My Non-Negotiables: things I do every day to be productive, balanced and content

I saw a post on “X” recently that stated getting rich is boring.

The idea is that routine and consistency are often what leads to our biggest success. It’s much like the 5% rule we use in agriculture – we’ve seen the biggest gains in our business when we concentrate on increasing yield by 5% or cutting costs by just 5%. The small gains add up. Rinse and repeat, year after year.

Over the summer, I’ve spent some time thinking about my personal and professional routines. As someone with ADHD, eliminating distractions and staying focused on my priorities can be challenging. I put much more effort into making everyone else’s lives around me easier – I will change my schedule to accommodate my wife and kids and, if possible, meet with the team, colleagues and friends. 

But, as life and work get busier, I’ve had to begin implementing some structure around my day and carving out time to do the things that matter most. Here are some of the things I try to do daily, and some I’m still working on:

  1. My kids’ activities – I make every effort to attend as close to 100% of their games as possible. I also tend to head coach or assistant coach a number of the teams. It ties to one of my guiding statements, “Leave a better world for our kids, and leave better kids for our world.”  When I came back to the farm and started building a life here, I promised myself I wouldn’t allow the farm to take over my life. Theresa and I get immense joy watching our kids play hockey, softball, golf and riding horses. This is a non-negotiable for me. I’ve turned down plenty of speaking engagements and corporate meetings for my kids’ activities and those are decisions I will never regret. 
  1. My phone – As we all know, it can be a beast, if you let it. I only answer calls from numbers in my contacts, and I don’t check voicemails. I heard a quote once “If you have a problem with me send me a text for us to discuss, if you don’t have my number, you likely don’t know me well enough to have a problem with me.”  Our team communicates on Voxer which I do have on my phone, so it can be hard to put it away for long periods, but I try to limit social media. To be honest, our communications team handles a lot of my social media and I only respond when needed or to questions that are specific to my knowledge. I do enjoy Instagram and enjoy sharing the odd family post; LinkedIn and Twitter are for business. 

  1. Books and podcasts – “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” I believe this also applies to knowledge. I do my best to learn every day, whether that be by reading or listening. I do my best to listen to audiobooks every night to shut my brain off before bed or driving between Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg. A favorite podcast I’m listening to now is the Ed Mylett show.  I am currently reading The World is For Sale – a book outlining the rise of the world’s commodity traders.  Some of my favorite books are: Creating Magic, Freezing Order, Red Notice, No Filter, Never Split the Difference, Disunited Nations, Get A Grip and I could go on.
  1. Ask good questions – There’s no such thing as a stupid question. I can be very direct and will often ask the question in the room that other people also want to know the answer to, but may be hesitant to ask. I know many people avoid conflict, but it doesn’t bother me. I like to understand situations, people and problems, so I will ask good questions to deepen my understanding and broaden my knowledge beyond agriculture and business. I encourage you to check out our podcast with Justine Hendricks, CEO of FCC, for some great questions Evan and I asked her recently.  
  1. Delegate – I am constantly looking for things on my plate that others can do better.  I truly buy into the statement to try and replace yourself. Delegation has been something I’ve learned over the years and, again, I’m still working on this. As the farm has grown, it’s been challenging to give up some jobs I used to do. I’m really not needed in the field during seeding and harvest and, quite frankly, my team are better at actual farming than I am. 
  1. Build meaningful relationships – I’m always on the lookout for good people. I might be looking to add someone to our team, work with them as a partner or simply build my network. I truly believe that helping people, whether it’s connecting them to an opportunity, a mentor or sharing my time or a conversation, is the secret to personal and business success. I can’t tell you how many times a comment about hockey, my kids, or being from Moosomin has sparked a meaningful conversation and led to some amazing opportunities and collaborations. I encourage you to read the book, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. 
  1. Fitness – Ahhh…yes, this is the one I struggle with the most. It can be hard to replace the enjoyment and fitness of team sports you played in your younger years. I’m not someone who finds working out “fun” the same way I find hockey “fun” so it’s a struggle to hit the treadmill or weight room, especially with a busy schedule, kids and travel. Fitness right now is one of my demons. Being healthy and staying fit for my family are the biggest motivations and are ones I’m committed to working on, but to be honest, I am currently failing at them. 

Let me know about your non-negotiables. It’s fascinating to see how people structure their day and the things they use to improve mental clarity, productivity and enjoyment.

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