84. Achieving Mastery Through Productivity, Discipline, and Focus with John Lee Dumas

If you’re ready to become a master of productivity, discipline, and focus, you’re in luck! This episode with John Lee Dumas is for you. We hear some of John’s advice for new speakers who don’t yet have a long or solid track record, his techniques for building and maintaining relationships and his advice on how to make sure your podcast guests share your podcast once it’s live. To learn more about The Mastery Journal, listen to this inspiring episode! Find Out More About John Here: EOFire@johnleedumas on TwitterJohn Lee Dumas on [email protected] on Skype In This Episode: [01:26] - What are the keys to mastery? There are three, John explains: productivity, discipline, and focus. [02:21] - John talks about how he decided to create The Mastery Journal. [03:43] - The morning routine is key, John reveals, and explains how best to take advantage of this concept. [05:43] - Does John use Focus at Will to help him focus? It turns out both he and Stephan have interviewed the founder, Will Henshall. [06:56] - John doesn’t have multiple affirmations, but rather one affirmation per day. His affirmation for today is gratitude for his new essential oils machine. [08:14] - We learn more about the four daily sessions in the Mastery Journal. John uses 42 minutes of focus followed by 18 minutes of refreshing, but he emphasizes the importance of finding numbers that work for you. [10:48] - John talks about the daily self-evaluations in the Mastery Journal. [11:58] - The 10-day recaps are important because they help you evaluate your flow and answer the hard questions. [12:54] - What are some of John’s favorite productivity tools? [13:37] - John talks about his to-do lists, for which he particularly prefers WorkFlowy. He then talks about his favorite productivity gurus and books. [15:31] - John shares his advice on making the most of podcasts. [17:12] - What are John’s techniques for building and maintaining relationships? After answering, he gives his advice on how to make sure your podcast guests share your podcast once it’s live. [21:03] - John shifts into talking about becoming a speaker. [23:46] - We hear some of John’s advice for new speakers who don’t yet have a long or solid track record. [25:51] - John shares his thoughts on how to do best on YouTube. He suggests, for example, not putting sound-only podcasts on YouTube, because people go there for videos. [27:16] - With so much to do every day (or every week), why does John choose to do a daily podcast show? [29:03] - Building an audience takes free, valuable, and consistent content. [31:17] - Did John hire a company that specializes in Kickstarter videos for his? [31:59] - In response to Stephan’s question about traditional publishers versus self-publishing, John acknowledges that he isn’t an expert in the subject. Personally, though, he’s happy with his self-publishing decision. [33:20] - What’s in John’s warehouse, aside from the 20,000 copies of his book? [34:18] - John offers some tools and recommendations for new podcasters. [34:54] - Why does John live in Puerto Rico? Get Optimized! Every day, commit to being a little better at something I’ve chosen to master by the time I go to bed than I was that morning. Write down tomorrow’s morning routine before I go to bed every night. This will help me stay productive and motivated. Every day, create a new affirmation for the day. Think about something I’m grateful for, and try to go beyond the obvious. Links and Resources: EOFire@johnleedumas on TwitterJohn Lee Dumas on [email protected] on SkypeMuseThe Mastery Journal on KickstarterFree Podcast CourseFocus at WillWill Henshall on the Optimized GeekWill Henshall on EOFireHal Elrod on the Optimized GeekDeep WorkCal Newport on the Optimized GeekSelfControlWorkFlowyPomodoro TechniqueAct 20The Mastery JournalThe Freedom JournalHow to Be More ProductivePodcast WebsitesPodcasters’ ParadiseShipwire