5 Lessons I Learned from a World-Class Peak Performance Expert
18 Jun 2025 #productivityWhat’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “productivity?”
Eisenhower matrix? Eat that frog? Pomodoro technique? Listing daily and weekly priorities?
We often mistake productivity for choosing the right tools and techniques. And we procrastinate by tweaking tools instead of doing actual work.
I was one of those people. Multiple to-do lists, constantly syncing them between devices. But since last year, I’ve ditched my to-do and goal lists. Instead I’ve been focusing on my energy levels and working on my mind, body, and spirit every day.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon a webinar by Leon Castillo, “an entrepreneur, investor, and university professor obsessed with peak performance & entrepreneurship.” He helped me confirm some of my ideas and made me realize what I was doing wrong.
Here are 5 lessons I learned from him:
#1. We aren’t wired for focus. I guess our primitive brain developed to look for small clues in our environment. A slight movement behind a bush could mean we were a fierce predator’s dinner. So we need to create the right conditions for focus.
#2. Reduce the amount of information you consume. Everything and anything around you competes for the same reserves of attention and energy. Use them wisely. For example, don’t use your cellphone first thing in the morning. Instead use it at lunch or at night if you’re a morning person. Take the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) to find out if you’re a morning person or a night owl. “Moderate morning” person around here.
#3. Have a clean and organized environment for work.
- Work next to a window or close to nature.
- Make your workstation as bright as possible.
- Don’t rely too much on white noise. Work in silence.
- Put your phone away. It distracts you even when silent or powered off.
#4. Batch focused work on 90-minute sessions, followed by 20-minute rest sessions. Our brain works best in periods of high intensity, followed by periods of low intensity. And the best type of rest activities? Meditation or napping.
#5. Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated. Sit in silence for 15 minutes, with as little sensory input as possible, and notice your breathing.
After watching that recording, I felt the urge to audit my daily routines. I need to protect my mornings. No more social media until afternoon.
And if I could summarize his talk in one single line, it would be: It’s not how hard you push, it’s how well you rest.