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- [00:00]
A
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Living the Red Life. Today we're going to talk about some habits, techniques and tips for high performance. I'm here with Maggie, who is the owner of the Dream Plan do method or the founder of Dream Plan Do, a business coach and helps a lot of people do exactly what we're talking about today through her business Stairway to Leadership, which is being a high performer, getting a lot done, success, being successful in business. So, Maggie, welcome to the show.
- [00:31]
B
Yeah, thank you so much, Rudy, for having me. Happy to be here.
- [00:34]
A
Good. So I know you are on, you know, I just did a training, ironically on Monday that you're on around like high performance productivity and, and I think it's such a useful and important topic and I'm so excited to have you join me on the episode today to talk about it on the podcast side because a lot of people aren't, you know, in my private training and what just to set the scene a little before I hand over to you, I would say my training like you're the, you're the LeBron James or the pro athlete in your own business. Right. And if you're performing bad and not productive and you know, maybe low energy or whatever, it's like everyone suffers. Your employees suffer, your customers suffer, your family suffer. Because now you're more stressed in business and get and getting less done. So you have to look after you. And I say treat yourself like a rock star and every, you know, cast down from that. So for anyone that doesn't, you know, before we dive in, if people don't know who you are, do you mind just talking a little about, you know, why you're here today talking to us about performance and productivity.
- [01:41]
B
Yeah. So my name is Maggie Perotin, business and leadership coach. I really am very passionate and believe in high performance and that comes from my backstory. I was a corporate leader for many years and at some point I burned out and that burnout led me A, to start my business, but B, to look inside and say, okay, what can I do to avoid that but also manage my time better. And I ended up going through some high performance habit, coaching and really understanding my relationship with time, the focus and so on. And that changed my life. That allowed me to a, start my business on the side while running a very, you know, being fully employed in my corporate career and having quite demanding role, doing MBA on the side, having my business kids at school during COVID and I still was able to do all that while having time for me because of it. So I'm very passionate about it. I included in my coaching what I, you know, when I coach business owners because I think that and of course having regular clients, those are two top challenges for majority of business owners.
- [02:53]
C
My name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in wonderland and change your life.
- [03:08]
A
So why is it that. Let's start from the get go. Why is it most entrepreneurs aren't productive? Because I think they're all very busy and I was teaching and saying like you confused that with productive. Because I the most entrepreneurs like calendars or they tell me what their average day is. I'm like, most of that isn't high ROI producing tasks. So why is it like most function that way, I guess is my first question.
- [03:34]
B
So I think there is couple of things. One of things is definitely where culture is sort of programmed to like, busy means important, busy means productive, right? And as you say, like, it's not true you can be busy doing things that don't, don't move your business forward at all. I think it's Richard Cobby who said like, you know, you can be, there's nothing worse than being busy doing things that are not effective, right? Like, so that's when the culture sort of programming, oh, I'm busy, therefore I'm doing important things. And we don't really pause and stop saying like, is that really important? And then the second thing, what I find with entrepreneurs, we are very creative, right? So we have a lot of ideas. And with that it's easy to get distracted if you're not clear on what's important and you don't create systems, systems and habits to support that focus. It's so easy to get distracted. There's so many opportunities out there and that's natural thing for even for us humans, right? Our brain likes novelty, it gets attracted to it.
- [04:47]
A
So yeah, and I think also what I was talking about on Monday was we then fall into this and entrepreneurs are really guilty of this, into this ticking box thing. And I used to be a victim of this where you're doing, you make your to do list, you've got these 12 things, you blast, you know, emails, you write a blog and you have this endorphin release constantly that we know we get from ticking boxes and doing stuff and we're like super productive. And then two years later, it's like, hey, our business still isn't making that much money. And it's like, well, you didn't do the big needle moving things every day, right? So how do you know? I guess question then how if people are listening and they're like, rudy, that's me, I'm doing all these random little things. I'm not, you know, where I need to be and I'm probably not doing the big things, what's a tip? Or how do they start switching what they do?
