Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/219

When it comes to having a productive day, the night before is absolutely essential! There are specific steps that you can take to ensure that the following day is going to be productive, and that you are going to get done what you need to do!

Today I’m walking you through my own personal nightly process to make sure that I wake up knowing exactly what needs to be done, and with the passion and commitment to follow it through! It really is a system, and on this episode I am giving you my system to make sure you have a successful day.

So listen up and take notes! Try implementing these tips before you go to bed tonight, and see what the following morning feels like! Enjoy!

Key Takeaways:

• Use Swannies for a couple hours before bed every night
• Plan for tomorrow today
• Find the ONE thing you MUST do tomorrow, the night before
• Besides that, make a list
• Keep quotes and other things that will keep you motivated next to your workspace
• Prepare your gym bag the day before, if you plan to workout first thing in the morning, so that you have less barrier to actually working out

Resources:

SwanwickSleep.com

JamesSwanwick.com/67Steps

30DayNoAlcoholChallenge.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/219

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/218

Is it cool to be sober? A lot of people drink to fit in, to be more like their peers, and to foster a sense of tribe and protect that tribe. But today’s episode questions all of that.

My guest today is Holly Whitaker of Hip Sobriety, and she is talking about the ways that the social norms are slowly moving from being completely accepting of drinking, to understanding the drawbacks of drinking, to the point where alcohol use my even be condemned by society in the future, as cigarettes have been in the current age.

Is society moving towards being less accepting of drinking? Has it started to become ‘hip’ to be sober? When we quit drinking, do we endanger the sense of tribe that was find so important? Does that even matter? There are some many questions here, and we dig into all of them to find answers for you around what it means to live a sober, better life. Learn all about it on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways:

• Giving up drinking can be like claiming your freedom
• Even when drinking isn’t like “hell” in your life, it can be holding you back in significant ways
• Alcohol touches every bit of your life, and removing it is freedom
• Quitting drinking can be difficult because of the tremendous societal pressure to drink
• Humans have an innate fear of anything that threatens their ‘tribe,’ and sometimes it feels like quitting drinking will threaten the tribe
• A big part of the reason that addictions are able to take hold is because people don’t assess where they are and what their relationship with alcohol is
• A lot of the fear people have around drinking is that they think they will be boring or unsociable, but it’s just not true

Resources:

HipSobriety.com

HomePodcast.org

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/218

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/218

Is it cool to be sober? A lot of people drink to fit in, to be more like their peers, and to foster a sense of tribe and protect that tribe. But today’s episode questions all of that.

My guest today is Holly Whitaker of Hip Sobriety, and she is talking about the ways that the social norms are slowly moving from being completely accepting of drinking, to understanding the drawbacks of drinking, to the point where alcohol use my even be condemned by society in the future, as cigarettes have been in the current age.

Is society moving towards being less accepting of drinking? Has it started to become ‘hip’ to be sober? When we quit drinking, do we endanger the sense of tribe that was find so important? Does that even matter? There are some many questions here, and we dig into all of them to find answers for you around what it means to live a sober, better life. Learn all about it on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways:

• Giving up drinking can be like claiming your freedom
• Even when drinking isn’t like “hell” in your life, it can be holding you back in significant ways
• Alcohol touches every bit of your life, and removing it is freedom
• Quitting drinking can be difficult because of the tremendous societal pressure to drink
• Humans have an innate fear of anything that threatens their ‘tribe,’ and sometimes it feels like quitting drinking will threaten the tribe
• A big part of the reason that addictions are able to take hold is because people don’t assess where they are and what their relationship with alcohol is
• A lot of the fear people have around drinking is that they think they will be boring or unsociable, but it’s just not true

Resources:

HipSobriety.com

HomePodcast.org

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/218

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/217

How much do you watch sports? Do you obsess over sports? Are you always checking your phone to see what the latest news is about your sports team? Do you spend hours every week watching the game, and then many more analyzing it after the game? Does it stress you when they’re doing poorly? Do you put emotional energy into your team?

That’s exactly how I used to be. But this episode is about a better way. This is not to say that you cannot or even should not have a sports team that you are invested in and keep up with. In fact, there are reasons to do so, including the added happiness that it may bring into your life.

However, it’s important to be completely aware that any time, energy, and emotion put into that is directly being taken from something else. Any effort, time, money, or energy that you put into sports cannot be used in any way to further other areas of your life.

The trade-off is the most important thing to understand. If sports makes you happier, perhaps it is worth it. But maybe you can find a better way to keep up with your team. Maybe you just watch the highlights, or a recording after the fact so you can skip all the commercials and save tons of time. Whatever your strategy is, ensure that you have a strategy, and that you aren’t just following the flow of what it seems like everyone else is doing. Be purposeful about exactly how much of your life you want to invest in sports.

