaining Priorities

For entrepreneurs looking to build wealth, the path isn’t always straightforward.

As you grow, your priorities should shift in a way that protects your wealth while fostering growth. 

Think of it like this:

1. Income First: The fastest way to wealth is to increase your income. Focus on acquiring skills like leadership, negotiation, sales, and personal development that allow you to trade up for bigger and better assets and income streams.
2. Protection and Safety: Once you’ve built a foundation, the next priority is protecting that wealth through diversified investments, emergency funds, and risk management. This is HARD because what got you here, won’t get you where you want to go next. You must learn to play offense AND defense to win games consistently, and know when to switch gears and why. Otherwise, everything you built could go away. 
3. Growth and Risk Buckets: With protection in place, you can then seek growth opportunities and take calculated risks, while continuing to keep ‘the main thing the main thing’ and grow your income, while leveraging your capital effectively over the long term, creating and purchasing assets that allow you to achieve financial escape velocity. 

Balancing these financial priorities with your personal and professional goals will allow you to create a life where success doesn’t come at the expense of well-being or fulfillment.

On a personal note: I’ve gotten all of this wrong before, and this article is just as much a reminder for me as it may also help you. 

It is my sincere hope that at least one of these strategies help you find what you’re looking for, because you are worth it and deserve the best in life. 

Wherever you are in your journey, I see you and it gets better. Keep fighting the good fight. 

Ok, let’s recap:

Key Takeaways: Your Guide to Prioritization

1. Start Each Day with Intentional Action: Use the 3×5 note card technique to identify 3-5 high-impact tasks each evening before signing off.
2. Find and Protect Your Flow: Engage in activities that help you achieve a state of flow, like editing work from the day before or listening to a repetitive playlist.
3. Results and Relationships: Use the R&R matrix to ensure you’re hitting the mark in both areas, and keeping your eyes on the prize. 
4. Adjust When Necessary: Be flexible and willing to shift your priorities temporarily based on health, family, or business needs.
5. Lead with Transparency: Communicate your priorities effectively to create alignment with those around you.
6. Build Wealth with Prioritization in Mind: Focus on increasing income first, then move on to protection, growth, and calculated risks.

By understanding and applying these principles, you can make each day count, achieve your goals more efficiently, and surprise yourself with how your productivity skyrockets.