Jocko Underground: This Is Why You're Not Getting It Done.

Getting things done and prioritizing. Overwhelmed with too much to do. Solved. Feeling of wanting to join the military wont leave. Are you training too much? Should I stay? Or should I go? A legit debate on who's plan to follow. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jocko Willink?

  This is the Jocko Underground Podcast, number 110. Sitting here with Echo Charles. So, I was preparing some things for the DEF Reset. The Discipline Equals Freedom Reset. We're doing this thing at the January 1st, which I know, "Why don't you just start now?" Because you gotta prepare.

• 0:20Jocko Willink?

  So I was making some videos for some strategies for January when the DEF Reset kicks off. And, again, I understand, "Why not just start now?" Well, we're doing a mission. We gotta prepare for the mission, so that's what we're doing. One of the things that we're doing during DEF Reset, one of the components of DEF Reset is prioritize and execute. Because you gotta get things done, right? We wanna reprogram the way we get things done in life. Because if everyone was getting things done the way they were supposed to, everyone would be in a better situation, right?

• 0:55Speaker 01

  I agree.

• 0:56Jocko Willink?

  Hundred percent?

• 0:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, hundred percent. Very few exceptions, if any.

• 1:01Jocko Willink?

  So, I was going through good protocols to get things done. Number one, night before, obviously, write the things down that you're supposed to do tomorrow. Write them down. I know this seems like it's such a simple little thing, but it has a huge impact in the way... Look, there's probably some neuroscience behind the fact of writing it down and putting the list out, being able to sleep while you're thinking about it, subconsciously coming up with plans of execution. But I'm telling you, if you've got stuff you gotta do, you should write it down the night before. Make a little checklist. I used to be obsessed with checklists. I still do checklists, but I used to be crazy with checklists.

• 1:40Jocko Willink?

  Even packing for a trip, every battery that was in my three kit bags of gear, plus my big coffin bag, every battery had a little box with a check next to it. Every pair of socks had a box with a check next to it. Every pair of shooting glasses, box, check. So, everything was a checklist. That's how you make sure you get things done. That's how you make sure you have the right equipment. So, you write down the things that you have to do, and then you wake up, and you prioritize and execute. Now, here's the advice that I'm giving around this. Prioritize next to generally when we talk about that from a leadership perspective,

• 2:25Jocko Willink?

  you want to focus on the things that are going to have the biggest impact on the team. So if we are in a gunfight and we have a wounded guy and we got civilians to deal with, and we have our forces in a bunch of different places, what we're going to focus on first is the gunfight because that's the biggest problem that we have. We're going to focus on the biggest problem. Once we solve that problem, we move on to the wounded guy because that's our next biggest problem. Then we worry about the civilians and we worry about getting a head count. This is what we do. This is what we teach. Same thing in business. You're going to have situations in business that are blowing up, causing problems, clients flying off the handle, making extreme threats to the company. Like, these things are happening. You got to go deal with those things.

• 3:07Jocko Willink?

  But when it comes to getting things done in your life, and this does include your business, this does include your family, what I want you to do, one of the things that I'm advising you to do is do the strategic things first.

• 3:25Jocko Willink?

  This is a little bit counterintuitive. What do I mean by strategic? That means I want you to do the things that are long-term in nature. Do those things first. Do the long-term projects before you do what is due today or what is due tomorrow.

• 3:43Jocko Willink?

  And I know this is counterintuitive. The thought would be, hey, I'm just going to do whatever's due soonest. That's what I'm going to work on right now, right? Hey, this is the thing that's facing me right now. I'm going to do that. It's wrong. You should actually do the longer-term things first. And I think this is, I actually feel a little bit bad about this. You know, sometimes I'll be training with Dean and Dean will like show me some technique. And he'll go, to get out of that, you just do this. And I'm like, dude, why didn't you show me that four years ago? And he'll go, I couldn't fault you do. I kind of feel bad about this right now. I kind of feel like this, that I haven't really emphasized this. Is this something that I've done for a long time? And I haven't emphasized that I do this and why I do this?

• 4:28Jocko Willink?

  But when you make up your list of things that you have to do, do the strategic things first. So if you've got a long-term project, That's what you should do first. So for instance, what's the first thing that I do when I wake up in the morning? Echo Charles, every day. Brush teeth. Brush teeth. What do I do when I get done? Workout. Workout. Okay. Wait a second. Is that strategic? Is that strategic? Work it out? Yep. Hell yeah. Yes, it is. You see what you that automatically you should be a light should be coming on in your head right now. I see what you're saying. Yeah. So the first thing I do is this strategic, long-term beneficial thing. That's what I'm gonna do first. Guess what?

• 5:12Jocko Willink?

  I've got a book to do. I'm writing a book. The book's gonna take four months to write. Guess what? I'm doing that next. Gonna write for one hour.

