How to Improve Performance by Optimising the Basics
If you’re reading this article, you probably want to know how to improve performance so that you’re operating at your best. It might be that you want to reach the next level at work. You might want to break through a plateau at the gym. Or maybe you’re just looking to squeeze a little extra out of everything you do each day.
Whatever the motivation, it can be tricky to know where to start.
After all, our performance can be unpredictable. Some days, we’ll just feel off and have no idea why.
Of course, that’s totally human - we’re complex machines and tiny deviations in our daily schedule can result in massive changes to our results.
This can be damaging if we’re not careful. But it’s also great news for you because it means you don’t need to do anything ground breaking. All you need to do is get the basics correct - the things you’re doing each day that have a direct impact on how you function. Get them right and you could see huge improvements, not just to the consistency of your performance, but your overall performance ceiling as well.
Get the things that I’m about to outline correct, and you may not recognise yourself in a few months.
So, on that note, let’s go through the things you need to be optimising on a daily basis if you want to perform at your best.
Sleep
I know, I know - it seems obvious, right? But hear me out because I’m willing to bet you’ve got a lot of improvements to make in this area.
I recently finished reading a book on the science of sleep (‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker - highly recommend), and the key takeaway is simple: Sleep improves everything you do. Literally everything.
It’s so powerful that if sleep came in pill form, it would almost certainly be a banned substance in athletic fields.
People who regularly don’t get enough sleep are severely compromising their cognitive abilities. And with hustle culture being so prominent, it’s more widespread than ever. After all, cutting out sleep to be more productive is a badge of honour, right?
Well, the science is clear - if you’re looking at how to improve performance, sleeping less is the worst thing you can do. And with everybody skipping those extra Z’s, sleeping well has now become an unfair advantage.
So, let’s go through some simple tips that you can use to sleep better and feel absolutely limitless.
Get 8 hours - I know this number gets thrown around a lot, and yes, it’s possible that you don’t need 8 hours per night. But you might be surprised. Studies referenced in the book above made it clear that people who consistently sleep 6 hours per night were comparable to people who had just pulled an all-nighter, in terms of cognitive ability.
Get 8+ hours per night for a few weeks and pay attention to how you feel. I doubt you’ll go back.
Avoid harmful lights - I won’t dive into the science on this one to keep things simple. Avoid exposure to bright lights and devices before bed and during the night.
The primary reason is that this light exposure can mess with your circadian rhythm and trick your brain into thinking it’s day time, rather than sleep time.
Avoid alcohol - Even if you feel like you sleep soundly after drinking, you’re almost certainly wrong. Unfortunately, even if you go to sleep and wake up 8 hours later, alcohol in your system will significantly affect the quality of that sleep. Avoid it when possible, and definitely don’t get into the habit of having a nightcap.
Keep it cool - One of the lesser known factors, temperature can have a profound effect on the quality of your sleep. Again, we won’t get into the details but generally speaking, cooler temperatures lead to better sleep. Which makes sense - for most of human history, we didn’t have heating or cooling. We were forced to deal with lower temperatures at night and higher temperatures during the day. Our bodies are adapted to it, so avoid leaving the heater on overnight if possible.
Nutrition and Hydration
Alongside quality sleep, one of the most important things you can do for your future self is give him the right nutrition.
After all, the famous expression “you are what you eat” exists for a reason. What you put into your body determines how well you function and ultimately, your results.
I’d definitely recommend reading up on nutrition, but here are some basic principles to start with:
Drink plenty of water - your body needs to stay hydrated to function optimally. A good way to determine if you need to be drinking more is by the colour of your pee. If it’s a thick yellow, you’re dehydrated and need to be drinking more. If it’s clear or only slightly yellow, then you’re doing well.
Prioritise natural, organic foods and avoid processed foods - generally speaking, the more processed a food is, the worse it is for you. This is because the natural nutrients are often stripped out during the processing, while extra chemicals and flavourings are added in. Natural foods do a much better job of providing your body with the nutrients it actually needs.
