Pre-Training Action Book

Your Life-Balance Journey Begins NOW!

Hello and welcome to the Life Balance Method course!

My name is Rob Danson, and I am so excited to guide you along your new life-balance journey.

You are now in possession of the Pre-Training Action Book. This will give you a birds eye view of what’s to
come, and will finish with a quick and easy work-life balance assignment. This way, you’re
starting off on the right foot, and taking positive action immediately.

The actual course will start on the date I’ve assigned to you. To kickoff the course, you and I will hold a
private deep-dive 50 minute or phone call. This will help me get to know you better so that I can help guide
you on this new journey. If you haven’t scheduled a phone or call with me yet, please email me as soon as
possible at dansonrob@gmail.com.

During the course, you will receive easy-to-accomplish life-balance assignments each week. We’ll finish the
course with a private half hour Skype or phone call check-in.

Throughout this month-long journey, I will help you break free from the modern overworked culture by
assisting you in the creation of your very own personalized work-life balance roadmap. This roadmap will
help you:

• Set quick and easy life-balance wins every week.

• Become more productive and successful in all areas of your life.
• Pinpoint areas of your life that need improvement and set actionable goals on how to improve them.
• Train your brain to get out of constant work mode and adopt a positive life-balance mindset.
• Carve out time for friends, family, leisure activities and rest.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 1

 A Bird’s Eye View Of Your Life-Balance Journey
Pre-Training Week
• Understand what causes burnout and how to eliminate it

• Ninja tips on overcoming insomnia

• Learn how to balance opposites and why this is so powerful

• The little known secret about how working less will actually increase your work productivity

Week 1: Laying the Foundation For Your Life Balance Roadmap

• Start off STRONG with an introductory deep dive private 50 minute skype or phone call.

• Begin shifting your mindset from a limited “work-only” mindset to a growth oriented “life-balance” mindset.

• Lay the foundation for your Life Balance Roadmap by focusing on all categories of your life

• End the week with a fun mini life-balance activity so that you can start taking action immediately.

Week 2: Diving Deep Into Your Life’s Categories

• 30 minute check-in phone or Skype call

• Pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses in all areas of your life.

• Understand the “mastermind principal” and how this can help to balance your life

• Uncover hidden growth opportunities to enhance and boost your life-goals

Week 3: Setting Goals and Taking Action

• 30 minute check-in phone or Skype call

• Get crystal clear on your 6-month and 1-month life-balance goals.

• Take IMMEDIATE action by crafting daily and weekly life balance wins that manifest growth, positivity and har-
mony in all areas of your life.

• Learn why the Law of Attraction is bogus UNLESS you add these crucial important steps

• Become a master of planting positive life-balance affirmations into your subconscious

Week 4: Boost Your Life-Balance Goals

• 30 minute check-in phone or Skype call

• Learn how to expand your focus and 10X your life balance goals through one of the most powerful and
proven mind exercises, practiced for years by professional athletes, CEOS and many more.

• Create an empowering Life-Balance mission statement catered exactly to YOU.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 2

 Understanding Burnout
Your “comfort zone” is the sate in which you live out day-by-day.

Here, your thoughts, emotions and actions make up who you are.

There’s nothing wrong with being in your comfort zone if your comfort zone is comprised of HEALTHY and
POSITIVE habits.

For example, if your day-to-day actions are comprised of eating healthy, exercising regularly, spending time
with friends and family and having a good work-life balance, then being in your comfort zone is a good
thing.

But unfortunately, the modern overworked culture can lead many professionals into a negative comfort
zone comprised of bad work habits, negative emotions, and poor physical health. This can eventually lead
to burnout.

What is burnout?
In a nutshell, burnout occurs when you work to the point of both mental and physical exhaustion.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Job burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or
emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

Remember, your thoughts, emotions, and actions make up who you are.

For overworked people who are burnt out, these thoughts and emotions can include negative feelings of
exhaustion, self talk, and bad habits. After a while, these negative thoughts, emotions and actions begin to
feel so normal that its hard to break away from them.

How do thoughts lead to burnout?

Your brain is a “data collection machine.” This means that the more thoughts or ideas you tell yourself, the
more your brain will begin to believe these thoughts are true.

Here’s my story…

I have a huge passion for playing music. For nearly a decade, I was a front-man, manager, producer and pro-
moter for an independent rock band in Los Angeles.

Being successful while writing and performing music meant everything to me. I prided myself on my strong
work-ethic and my total devotion to my work life.