- [05:41]
B
So the first thing I would say, you need to be clear, what is it that you are doing and what is it that you need to be doing? Right? So one a very eye opening exercise. It's actually tracking your time for a week from like when you wake up to when you go to bed. Tracking your time because that there's so many things that we do that we don't even realize, like scrolling on the phone here and there or watching TV for that matter without realizing that and that, you know, that exercise can be eye opening. I remember when I did it back in the day when I, you know, burned out, I realized I was spending so much time in the evening just vegging on the couch, watching TV and sometimes shoes that I hated that I was getting like, you know, at the end I was like, what the hell am I doing? Getting retired, going to bed. And when I realized that I like, that has to stop, right? So that's one like just know how you're spending your time. Then the second thing, what you want to do is know, okay, what's my best utilization of the time? If I am the owner and I was coaching one of my clients on that just on Tuesday, saying, okay, if you had to pay yourself $10,000 for an hour of your time, just think about is what you're doing worth it? And if it's not, then maybe you need to stop. Or you know, if you have a team you can delegate if it still needs to be done.
- [07:14]
A
But let me just stop you because that is the golden rule that I've always used and it's such a idiot proof way of assessing your own time, right? Like I live in I and I think I learned this from like TIM FERRISS Like 15 years ago in the four hour workweek and never forgot it since. And it's like any time I'm always analyzing, why am I doing right now, this hour? Could I have someone else do it? Right? And I'm constantly, you know, doing, doing that. So sorry to jump in, but I just wanted to overemphasize like if you're listening to this and you're not doing that, do it instantly and do it all day, every day. Right. Like if you're trying to get a six pack, when you eat a food, you should be asking yourself, right. Is this deep fried food gonna help me get towards my goal? Yes or no. Right. And you, yeah, you're analyzing those things probably before you even eat the food. And it should be the same here. Eventually you should be analyzing the task before you start on like, you know, and then eventually it becomes subconscious. Like now I don't need to analyze it really because just I train my brain over five years. Anything small, I'm sending away instantly for the team.
- [08:25]
B
Yeah, yeah. It becomes a habit. Right. And at first it's sort of, you need to be intentional about it. And what also helps, especially in business, is having strategy and plan. Because when you created a strategy and plan in an environment, when you think, thought really clearly through, okay, what is it that needs to happen in my business to grow? And if you break it down into some actions and you start planning them, then you know, okay, if I'm not doing that and I'm going to something else, you know already, okay, well, I'm getting distracted. Right. But if you do it over and over and over, it does become a habit. And then you just, you don't need to think about it. You just automatically have that.
- [09:06]
A
Yeah. And I will add to that eventually. When you build a big team and systems like I have, it gets to a point where most of these things don't even get to you. So you don't even have to delegate them out. Right. I, my team manage, my own assistant manages my email and we have like 11 inbox. My team manage. Right. So all of these things, eventually you build systems where you don't even have to worry about it. And then you know, as things, new things come up, you just know you build a system around, around it and delegate it out.
- [09:39]
B
Yep. Yeah, a hundred percent.
- [09:41]
A
So, so let's talk about high performance beyond. We talk about task management, time management, a little. I, I want to ask you around high performance though. Like, does it start from the 6am when you wake up to the 11pm when you fall asleep? Like, how do you balance it, like between switching off family life? Like, do you think high performance is like the real high performers? It's from 6 till 11. Or is there some time where you can be lazy and watch Netflix or be unproductive? What would you say about that?
- [10:15]
B
So I would say There's a couple of things. One, and you mentioned to that like you're your biggest asset, right? Without you as a CEO or a business owner, there's no business and in your life, right? So you need to sort of take care of yourself. So then comes high performance. For me, what high performance means is things you think at your best, you feel at your best and you act at your best. And you cannot definitely do that if you're working 24 7. You will overwork, right? So relaxation, but in a way, good relaxation, right, is important for high performance. Very often the best ideas you get about your business is when you're relaxed on the beach or on vacation, so on. Because your brain is not going into, okay, I have to do this. This is happening. This fire is happening, that fire is happening, right? So I think of high performance in a human, in a holistic way, right? As a human, I have different parts to me and if I fill them up intentionally and focus on them, then I will operate at my best. And that's, you know, for me, I'm in the period of my life or yeah, I have family, I have young kids. It's very important to me. And I wouldn't be able to even operate in my business properly if I didn't have quality time with them. It doesn't mean I spend equal amount of time during the week with them. You know, my kids are at school and so on. For me, balance or harmony doesn't mean the equal amount of time. But there is intentional things that I do to spend time with my husband, to have a great relationship, to spend time with my kids, to have a great relationship. Because if that's not working well, it will affect your performance in the business, right? If your personal life is tumultuous, then you're coming into business and you're thinking about it, you're wasting time and energy. Same way nutrition, being active, all those things.
