Whether you work from home or an office, many find it a struggle to focus, be productive, and finish all their tasks.

Since becoming self-employed in 2013, I’ve built a successful business, launched numerous side hustles, completed many large projects for several clients at once, and worked far fewer than 40 hours a week while traveling the world and relocating to dozens of cities.

But my secret isn’t earplugs, coffee, “more self-discipline,” or a magical time-management app. (In fact, I don’t use one single productivity tool at all.)

In this article, I’ll show you the exact, highly potent strategies that…

When it comes to being super thin, I’m an expert—I was always the shortest and skinniest kid in my entire school.

And it wasn’t until after college I committed to changing my body, getting fit, and gaining muscle. It wasn’t easy—gaining clean, healthy weight isn’t as pleasant as it sounds—but after a few years, I eventually became a fitness expert for Men’s Health, GQ, and Esquire and a fitness coach for celebrities and professional athletes.

Life changed in many ways. Obviously, my physique transformed, which was nice; but the skills I gained in the gym carried over to virtually everything…

If you’re reading this, there are a million-and-a-half things you want to do: Build your business, exercise more, spend more time with friends and family, read more books, etc.

So how do you pack that into a 24-hour day that’s already occupied with sleeping and eating?

While most people try to become more productive by adding things, I’ve discovered it's far easier to start by subtracting what kills productivity in the first place. Because when you look at highly productive people, even though they’re in different industries with different workflows, they always avoid key mistakes that sabotage everyone else.

If…

“We know a lot of good coaches, but how many of them are good people?”

I almost fell out of my seat when my friend asked me that while we were having lunch and talking about our journeys in personal development. We were both in a tight-knit industry and studied the same coaches — folks who knew every detail of their craft and taught it well — but we also knew a lot of them had a less-than-stellar reputation.

Mean to their employees. Arrogant. Womanizing. Smarmy.

And it made us think about their lessons, the meaning behind them, and what…

Let’s start with the problem all of us have, no matter our race, age, or culture:

We suck at predicting the future.

According to Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D., Harvard psychology professor and author of Stumbling on Happiness:

“Most of us have a tough time imagining a tomorrow that is terribly different from today, and we find it particularly difficult to imagine that we will ever think, want, or feel differently than we do now.”

And because of that, we tend to make short-sided decisions that might hurt us in the long-term and lead to regret.

But there’s one easy way to…

Without a doubt, one of the best life skills there are is the ability to gauge a person’s character and personality accurately. It’ll help you find stronger relationships and avoid a lot of pain and frustration.

Of all the many different methods, I’ve learned seven over the years that have helped me tremendously—either they were the sign that led to a long, fulfilling friendship or they were the warning before things fell apart.

Note: Please don’t use these to condemn or judge people. Everyone has bad days and our personalities can change. …

As a massive sports fan, I love all the strategy and excitement of the “physical” game, but it’s the “mental” game that really inspires and captivates me. Because it’s the mental strength and determination that helps the greatest athletes overcome incredible obstacles, failures, and pain to reach the highest levels of humankind.

After years of studying games, interviews, documentaries, and more, I've learned several powerful lessons that helped me beat my own obstacles in life and make the most of my potential. …

“We’re sitting outside. If you’re not busy, come join us.”

I looked at the older gentleman in front of me; then I thought about the pile of work that was waiting for me. In a moment that would unexpectedly change my stars, I said to myself, “Screw it, let’s get some sun.”

After all, it was my first time visiting Denver. I was there for a week-long trip and stopped by a cafe to grab coffee and finish some work projects, when I started a random conversation with a man next to me. …