Apr 29, 2020
In this episode, I have Mark Fisher as a guest. Contrary to what we normally do in discussing the future of fitness, this episode will discuss the importance of routines and structures that allow you to get the most out of your day and life.
Mark is the “Ninja master” and co-CEO of Mark Fisher Fitness, a gym he describes as offering serious fitness for ridiculous humans! They help people who normally hate the gym, find a fitness place they actually love.
How are you personally dealing with the lockdown? (02:41)
- Mark says he is actually doing pretty good, and the lockdown has made him realize how easy it is for him to do his own thing. He loves people, but he’s quite self-directed and can thrive on his own all day long.
- The opportunity to work on products alone, with the occasional meeting, is something that appeals to him.
- However, he is also worried about what the next 12 months will hold, in terms of social restrictions set by the government, or even by social culture.
- It won’t be like flipping a switch and going back to normal. New York is a real estate game, and the main consideration is can you make enough money in that real estate market to cover fixed costs and make a meaningful profit.
- Pay attention to events in the macroeconomic environment, because the downwind thereof will hit everyone. He thinks NY will deal with more psychological and emotional obstacles than a lot of other places but stresses the fact that in the long run, we will all be fine.
What are you doing during this time, perhaps reading more? (06:35)
- Mark says he likes working on products. One of the things he teaches is time management, so he likes creating a structure; being diligent and conscientious and just getting things done.
- Most of his days are spent around a routine; getting up around 06:30, spending 20 minutes meditating, and 30 to 45 minutes reading while drinking his green formula and his morning coffee.
- He completes his more intense tasks like writing an email, landing pages, marketing content, or working on presentations early in the morning. He does these in 30-minute blocks, and on a good day, he completes up to 5 30 minute blocks.
- After checking emails and social media, he does a quick workout, followed by a late lunch and another meditation session, and then starts the second part of his day where he mostly does meetings.
- The final part of his day starts around 17:30 to 18:30, where he spends 60 to 90 minutes crossing off the easier tasks like paperwork and clearing his inbox. Around 18:00 to 20:00 he has completed his cycle and spends the evening with his wife and their dog.
Explain your statement that you have to create a challenging game that will allow you to move forward with momentum? (17:24)
- Mark says this is broadly about how the day gets scheduled. He likes to say that to-do lists that don’t exist in time are a recipe for being miserable, sad, and crazy.
- You have to capture the inputs, either using a notebook, Google docs, or any resource that will allow you to capture all the things that need to be done.
- You have responsibilities towards your personal life, work assignments, client-related tasks, and just an abundance of things to remember. Not writing these things down will make your life very, very challenging.
- But then, you also have to analyze and organize these lists; if you have a bunch of never-ending to-do lists, you will never have the satisfaction of a game you can win, and there will never be a sense of accomplishment.
What is your unique ability, that fires you up and makes you feel like you do better than most people? (23:21)
- Mark says the ability to be meticulous with his time is a great asset. Discipline is something a lot of people struggle with, and he feels it’s a blessing to be disciplined.
- Another factor for him is that he loves learning, and believes he is a quick study; he is able to find the frameworks and put them into action in a short time.
- His third “superpower” is that he loves teaching; anything that has to do with mentoring and developing skills.
- Something he’s really been digging into is adult learning, or training the trainer as it’s called in corporate circles. This boils down to training a team to do things very consistently and using the best learning practices for their task.
Given the uniqueness of our current situation, what books are you revisiting right now? (27:12)
- Mark says he has mainly been revisiting books lately because he is just not enthused by new books at the moment.
- He says its probably a phase, but he has no interest in business books. Among the topics, he’s interested in are psychology, hard science, and philosophy.
- He recently revisited Man’s Search For Meaning, Sapiens, and Antifragile.
- Among these books, he is also reading How Not To Be Wrong, which is known as Bill Gates’ top 10 books.
- For the time being, he is enjoying books that are denser of nature.
Resources
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
Visit Mark Fisher Fitness Website