Kungfu China Master

There is a popular YouTube channel called Kungfu China Master. The channel posts short videos, a minute or less in length. The content is almost entirely clips of a young woman performing bo staff routines on what appears to be her family farm. Her recent videos have exceeded 40 million views!

What is noteworthy about her channel is her consistency. She produces a new video every day, regardless of what is happening in her life. On one day, she appears to have just finished slopping the hogs; on another, there are chickens in the background; and on yet another, she is dressed formally, as if preparing for an event. Consistency, it turns out, is a key element of YouTube’s secret formula to determine which videos it will promote. Of course, similar things could be said about businesses and employees in the workplace… We can see how important consistency is to YouTube ratings and workplace performance, but being consistent is hard, which is why consistent people stand out.

For those who are ready to up their game, there is a dimension on which the preceding kind of consistency depends. Our bodies love daily routines and leveraging that can be a superpower. There is one tiny behavior, in particular, that has an outsized impact on our health and performance, and that is sleep. Consider all the things that are downstream of our sleep: when we are under-slept, we have lower energy, causing our willpower to flag. That, in turn, reduces the likelihood that we will do our morning workout, resist the unhealthy food, get to work on time, or stay focused. All because we binge-watched Game of Thrones, borrowing against our future performance for our present entertainment.

We need to be reminded more than we need to be taught. —Alex Hormozi

Our bodies have sensitive internal clocks that synchronize our circadian rhythms. They are so sensitive that a shift of just 15 minutes in our bedtime can be picked up through an electronic sleep monitor. With so many things depending on our sleep quality, I have come to view a consistent bedtime as the master discipline that precedes good performance in every other area. I have found that when I fail to honor my bedtime—which I do from time to time—I always pay for it, with interest! Sometimes it’s worth it, most of the time it’s not.

I have found that when I fail to honor my bedtime, I always pay for it, with interest!

Our day may appear to start with the morning alarm clock, but in reality, it starts much earlier—even before we go to bed. Precursors to a good night's sleep include having your last meal at least three hours before your bedtime, and drinking your last fluids at least two hours before it. If the goal is world-class consistency, like a Kungfu China Master, my advice is to start with your bedtime. Set an alarm for going to bed, not just for waking up, and then stick to it.