I bragged about pulling all-nighters while recording songs or sending emails to bookers and promoters.

People thought I was living a happy and meaningful life...but the reality was that I was in complete turmoil.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 3

As my work life consumed me like a plague, my mindset shifted to a neurotically obsessed “work only”
mindset. When I wasn’t working, all I could think about WAS WORK. I was never happy or present when I
wasn’t working.

I couldn’t sleep either.

Every night, I’d toss and turn while my mind ran feedback loops of disasters looming in the near future.

Disasters I could avoid…only if I worked even harder.

I began working so much that I eventually blocked out my friends, hobbies and even my physical health. At
my lowest of lows, I was 6 feet tall and weighed only 120 pounds.

In the end, I was riddled with major depression, anxiety and had completely lost my one true passion: Music.
I broke up the band I had fronted for 8 years and became a shell of who I used to be.

What are the negative effects of burnout?

Studies have shown that the stress and anxiety caused by overworking can lead to:

• Higher mortality rate

• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Heart attacks
• Chronic insomnia
• Depression
• Muscle aches and pains

Apart from your physical health, the negative effects of burnout can spread to other areas of your life.

This is because everything in your life is connected.

Your thoughts, actions and experiences make up who you are. These experiences craft your personality, your
uniqueness, and ultimately your MENTAL HEALTH.
Similar to a virus, stressors and negativity from your work can spill into and affect other areas of your life.
This can cause:

• Marriage and relationship problems

• Health problems
• Loss of friends
• Poor physical health
• Financial Problems
• Missing out on life’s incredible adventures and cultures

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 4

How do you overcome burnout?
The first step in overcoming burnout is to take positive actions that will shift your mindset away from a limit-
ed “scarcity mindset” to a growth oriented “abundance mindset.”

Doing so will allow you to leave your “comfort zone” and enter your “growth zone.”

In order to do this, you must master the art of decision making and action taking.

If your comfort zone is filled with exhaustion and stress, you must build momentum by taking action com-
prised of positive activities that lead you away from exhaustion and stress.

Energy is created by energy. You’re not going to eliminate exhaustion by sitting on the couch, watching Net-
flix and obsessing over how exhausted you are.

This is because you are what you focus on. If you focus on how exhausted and burnt out you are, you will
turn this into a self-fulfilling prophesy. Instead, you must break free by forming new habits. Take a walk
outside and get some fresh air. Go to the gym. Eat well and exercise. Spend time with friends or take up a
hobby.

By building momentum in the right direction, you will begin to switch your mindset from your habitu-
al and problematic comfort zone to focusing on the solution that lies within your growth zone.

The exercises and techniques you will learn throughout the Life Balance Method course will help train your
brain and switch your mindset from an “I’m exhausted” and an “I don’t have time” scarcity mindset to a pos-
itive work-life balance mindset. From there, you will be able to set life balance goals and activities and see
positive results.

How to increase physical energy and brain function.

Your brain is a living organ. When your body is physically healthy, your brain is able to produce energy, cre-
ativity, and positive emotions such as happiness, motivation and determination.

There are several ways to improve your physical energy and brain function. Go though the following list
and take note on whether you are productive and proactive in these areas or not. Keep this list handy while
going through the different modules throughout the Life Balance Method program:

Physical Exercise:

Physical movement and exercise is essential for proper brain function and energy. Taking brisk walks out-
side, working out at the gym, hiking, jogging, and playing sports are great ways to increase your energy.

Eating Healthy:

Eat a healthy, balanced diet comprised of real, organic foods packed with amino acids. Unhealthy foods
filled with sugars and preservatives, on the other hand, suck your energy away. Its important to take note
of the types of foods you’re eating and how you feel after eating them. Are you feeling energetic after eating
your daily meals, or tired and drained?

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 5

Positive Self-Talk and Mental Clarity:

Your mental state plays a big role in your physical and cognitive energy. Stress and anxiety can suck your
energy away. Ask yourself: are you constantly thinking negative thoughts? If so, you must shift your mindset
from a scarcity mindset to a growth oriented mindset. The exercises in the upcoming sections of this Life
Balance Method program will help do just that.

High Quality Sleep:

High quality sleep helps with energy rejuvenation, concentration and mood stabilization. On the other hand,
insomnia can add to brain fog, stress and fatigue. Chronic insomnia can lower testosterone levels and can
even cause physical health issues such as diabetes and other health problems.

