I’m sure you’re busy…
Hardly anyone I know isn’t these days. Even retirees tell me there’s just not enough hours in the day.
What if I told you that I had a vital task to add to your schedule, that would take 1-2 hours per day, 7 days a week, for the next couple of months…
And you had to fit it in without breaking anything else in your life?
Sounds impossible, right?
I thought so too…
Yet that’s basically the situation I’ve found myself in recently.
And it’s taught me a heap of lessons. I’d like to share a few of them with you today.
Applying them will directly impact what you achieve in your practice (and your life.) My intention here in The Foot-Brain Connection isn’t just to teach about Feet, Fascia and Neurology…
But to pass on insights I’ve learned during my 24 years as a chiropractor to help you Grow your Practice, your Performance and your Personal Power.
(The truth is, all 3 of those things are intrinsically linked… you can’t change 1 without affecting the others.)
If that’s not your cup of tea, no worries, maybe check out [#007] More Than Just a Pain in the Neck or [#003] The Fundamental (Basic Physics) Problem with Arch Supports
Let’s get into it.
As you may know, my Dad has had some pretty significant health challenges lately. He’s been in hospital for over 2 months, including 3 weeks in the ICU, and there have been many days we thought may be his last.
Almost every single day of that time I’ve been in the hospital with him, supporting him, adjusting him, and celebrating the life we’ve shared together.
I know some of you have been holding him in your thoughts and prayers… thank you, it’s deeply appreciated.
Sometimes the most difficult experiences teach us the most.
Although the learnings I’ve received apply to almost every aspect of my life, today I want to look at this through the lens of productivity, flow research and how we actually create a meaningful, effective life.
Like everybody else, my life is busy.
I run 2 businesses, have 2 beautiful boys, a wonderful wife, family around the world… and amongst it all I manage to maintain a reasonably fit, healthy body (and mind.)
If you’d asked me 2 months ago to find an extra 2 hours per day, I’d have told you it was flat-out impossible.
Yet that’s what’s happened.
Not only that, nothing broke. I feel like my business, my relationships and my commitment to health and family are stronger than ever.
So how did it happen?
Work Compression:
This is a concept I learned from Rian Doris, cofounder of the Flow Research Collective.
I’ve been following flow research for years. As a rock climber and snowboarder, I’m intimately familiar with the state… and the incredible things that can be achieved whilst in it.
Over the last few years, I’ve been fascinated by how these principles apply to achieving the seemingly-impossible in the areas of human performance, business and life.
In fact, one of my 2 key words for 2026 is Flow.
(This is my central theme for the year, my lens to view everything through. In case you’re wondering, the other word is Exponential.)
Rian contends that…
“When you subtract hours, you multiply output.”
This sounds completely counterintuitive… yet I’m finding it to be true.
Rian tells the story of his friend, who borrowed millions from family and friends to launch a startup company…
Began getting traction…
And then contracted Lyme’s disease.
His body and brain almost completely shut down, battered with crippling fatigue, headaches and brain fog.
Suddenly he found himself reduced from working 14-16-hour days…
Down to barely managing 2 hours a day.
With everything on the line… not just his own life savings, but everyone else’s that he knew too.
Failure wasn’t an option.
So he began stripping away every less-important task.
That doesn’t mean they were unimportant… just that they weren’t the most important.
And his productivity went through the roof.
He could physically only work two hours per day… but during those 2 hours he was deep in flow, producing ten times his normal work output.
Flow Triggers:
Research has identified 22 different flow triggers- things that consistently push us into the zone. Learning to stack as many of these as possible is one of the most reliable paths to success known to science. Today we’ll focus on just one.
Perceived Importance of Tasks.
How many of the things you do in a day are truly important?
I know all of them seem important… that’s part of the problem. In [#001] Welcome to the Foot-Brain Connection we discussed how we live in a hyper-stimulatory environment, constantly bombarded with inputs that our brains never evolved to manage.
This includes your to-do list, and the million distractions vying for your attention every day. They fragment your attention and drive you directly away from flow.
When you eliminate all the noise, and focus on what’s truly important, the exact opposite happens.
That’s what occurred with the company founder with Lyme’s disease. With only 2 hours available for work, he was forced to focus on only the most critically important tasks, which drove him deeply into flow…
And massively increased his productivity.
I’ve been experiencing a similar thing.
I’ve studied high performance, productivity and flow research for years… and I though I’d implemented what I’d learned.
But current circumstances have forced me to take that to a whole new level.
Years ago, one of my mentors, Dr. John Demartini, taught me the skill of prioritizing- making sure my most important task for the day was done first. I thought I got it then… but now I’m finally living what he taught me.
Getting to the hospital each day is non-negotiable for me.
So is getting this newsletter out to you every week.
That means on the days when I’m writing…
I get up, meditate and immediately start writing. Then I head straight to the hospital.
Noting else happens until those two things are done.
The result is that what used to take me all day, or even multiple days, now pours out in a 3-4 hour block. When our brain truly recognises the perceived importance of a task it pulls out all the performance stops to make it happen.
Brainwaves drop from high beta (normal waking awareness) to alpha and theta, enhancing calm creativity. The amygdala shuts down, reducing fear and worry. The frontal lobes and the Default Mode Network (DMN) reduce their activity, silencing the inner critic and random, distracting thoughts.
Awareness of time fades as we sharpen our focus on the present.
A chemical cocktail of dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin, anadamide and endorphins drive enhanced focus, pattern recognition and novel connections between multiple different ideas.
This is the optimal state for peak performance, whether it’s writing a newsletter, adjusting a patient, or flying down a mountain on a snowboard.
Checking my email each morning felt important. So did returning calls, consuming content, and putting out fires with my team
But my brain knew better.