Key Takeaways:

• People get caught up in sports teams like they rarely get caught up in anything else
• Anything that makes you happy has a certain amount of value
• However, it becomes a problem whenever your obsession with a sports team takes away from other parts of your life
• There is an opportunity cost, when you are putting too much time and emotional energy into a sports team
• 3 hours spent on a game is always going to be 3 hours not spent on something else in your life
• Understand the cost in terms of the opportunity to do other things
• Consider following someone you want to emulate with the same sort of fervor you would put into following your favorite sports player
• Look into creative ways that you can scale back your sports obsession, and put that valuable time into other areas that will have a larger payoff for you
• It’s fine to watch and enjoy. Just be purposeful about how much time, energy, and emotion you put into it, knowing that it’s all being pulled from some other area of your life

Resources:

Change Your Habits, and Change Your Life: 47-Day Habit Hacker

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/217

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/216

A lot of people spend a lot of money to feel happy. Whether it’s going to DisneyLand, taking vacations, visiting exotic locations, or whatever it is. People think they need to pay, or have some sort of extremely special or unusual experience to be happy. But that is simply not the case!!

Happiness comes from a variety of places. But at the end of the day, happiness is a choice. It’s a way of life. People are miserable at DisneyLand all the time, whether it’s because their kids or their spouse make them miserable, if they are stressed out about work and letting that ruin their trip, DisneyLand, by itself, cannot make you happy.

You have to actively seek happiness, and be smart about the things that you know will bring more of it into your everyday life. Helping other people, doing good for other people, living in the moment, soaking up everything that is around you, progress in your goals, hard work, all of these things can bring happiness! Know yourself, realize when you are truly happy, and create more of those moments in your life!

Key Takeaways:

• The happiest place on earth is wherever you decided to be the happiest in the moment
• Happiness is a choice you make
• Practice daily gratefulness to create more happiness in your life
• Purposefulness in building the life you want produces happiness
• But understand that ups and downs always occur, and that is actually what makes the happy times happy
• Analyze your feelings, to notice when you are the most happy, to create more of that in your life
• Helping people will bring you happiness

Resources:

Learn how to create better habits in your life

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/216

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/216

A lot of people spend a lot of money to feel happy. Whether it’s going to DisneyLand, taking vacations, visiting exotic locations, or whatever it is. People think they need to pay, or have some sort of extremely special or unusual experience to be happy. But that is simply not the case!!

Happiness comes from a variety of places. But at the end of the day, happiness is a choice. It’s a way of life. People are miserable at DisneyLand all the time, whether it’s because their kids or their spouse make them miserable, if they are stressed out about work and letting that ruin their trip, DisneyLand, by itself, cannot make you happy.

You have to actively seek happiness, and be smart about the things that you know will bring more of it into your everyday life. Helping other people, doing good for other people, living in the moment, soaking up everything that is around you, progress in your goals, hard work, all of these things can bring happiness! Know yourself, realize when you are truly happy, and create more of those moments in your life!

Key Takeaways:

• The happiest place on earth is wherever you decided to be the happiest in the moment
• Happiness is a choice you make
• Practice daily gratefulness to create more happiness in your life
• Purposefulness in building the life you want produces happiness
• But understand that ups and downs always occur, and that is actually what makes the happy times happy
• Analyze your feelings, to notice when you are the most happy, to create more of that in your life
• Helping people will bring you happiness

Resources:

Learn how to create better habits in your life

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/216

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/215

“When you do something is extremely important. Most people only think about what to do, not when to do it.” - Dr. Michael Breus

(click to tweet)

We know that everyone is different. People have different personalities, different habits, different sleep patterns, and different emotions. But what we don’t often realize or think about is how this affects the specific times of day that we should be doing specific things. Dr. Michael Breus has written a book called “The Power of When” that allows you to find out exactly what your chronotype is, and use that information to help you choose the ideal time of day to do specific things!

It all comes from taking Dr. Breus’ test, which will show you exactly what chronotype you are. After you learn that, the book goes into all kinds of details about when you should be doing what. Things like focused work, creative work, bedtimes, wake-up times, and even when you should be having sexy, are all things that can be better if done at the right time for your chronotype!

This episode is extremely practical for anyone who wants to get more out of their life. Most people talk and think about what they should be doing, without hardly ever considering when they should be doing it! Learn exactly when you should be doing things in order to get the most out of them, on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

“Everyone has different natural sleep timings, and times of day that they do things better. Learning when to do things will help you be more effective in everything you do.” - Dr. Michael Breus

(click to tweet)

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone has different natural sleep timings, and times of day that they do things better. Learning when to do things will help you be more effective in everything you do
• A chronotype is your natural tendency for when you go to bed and when you wake up
• Based on your chronotype, you should do specific things at different specific times for maximum efficiency
• When you do something is extremely important. Most people only think about what to do, not when to do it
• Sex in the evening is actually the worst time to have sex. Morning is ideal
• Your pain sensitivity increases as the day goes, so exercising in the later part of the day will hurt more
• Having dinner be the smallest meal of the day will help your blood sugar stay constant, which will help you sleep
• Having a consistent time that you wake up every morning acts as an anchor for the rest of your sleep, to make sure it is good