Here are a few positive habits to adopt in order to have better sleep:

1. Wear “blue light blocking glasses” at night. Blue light is emitted through digital devices such as flat
screen TVs, cell phones and iPads. This type of light essentially tricks your brain into thinking its day-
light. When this happens, your body stops producing melatonin. This makes it difficult to fall asleep.
To get around this, stop looking at digital screens at night, or wear “blue light blocking glasses.” My
favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses are “Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses.” You can buy them on
Amazon.

2. Exercise during the day, but not right before going to bed. Its best to not exercises within 2-3 hours of
going to bed.

3. Expose yourself to bright, natural daylight during the day. If you work indoors, make it a habit to take
breaks and walk outside in the sun. This strengthens your circadian rhythm, which helps you naturally
stay awake and energized during the day, and tired when its time to go to bed at night.

4. Don’t eat big meals right before going to bed. At the same time, don’t go to bed hungry. Its best to not
eat red meat or dairy late at night. This causes inflammation and makes your body overwork.

5. Make sure you sleep in complete darkness. Put up blackout curtains, or wear an eye mask.

6. Have a “wind down” period before going to bed. From my own experience, I’ve learned to stop work-
ing after 8:00pm. If I don’t, my mind gets too energized and I can’t sleep.

7. Mediate at night. Apps like “Calm” and “Headspace” help a lot.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 6

Make it a habit to frequently check in with your balanced self.
Its important to constantly check in with your life-balance priorities and compare them to your daily and
weekly habits. Are they aligned?

The following two questions may sound harsh, but they can serve as a reality check:

1. Is your priority to work yourself to death? Studies have shown that the stress, anxiety, depression, and
physical ailments that are manifested through burnout can reduce your life expectancy by 30 years.

2. Is your priority to not experience the wonders of life until you retire? When you do retire, will you have
the proper health to experience all that you’ve held off on?

One way to put this into perspective is to compare the cost of overworking to the benefit of balance. Over-
working has several detrimental costs including:

• Missing out on your kids growing up

• Missing out on quality time with your spouse or significant other
• Not experiencing travel, cultures, new foods, and the wonders of life.
• Dying earlier. In Japan, the word “Karoshi” literally means overworking to death. Studies have shown
that the stress, anxiety, and physical hardships due to overwork can lower life expectancy by 30 years.
• Depression and even suicide
• Self medication with caffeine, alcohol, anxiety pills, and drugs.

In contrast, balancing your work-life with positive non-work activities can have incredible benefits including:

• More productivity at work

• Increased mental and physical energy
• Higher life expectancy
• More brain capacity to do more in less time.

Putting yourself first is not selfish. Instead, you’re helping yourself to make a bigger impact for your
work, family, relationships and the world.

List your top priorities in life and compare that to the actual daily and weekly activities that you take on reg-
ularly. These are the habits that are in your comfort zone. Are your activities supporting your priorities?

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 7

 But I Just Don’t Have Time To Balance My Life!!
Here’s a reality check for you…

If you’re saying that you simply don’t have enough time to balance your life, all you’re really doing is pro-
crastinating to take positive actions in the right direction.

I know it may sound harsh, but listen up…

According to a New York Times article, procrastination isn’t about laziness. Its about self-harm.

“When we procrastinate, we’re not only aware that we’re avoiding the task in question, but also that doing so
is probably a bad idea. And yet, we do it anyway. People engage in this irrational cycle of chronic procrastina-
tion because of an inability to manage negative moods around a task. Procrastination isn’t a unique character
flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and
negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt
and beyond. Put simply, procrastination is about being more focused on “the immediate urgency of managing
negative moods than getting on with the task”

In the short run, yes, you may be feeling better by putting off rest or productive non-work activities while
you trudge away at your work. But remember, the more you work and the less you rest, the more exhausted
and fatigued you will be.

Over time, this lack of productivity will lead to stress and eventually mental and physical distress. Continu-
ing on with this vicious cycle can lead to chronic illness, heart attacks and strokes.

Ask yourself: What negative moods come to mind when carving out time for productive non-work tasks? Do
you feel that you’ll be financially insecure if you slow down and stop working?

If so, you must strengthen your financial confidence.

Remember the vicious cycle: Many who overwork due to their fears of financial insecurity become so burnt
out and stressed that their physical health declines. At this point, they create a self fulfilling prophesy. Their
inability to work due to their ill health makes them financially insecure.

In order to have the time and energy needed to have a more balanced life, you first need the inner confi-
dence that your life won’t fall apart if you slow down and focus on your health. You have to stop being fear-
ful of having a work-life balance.