Minimise sugar - it’s horrible for you in high doses, and most processed foods have far too much of it.
Lots of vegetables - they’re insanely high in the vitamins and minerals your brain and body need to thrive. This is especially the case with leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and broccoli. A good rule of thumb is to eat the rainbow - prioritise having vegetables of a range of different colours on your dinner plate.
Protein is key for physical training - if you’re wanting to become a badass, then some form of physical training will be an important part of your life. And when you’re putting your body through that kind of stress, it needs extra protein to help it repair and rebuild muscle. Make sure you’re eating plenty of chicken, beef, eggs, and fish.
Sunlight
A factor that people often overlook, sunlight actually has a profound impact on how you function.
Most people already know that it’s a source of vitamin D, but what most people don’t know is just how impactful vitamin D actually is.
In truth, it being called a vitamin is a massive disservice because vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone - sounds a little more important, right? Science is still working through exactly how it operates, but it seems pretty clear that it plays a role in mood regulation as well as fighting disease and inflammation. In that sense, vitamin D is helping you maintain both your physical and mental health.
Another important thing to cover here is just how common vitamin D deficiency is. With so many of us spending most of our time inside, we’re no longer getting the hours of daily sunlight that our ancestors would have benefited from.
The solution here is a simple two-pronged approach. Sunlight and supplementation. If you can, aim to spend some extra time outside each day and on top of that, buy some vitamin D supplements and take a couple per day.
Exercise
You knew this one would be on the list, right?
Yeah, it’s a no-brainer. Exercise is vital to living a healthy, well-optimised life.
I could sit here listing the benefits of exercise all day, but in the name of brevity, let’s cut the list down to the big ones.
Exercise benefits:
Improved physical health, due to stronger muscles, bones, tendons, heart, lungs, etc.
Improved mental health, due to a lowering of stress hormones and an increase in mood boosters like endorphins
You become more capable, due to increased strength, endurance, power, etc.
Not to mention you’re just straight up more attractive to women, pretty cool bonus, right?
And on top of all of this, I’ve noticed that a good workout first-thing in the morning is a great way to shake away the brain fog and properly wake up for the day. I end up leaving the gym way more alert than I otherwise would’ve been.
So, with that in mind, I recommend getting into the habit of a daily workout in the morning as soon as you wake up. Even better if you manage to get outside and benefit from some sunlight at the same time.
Mindfulness Meditation (let me finish…)
I know it might not be as cool as lifting heavy-ass weights, but mindfulness has a dramatic impact on your mental health and for that reason, it’s important to include here.
With that said, I’m not going to cover how to actually meditate - if you’re after a guide, check out this article on mindful.org. Now, let’s jump into why you should set aside some time for a daily mindfulness practice.
There are two primary benefits I want to cover.
The first is that it helps you focus and avoid distraction. Which makes sense, right? All mindfulness really is, is practice focusing on one thing. You focus your attention on your breath, and everytime a distraction pops into your head, you discard and get back to focusing. No wonder it can cross over and help you focus in other areas of your life.
The other key benefit is that mindfulness helps you become more aware of your own internal state. Each time you notice a distraction, you’re collecting valuable information on what’s going on inside your head.
You’ll begin to notice patterns, certain emotions that keep popping up, thoughts that seem to be bothering you. Mindfulness acts as a window into your own mind. Which means you’re able to adjust accordingly. You can address the thing that’s bothering you, work through a negative emotion, or recognise some stress and give yourself time to recuperate.
And that’s more important than you think. It’s hard to be badass when you’ve got a whole bunch of shit bogging you down.
And that wraps up the basics of how to improve performance. Get these things right and you’ll find yourself being more consistent AND having a higher performance ceiling.
Not to mention you’ll be in better physical and mental shape - and that’s badass.