- [12:17]
A
Yeah, I was going to say like in my 20s I was OBS. Like in my 20s I was obsessed with every minute of every day. And if I was unproductive at any point, even with family and stuff, it stressed me out. And, and I think part of that is why I achieved so much in my 20s by a young age. So I don't regret it by any means. But now I've like got it. And I think that hustle is so important. And I think we went through a phase in this society where it's like we all hustled and then there was like this anti hustle thing and now it's like. And then Covid and like most people are actually too lazy now. I think we lost some of the hustle that made most of us great. But, but I do, you know, especially now I'm in my 30s and I have a big team. You know, we grew to 100 staff. How I quantify it now is like I have my productive time and my work time and then I have some, you know, not much, but some small segmented hours where it's like, it's kind of like a cheat meal if you're in fitness, right. It's like, hey, this is my cheat meal. I mean, whatever I want. This is my unproductive time with family or whatever where I don't have to be anxious and focused on like trying to be productive. And I think that's a great way to do it. And that's how pro athletes train. So it's like, hey, these are my hard sessions and then these are my light recovery sessions where I'm not looking at my speed and my time, my heart rate, my output. I'm just doing it to get recovery in.
- [13:42]
B
Yeah, yeah, right. So that's what I'm going to say. Even a pro athlete needs have rest periods. Right. They can train 24, 7 because that will overwork their body. And then when they have to be very productive at the, you know, Olympic Games or whatever, that might backfire. Right. So it's the same. I, I believe that, you know, in business, yes, there is maybe periods of time and periods of your life because, you know, it's the same when I didn't have kids and so on, all I wanted to do is work and, and do things right. But there is periods of time and so on when you might be hyper focused on work because there's a project, you're launching, something, whatever. But then after that intensity, you also need to have some downtime. Right. But you want to be intentional how you spend it, right?
- [14:29]
A
Yeah. Love it. So what are some other tips around high performance that you've just kind of learned over time or you, you know, you train people on, on top of the.
- [14:41]
B
Definitely establishing certain good habits. So as you said, okay, if I wake up, let's say at 6am I actually wake up at 4:30 because that's, I get time for me, right. And I set up myself well for the day and then I can be very effective. Right. So be intentional in how you start your day because very often people wake up and the first thing they do, they look on the phone and not only they get distracted. But they check the emails, they check the news, their stress level goes up and they're already have a bad day. Right. So starting the day in a way that can ground you, that you know the plan, very often you can accomplish a lot. That's, you know, I was doing when I was still working and MBA in business, early morning before my kids got up, that was my time to do the school and do the business because then I was going to work. Right. So I could accomplish so much because I got undivided time. Right. So you want to kind of master your morning. And if you master your morning, then whatever comes with you later on, it doesn't matter. So that's one another second habit that's changed. My life is very important. And planning weekly. So don't go off check checklist every day kind of wasting your energy to decide what to do in the moment because our brain does get tired and towards the end of the day, you're gonna do things that are easy and not necessarily the important ones that move your business forward. Forward. If you actually decide a week ahead and you plan it out with some room for flexibility, of course you're, you're conserving brain energy, then it's just, okay, I'm doing okay. This is what, what I plan. Boom, boom, boom. Then move up to the next time. Right. So planning weekly, that's sort of aligned with your strategies. One was key to me and then, you know, definitely limiting your exposure to phone news, all those things because there are not only attention stealers by energy stealers and they can induce a lot of stress and anxiety that then you bring to your business and that reduces your productivity and effectiveness.
- [17:04]
A
Yeah, love all those. So let, let's just as we get towards the end of today, so someone's listening. They're taking all these tips, they're understanding all these things, but they're like, where do they start leaving this podcast? What's the first. You know, I've got one thing I'm going to give after. But where would you tell them to start?