• 5:21Jocko Willink?

  Gonna write for 45 minutes or whatever. I'm gonna focus on that. I'm gonna spend the first hour or 45 minutes or 30 minutes or 90 minutes focused on things that will pay off in the long run. Then I can get, then I can do the things that need to be done today. Then I can do the things that need to be done, um, you know, by lunchtime. Then I can put out the fires. Then I can do the little tactical things. Now, bear in mind, this probably means that you are likely going to have to do the strategic things before other people show up. That's why I get up early in the morning. Because I want to get that strategic workout done. A workout is a strategic move in your life.

• 6:07Jocko Willink?

  It's not gonna make an impact today. Look, it will make you feel a little bit better today. Sure. It's gonna get your blood flowing. Yes. It's gonna get your concentration up. Yes. It's gonna make you focused. All those things, but those are just like little things. The strategic win is you're healthy in four years from now. That's what's strategic about it. So I have to get to work. I have to get up earlier so I can do that. I'm also gonna write that book for 40 minutes? I'm gonna do that before anyone else shows up to work or before anyone's gonna call me or send me an email that they need some emergency solved.

• 6:40Jocko Willink?

  So when I get done with the strategic things, then I can do the little tactical things.

• 6:48Jocko Willink?

  Most jobs require you to be in the game for now tactical today. That's what most things are. Most human beings that have jobs, they're trying to solve a problem that's due at lunchtime, tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow morning, client calling, like meeting this afternoon. That's what most people are doing in most jobs all the time.

• 7:11Jocko Willink?

  And if we're not careful, we can let those tactical, short-term things destroy our strategic goals. That's what can happen.

• 7:20Jocko Willink?

  And you look up in two weeks, you look up in two months, you look up in two years, and you've made no progress towards your strategic goals. And that's horrible. And matter of fact, if it's something like health, if you don't work out today, you're going backwards.

• 7:33Jocko Willink?

  You're going backwards. You wake up in two years and you, look, you wake up in two weeks, you haven't worked out, you're gonna feel it. Two months no working out, you're definitely, you're going, you're, you're in a bad situation.

• 7:45Jocko Willink?

  Do not allow that.

• 7:48Jocko Willink?

  Do the strategic things first as often as you can, as often as you can. They will add up. And that's how you're gonna win.

• 8:00Jocko Willink?

  And I apologize to the world for not talking about this in that kind of detail before.

• 8:08Speaker 01

  Are there, because it feels like I'm talking from an audience member standpoint, point of view. So of course there are exceptions if there's something pressing, you know, the more pressing or whatever. But just, just as a general way to prioritize, you're saying?

• 8:23Jocko Willink?

  Yep, as a general way, a strategy for your prioritization is to do the strategic things first.

• 8:30Speaker 01

  Yeah, that way you don't put it off, right? Because like those strategic things, it's easy to put them off. Because you're right when you say, yeah, I could just do that tomorrow.

• 8:39Jocko Willink?

  Yep.

• 8:40Speaker 01

  You could just do that tomorrow.

• 8:42Jocko Willink?

  Here's an example. I've given this example before, not with this kind of clarity on the podcast. But if you and I are recording a podcast tomorrow. And I have to prepare for the podcast. I'm also in the midst of writing a book. I owe a thousand words a day on the book. The podcast is due tomorrow. Which one do I work on first? The book first. The book first. Why? Because, oh, now I crack into the podcast, do a little bit of research, go down some rabbit hole, end up watching a YouTube video about some subject that doesn't really matter. Next thing you know, I squandered that hour.

• 9:18Jocko Willink?

  And I say, you know what? I'll just do the writing when we get done recording the podcast tomorrow and you lose it. And you didn't move towards your strategic goal and that's a problem. Same thing with working out. Oh, I'll just work out later. Well, guess what? Now the kids come home from school, they want to talk to you about this and they wanted to help on the project. Now it's a little... So, that is a little excerpt of what we are doing on the Jocko Underground Podcast. So if you want to continue to listen,

• 9:46Jocko Willink?

  go to jacood underground.com and subscribe and we're doing this, we're doing this to mitigate our reliance on external platforms. So we are not subject to their control and we are doing this so that we can support the Jocko Podcast, which will remain as is, free for all, as long as we can keep it that way. But we, but we are doing this so we don't have to be under the control of sponsors. And we're doing it so we can give you

• 10:18Jocko Willink?

  more control, more interaction, more direct connections, better communications with us.

• 10:24Jocko Willink?

  And to do that, we are, we're building a website right now where we'll be able to utilize to strengthen this legion of troopers that are in the game with us. So, thank you. It's jacood underground.com. It costs $8.18 a month. And if you can't afford to support us, we can still support you. Just email assistance@jacood underground.com and we'll get you taken care of. Until then, we will see you mobilized underground.