All those things seemed important… but they can all be done in other ways, at other times and by other people.
This is not about neglecting tasks… it’s about fundamentally restructuring your life for high performance.
It’s a useful filter to apply to your own life.
I’d encourage to run this thought experiment… and implement the results.
Carve out some time where you won’t be interrupted or distracted (I’d recommend at least an hour) and ask yourself this question:
“If I was forced to take 2 hours out of my daily schedule right now, what would I do differently?”
Don’t rush this… allow the question to percolate. Don’t just take the surface-level answers. Initially your mind will come up with all the reasons why it’s not possible.
Don’t believe that bullshit.
Sit with it. There’s gold underneath the noise.
Try to genuinely put yourself into the situation.
My mind gave me all the reasons, excuses and stories why it wasn’t possible… until it was forced by circumstances to make it work.
Write down what you come up with. You don’t have to make changes all at once… but if you act on what you uncover…
I promise your life will change.
The Chaos of Expansion:
Years ago, a business coach taught me the following diagram:
He called it “The Peak and the Pit.”
It’s something I teach to every one of my new associates… usually when they feel overwhelmed learning the AK clinical techniques my clinic is known for.
Change is always difficult. And it generally doesn’t happen in a straight line.
Every time we learn something new, we have to integrate it into our current understanding… and that throws us into the pit.
It’s chaos.
Suddenly we feel like we don’t know what we’re doing. Everything is uncertain.
It feels like we’ve gone backwards.
This happens every time I attend a technique seminar, or study a new course, or implement new systems in the clinic.
For the next few weeks, things can be chaotic. Appointments can run late. I’m trying new ways of doing things. It feels uncomfortable.
But usually within a short space of time…
Integration happens.
Mastery begins to build.
And all of a sudden, we’ve found our “new normal…”
And it’s far superior to the old way of doing things. We’ve ascended out of the pit and up to the next peak… which is always higher than the previous one.
This is how growth occurs.
Of course, if we don’t want to stagnate, we don’t rest on the peak for long…
We dive back into the pit again, and the whole cycle repeats.
When you don’t understand what’s happening, it can be a punishing emotional rollercoaster. But if you recognise it for what it is, the stress drops away. You become comfortable with the discomfort, knowing it’s just inevitable growing pains, leading you to something way better.
This is exactly what will happen if you implement the changes I’ve suggested to your daily task list.
It will be worth it.
I’ve seen this happen with clinics when it comes to implementing Better Balance Orthotics.
Typically, the doc starts wearing them and absolutely loves them…
But then when it comes to taking the next step and implementing them in their clinic…
“We’re just really busy at the moment.”
Or… “We’ve just implemented this other new thing…”
Whatever the reason, no matter how valid or logical it seems, the truth is…
They are avoiding the uncomfortable chaos of the pit (I get it, I’ve been there a million times!)
They are over-emphasizing the pain of the pit and underestimating the reward of the next peak.
Again, this is simply neuroscience. We are hardwired to avoid pain more than to seek pleasure. It’s an evolutionary survival mechanism.
But when it comes to business, it’s a sabotage.
I’ve seen docs take a year or longer to make the leap…
Only to kick themselves when they realise how easy it was, how great their results are, and how happy their patients are.
If you find yourself stuck in this place, like I said… no judgement, I’ve been there many times. But please reach out- I can help.
Sometimes having someone who’s already walked the path can help move us to the next peak as quickly and painlessly as possible.
One last lesson that has been vital to surviving the last 2 months…
When things get tough…
Double Down on Recovery:
Often, under stress our natural reaction is to reach for feel-good quick fixes or distractions like alcohol, sugar, binging Netflix or even throwing ourselves into the busyness of work.
I’ll admit, I’m not immune to this… my whisky collection got a workout during the early stages of this crisis!
However, this is not a recipe for long-term performance under stress.
What might work for a week, definitely won’t work for 2 months.
The Flow Cycle has 4 distinct stages:
· Struggle
· Release
· Flow
· Recovery
It doesn’t happen without all 4 stages.
First comes Struggle… for example, sitting staring at a blank screen, trying to connect the dots into a coherent newsletter.
Then the Release. This is where we step away and let the unconscious work its magic. It needs to be something that engages our mind… but not too much. An activity like watching TV doesn’t work… it’s too distracting.
For me, a workout and then a sauna is usually the perfect combination. Going for a walk often does the trick too.
Then comes Flow. You’d be amazed how many of these newsletters have been birthed in the sauna… often I’ll come home dripping (the sauna is just across the road from my house) and have to immediately sit at my computer, soaked in sweat, and let the words flow out… even before jumping in the shower.
Finally, we need Recovery. We can’t live in flow. All that potent neurochemistry is expensive, and the brain requires time to rebuild it.
That’s what recovery is for. We need to recharge for the next cycle.
When the pressure really hits, sleep, exercise and nutrition are often the first things we cut back on… it feels like we just don’t have the time to focus on them.
I’ve learned that this is a mistake.
In fact, under stress is the exact time we need to double down on these basics… even when our mind is screaming otherwise.
Our families, our patients and the world need us at our best… and there’s no way we can deliver that if we’re not looking after our own needs.
It’s not selfish… it’s serving at the highest level we’re capable of.
Cheers,
PS. I’m flying out for Aspen in a few days, where I’ll be presenting at the Ski For Wally event. I’ll be teaching about a series of reflexes I’ve developed for integrating the fascial system and movement patterns throughout the entire body. I’ve shared a few of these reflexes in the past but this is the first time I’ll be teaching the whole system. I’m thinking about recording the information as a course for our BBO practitioners… it goes hand-in-hand with our orthotics and really enhances their effects. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in and I’ll add you to the list to notify when it’s ready.