This week, we are excited to bring to you some productivity tips from the Founder and CEO of Rhone, Nate Checketts! In our opinion, Rhone is the premier performance brand for men, selling the best ath-leisure wear on the market. If you haven't heard of them, give them a look and use promo code Scribes15 for 15% off!
Now, on to this weeks Q&A with Nate!
OUR CONVERSATION WITH NATE CHECKETTS
This is Sunday with The Scribes, a newsletter that goes out every Sunday morning with the hopes to inspire the day and week ahead.
Nate - What does your typical Sunday look like?
I think the great age-old question on Sunday is this: “Is Sunday the beginning of a new week or the end of the past week?” For me it is right at the intersection and it is without question my most important day of the week. I try to go to bed and wake up at similar hours every day of the week, but Sunday is the one I make sure I am up early on. Sunday is a faith and family focused day so for me to make the most of it I need to have 2 hours distraction free before my 3 boys wake up. I start with a pattern that I have followed for about 5 years. I actually put a timer on for each of these things to keep me moving and on track.
2.5 mins - Plank Hold — this wakes me up and gets my mind and body firing
7.5 mins - PRAYER / AFFIRMATIONS / VISUALIZATIONS — prayer is my mediation; I express gratitude I think about what I have been given and blessed with. Affirmations are pre-written out. Some I have kept for over a decade and others are new. But with each I spend time visualizing. If I ever go long in any area it is usually here—trying to really capture and see what I want to affirm.
20m - Inspiration reading: Next I try and read and ponder inspirational text. This can be words of stoics, poetry and / or books of scripture
15m - Prior Week Review: Now I am in a state to really do a hindsight and understand what went well, what didn’t go well, what still needs to be done, what is taking energy, what do I need to give more energy to
15m - Upcoming Week Review: Then I start with my schedule to make sure I understand and ground myself in what I’ve already committed to, what needs to be moved and then what do I need to add so I am ready to meet with my assistant and team on Monday morning and make that time effective.
Lastly, I finish up with an hour of journaling and project planning. This is a rotating time depending on the week of the month and is generally the most important work for me to stay on track with goals. Here's how I break it down:
Week 1: Parental Focus
Father / Son Interviews —sit down with each son and see how they are doing
Plan 1on1 for the Month — this is a monthly outing that rotates but a chance for my kids to feel like an only child so making sure I have it scheduled
Review Parenting commitments and Principles
Week 2: Physical
Review doctors appointments, make to dos to schedule any necessary ones
Exercise Review (make sure there is a plan)
Nutrition Review
Determine any deadlines or commitments such as a race or another commitment
Week 3: Financial
Review personal balance sheet
Review open tasks
Make any planned donations
Pay retirement / pay self
Review Financial goals
Week 4: Fun / Hobbies
Review bucket list
Review goals around hobbies / having fun
Look at potential trip planning
Week 5: BONUS (once a quarter)
Make up for any lost time on the above or a missed session
After these 2 hours I am really ready to focus on family and faith. So, the rest of the day revolves around family time, whether that’s taking a family walk with our dog Mia, learning how to skateboard with my three boys, reading a book series out loud together, family movie night or playing board games—my kids love board games. Sundays are meant to be refreshing, to have some fun, and to get centered for the upcoming week. For me to feel refreshed I need to have that time with my wife and kids.
It's Monday morning and your calendar is booked with meetings from 9:00am to 6:00pm. A meeting gets cancelled and all of a sudden you have a free hour in the middle of your day. How are you going to spend this time?
Generally, I’m an early am exercise person but If I’m feeling energized, I love to sneak in an extra outdoor run or walk. On those Mondays where I’m feeling as if I’m already behind on the week, I would take that spare hour usually with a Clean Simple Eats protein shake in hand and chip away at my inbox which admittedly is the bane of my existence!
What’s a habit or ritual that helps you be your most productive self?
I have a sheet of paper with personal goals, meaningful quotes, and pictures that I put together years ago, hung up by my bathroom mirror. Every morning while brushing my teeth I read through it, I realign with what is most important to me, who and what I’m grateful for, and remind myself of my goals. I think, “How can I make efforts towards that goal today?” Those few moments of inner thinking while brushing my teeth, help me prepare for the upcoming day and help me become my most productive self.
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We hope some of Nate's practices inspire you to make the most of this Sunday. Let us know what you thought of this week's newsletter by hitting reply and sharing your feedback!
Happy Sunday,
- Mike, Pooja, and Alden