- [17:25]
B
I would say if you haven't done it at all and you feel like your days are running into on the first thing is track your time. Awareness is the first step for any change. So whether it's the phone Excel spreadsheet, doesn't matter. Starting today for a week, just track what you're doing from when you wake up to when you go to bed. And that realization can be very profound and transformative just in itself.
- [17:57]
A
Yeah, I love that. And I'll Build on that. So that's a great thing to do. And it's kind of funny because, you know, when I used to be in the health space, when you take on a new client, you'd always have them do a seven day food dairy. So it's kind of. So I love that. And then what I have clients also do is then I create a grid, right? And I create this grid which is like high priority, high ROI, high time, high ROI, low time, low ROI, low time, low ROSI, high time. And the two that you want the most of is the high ROIs, right? High ROI, high high time still good, but takes a lot of your time. High R or low time, that's like the holy grail where it's like you massive things of small amounts of time. So you want to do as much of that as you can still do a lot of the high roi, higher time stuff. And then it gets the worst part, right, is the low roi, low time. That's bad, right? It's still low, but at least you're not spending much time on it. So you do want to delegate it or get rid of it, but it's not super urgent. And the super urgent one is the low ROI high time where it's not giving you anything and it's taking a ton of time, right? So a good example is low ROI high time could be you do the laundry, right, and you cook all the meals and that takes an hour and a half a day. Whereas low roi, low time could be you wipe the kitchen counter for five minutes, right? That's not bad as 90 minutes at home doing the laundry and cooking. Where you go, well, I hire a, you know, a chef and a maid, right? Or I could meal prep or whatever. That was a 90 minute saving. So you should always start there first and then you should go and so delegate out or get rid of all of the low ROI stuff and the high ROI stuff. Look at how can I do more of that, right? How can I get more of that? Because that's the magic maker. So that would be my tip for everyone and combine those two, right? So look at, you know, because you can't really do that if you don't know what your time's going. So build that out and then create this grid. It's a great way to start. So couple of quick questions for you. As an entrepreneur, I like to ask a lot of our guests personal things. So biggest, and these are more rapid fire. So biggest win in business and then biggest opposite, biggest failure in business.
- [20:20]
B
Biggest win in business. Is definitely my clients results, like seeing them succeed and also not only get to like the next level that they wanted to get, but once they get to that level they're like, oh my God, there's so much opportunity because now that I'm here, I'm seeing so much. So for me those are the biggest wins. And then the second part was the biggest. What did you. I messed up.
- [20:46]
A
Then like the opposite. Biggest failure or like setback?
- [20:50]
B
You've had the biggest setback in my business. Let me think. I think last year, this part of the second half of the year, it kind of like things stopped working and you know, and I was like, what the hell is going on? You know, so, and by stopped working, I mean the marketing strategies that I had and so on didn't result in the amount of clients and the income that I wanted. But the good thing about it is it forced me to relook at my brand and my marketing strategy and what I offer in Swann and make some changes which are paying off now.
- [21:40]
A
Cool. Love it. And next question. If you could go in a time machine back to your younger self, this is the last question. What would be one tip or piece of advice you'd give yourself?
- [21:51]
B
I would tell myself to start a business sooner. I came to that realization in my 40s or very early in the 40s that this is what I wanted to do and that was a great way to grow. I would have told myself, start sooner.
- [22:12]
A
Yeah, love it. And final, final question. If people want to learn more about you, the business, follow up with you on some of the things you've taught today. Where do they find you?
- [22:22]
B
So my website is stairwaytoleadership.com so one word, stairwaytoleadership.com I'm also present on Instagram under my name, Maggie Perottin or LinkedIn. The same Maggie Perotin. So I'm very active on those platforms.
- [22:38]
A
Good. Love it. Love it. Well, that's a wrap guys. Hopefully this was a, you know, good wake up call because even if you like, yeah, Rudy, I do the productivity stuff. Most of us kind of slack off and we don't, you know, it's like mostly you have to keep training it and remind yourself and you know, even like with the diet, right, you get on a good diet and you get derailed a bit. So hopefully this will remind you there's probably something slightly sneaking in that you shouldn't be doing. This reflection will help you. So Maggie, great to have you on. Thanks for sharing all that. And guys, as always, keep living the red light, and I'll see you soon.
- [23:13]
B
Thank you so much for having me. Thank you, everybody, for listening.
- [23:16]
A
Take care.