5-Ways to Sleep Better

1. Be consistent. Keep one schedule
2. Stop caffeine by 2 PM
3. Stop alcohol by 3 hours before bedtime
4. Exercise. The best thing you can do to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep is to exercise
5. Spend 15 minutes in direct sunlight every morning
6. Block blue light at night time
7. Give yourself time to fall asleep. Consider a ‘power down hour’

Resources:

ThePowerOfWhenQuiz.com

TheSleepDoctor.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/215

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.v

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/215

“When you do something is extremely important. Most people only think about what to do, not when to do it.” - Dr. Michael Breus

(click to tweet)

We know that everyone is different. People have different personalities, different habits, different sleep patterns, and different emotions. But what we don’t often realize or think about is how this affects the specific times of day that we should be doing specific things. Dr. Michael Breus has written a book called “The Power of When” that allows you to find out exactly what your chronotype is, and use that information to help you choose the ideal time of day to do specific things!

It all comes from taking Dr. Breus’ test, which will show you exactly what chronotype you are. After you learn that, the book goes into all kinds of details about when you should be doing what. Things like focused work, creative work, bedtimes, wake-up times, and even when you should be having sexy, are all things that can be better if done at the right time for your chronotype!

This episode is extremely practical for anyone who wants to get more out of their life. Most people talk and think about what they should be doing, without hardly ever considering when they should be doing it! Learn exactly when you should be doing things in order to get the most out of them, on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

“Everyone has different natural sleep timings, and times of day that they do things better. Learning when to do things will help you be more effective in everything you do.” - Dr. Michael Breus

(click to tweet)

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone has different natural sleep timings, and times of day that they do things better. Learning when to do things will help you be more effective in everything you do
• A chronotype is your natural tendency for when you go to bed and when you wake up
• Based on your chronotype, you should do specific things at different specific times for maximum efficiency
• When you do something is extremely important. Most people only think about what to do, not when to do it
• Sex in the evening is actually the worst time to have sex. Morning is ideal
• Your pain sensitivity increases as the day goes, so exercising in the later part of the day will hurt more
• Having dinner be the smallest meal of the day will help your blood sugar stay constant, which will help you sleep
• Having a consistent time that you wake up every morning acts as an anchor for the rest of your sleep, to make sure it is good

5-Ways to Sleep Better

1. Be consistent. Keep one schedule
2. Stop caffeine by 2 PM
3. Stop alcohol by 3 hours before bedtime
4. Exercise. The best thing you can do to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep is to exercise
5. Spend 15 minutes in direct sunlight every morning
6. Block blue light at night time
7. Give yourself time to fall asleep. Consider a ‘power down hour’

Resources:

ThePowerOfWhenQuiz.com

TheSleepDoctor.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/215

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/214

Would you like to know how to make $2.7 million in a single year? Today I’ve got a short and to the point conversation with Justin Cener about exactly how he was able to make $2.7 million revenue in 2015 selling T-shirts with cats on them!

There’s a very specific process and formula to follow, and that is exactly what Justin is going through with me today. One of the most important traps to avoid is going to broad with your target market. If you’re trying to appeal to everyone, you could easily end up appealing to no one, so be very careful and focused at first.

Also, focus on matching a perfect product for a specific perfect customer. Understanding your avatar or idea customer is essential to creating a successful business, because it is the only way that you can know that you are creating the right product or service.

Learn all of this and more on today’s short but packed episode of The James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways:

• Match your product to your customer very carefully
• Do market research to carefully prove the demand
• After you have the perfect customer and product match, advertise slowly and then scale up
• Proving demand for your product is the most important and first step you should take. Use the Google keyword planner to measure demand
• Look around your social networks to see what people are passionate and talking about
• When you get started, focus only on one thing, and don’t go broad

Resources:

JustinCener.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/214

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/214

Would you like to know how to make $2.7 million in a single year? Today I’ve got a short and to the point conversation with Justin Cener about exactly how he was able to make $2.7 million revenue in 2015 selling T-shirts with cats on them!

There’s a very specific process and formula to follow, and that is exactly what Justin is going through with me today. One of the most important traps to avoid is going to broad with your target market. If you’re trying to appeal to everyone, you could easily end up appealing to no one, so be very careful and focused at first.

Also, focus on matching a perfect product for a specific perfect customer. Understanding your avatar or idea customer is essential to creating a successful business, because it is the only way that you can know that you are creating the right product or service.

Learn all of this and more on today’s short but packed episode of The James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways:

• Match your product to your customer very carefully
• Do market research to carefully prove the demand
• After you have the perfect customer and product match, advertise slowly and then scale up
• Proving demand for your product is the most important and first step you should take. Use the Google keyword planner to measure demand
• Look around your social networks to see what people are passionate and talking about
• When you get started, focus only on one thing, and don’t go broad

Resources:

JustinCener.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/214