Eliud Kipchoge is the first man to ever run a marathon in under 2 hrs.

That’s roughly 4 mins 34 sec per mile—for 26.2 miles straight!

Kipchoge (@EliudKipchoge) recommends two books for peak performance:

The Practice of Groundedness
by @BStulberg

Lessons:
• Learn the 6 principles of sustainable excellence
• How to perform at a high-level w/o burning out
• How to be consistent

In the words of Kipchoge, “It molds you as a human being.”

9 key themes Groundedness will teach you:

1. Outcomes matter but you've got to enjoy the process if you are to have longevity.

2. Consistency is way more valuable than intensity

3. How you perform on your average days is more important than how you perform on your great ones.

4. After big wins or devastating defeats, the medicine is the same—getting back to doing the work itself.

5. Become a master of showing up.

6. You don't have to like failure, but you've got to be okay with it.

7. Take the work extremely seriously, but yourself not so much.

8. Community is everything. Nobody reaches the top alone. The people around you shape you. Surround yourself wisely.

9. Stress + rest = growth. Figuring out the appropriate dose of each is key, and a moving target.

7 evening habits of a Stoic.

The Marcus Aurelius Routine:

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and philosopher—

who believed in practical daily habits.

His journal, Meditations, gives us a fair idea of what his nighttime routine would've been.

Here's the 7-step breakdown:

Step 1: Eliminate external stimuli.

"It is in your power to retire into yourself whenever you choose."

Use the nighttime to take a vacation from your busy day:

• Unplug from TV + social
• Take a walk, meditate, or practice 'non-doing'
• Seek inner-stillness

Step 2: Get some physical exercise.

"A healthy mind cannot exist without a healthy body."

Marcus did not believe in exercise for vanity.

Instead, he saw exercise trained the mind for:

• Consistency
• Self-discipline
• Clear thinking

Take a mind-cleansing walk tonight.

Step 3: Review your day.

"Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life."

It's been said that we do not learn from experience,

but learn from *reflecting* on experience.

"Just be creative" is bad advice

(if they don't tell you how).

6 proven methods to boost creativity:

1. 70-20-10 Rule

The #1 factor that influences creative success?

Volume produced.

Change your mindset with the 70-20-10 Rule:

- 70% of your work will be mediocre
- 20% will suck
- 10% will be amazing

If you’re avoiding failure, you’re avoiding success.

(H/T Jonathan Mann)

2. Rapid Ideation

Generate many ideas quickly with this brainstorming method:

1) Select a topic
2) Set a time limit (try 10 mins)
3) Ideate freely on sticky notes w/o filtering
5) Collect & categorize ideas
6) Select the best

Get enough bad ideas, and good ones will appear.

3. Walking Meetings

What do Steve Jobs, Nietzsche, and Aristotle all have in common?

Each used walking as a strategic tool for clear thinking.

In the words of Nietzsche, "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."

4. Dates with Creativity

"In order for art to imitate life, you have to have a life…

For me, art was imitating art because all I was doing was working." —Whitney Cummings

The best remedy for uninspired work?

Dates with creativity (Courtesy of Julia Cameron).

More on that…