So how do I stop procrastinating?

In order to stop procrastinating, you must rewire your thoughts and shift your mindset. For the overworked
professional, working in and of itself is a tremendous achievement, and the brain subconsciously awards
this action. In other words, non-work related activities including rest, exercise, traveling and spending time
with friends and family are subconsciously perceived as a threat.

The first step is to listen to your body not your mind. Slow down when exhausted.

The second step is to take immediate action. This will create momentum and your motivation will follow.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 8

Its okay to take baby steps. Don’t focus on a month-long vacation. Instead, focus on what you can do right
now in the moment.

• Focus on taking a ten-minute break and walking around the block.

• Focus on going out to dinner with a friend or family member and leaving your cell phone at home.
• Focus on carving out an hour for a hobby.
• Focus on rest and rejuvenation.

The exercises in the Life Balance Method program will help you set these small baby step activities leading
you to a more productive, healthier, and more balanced lifestyle.

In his book The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy explains how small actions you make throughout your day
can add up and make a huge significant impact in your life. These can be positive actions leading your closer
to your goals or negative actions that distract you from your bigger goals in life.

The small actions you take each day can add up. But the big question is this: are these small actions bring-
ing you closer to your goals, or farther away?

These small actions can also be thoughts including thoughts of overwhelm which lead to procrastination.

So, if you’ve ever said to yourself “I can’t stop working,” or “I don’t have enough time because of my work,”
the truth is that you actually do have enough time. You have just as much time and freedom as me or any of
the other successful person who has CHOSEN to live a life full of balance and harmony while breaking free
from this modern overworked culture.

These are all people who also have looming deadlines, hectic families, bills to pay, clients calling and many
other problems.

The positive action you take through the Life Balance Method exercises will help guide you towards balance
within all categories of your life so that you can finally break free from the modern overworked culture.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 9

 Your Work Is Still Important
But There’s So Much More To Life
Of course! Your work is important. The Life Balance Method does not dismiss this. In fact, you can improve
your work through the exercises from the Life Balance Method.

However, your life is much more than just work. You owe this to yourself, to your family and to your friends.
You are a human being and you must experience all that it is to fully be human. This is for you.

IMAGINE WHAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR NEW, BALANCED LIFE:

Visualize Your Future Balanced Self

Here’ a quick exercise for you:

Sit back and VISUALIZE what your balanced life will look like six months from now.

Imagine with as much detail as possible what your new, productive and balanced life could be like.

Imagine getting away from that digital screen or dark office and experiencing new cultures, foods, and all
the beauty that nature has to offer.

If you want to work on your physical appearance, imagine what you’d look like if you had the motivation
and the actionable steps in place to get to the gym, eat better, and live the active and healthy lifestyle
you’ve always wanted to live.

How about spending more quality time with positive people while eliminating the toxic relationships in
your life? Can you imagine these things?

Better yet, this isn’t some pipe dream. This is a change you can start making today.

The Power of Visualization

This act of visualization is just one of many components you will learn in the Life Balance Method
course leading you to success, growth, and balance in all areas of your life.

In fact, visualization is a key component in many successful people’s daily lives. In order to prep
for the big game, many professional athletes visualize themselves winning, making it to the finish
line, and giving it all.

The reason why so many people visualize their goals is because visualization subconsciously moti-
vates you into believing you can achieve these goals. This in turn, leads to confidence which is one
of the strongest habits successful people have and why they follow through with their life-goals.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 10

 Your Pre-Training Exercise:
Balancing Opposites
Throughout this course, you will focus on balancing the different categories of your life that make up who
you are as a unique human being.

Another way to have balance is by balancing opposites.

Balancing Work With Rest

If you’re overworked, It’s vitally important for both your mental health and your physical health, that you
balance your work with rest.

The number one rule is to listen to your body!

Your body will tell you when you’re exhausted and when you need to STOP Working.

In fact, taking breaks…even short breaks throughout your work day can have incredibly powerful and posi-
tive results:

• You’ll have less burnout

• You’ll be more productive at work, even though you’re technically working less
• Your happiness will increase while your stress and anxiety will decrease
• You’ll have stronger mental health overall

When I was a severe workaholic in my later 20’s and early 30’s, I hardly ever took breaks. As I look back at
those exhausting years, I can attribute a huge part of my deep depression to being overworked. I’ve seen
this same thing with friends and even co-workers. You HAVE to balance your work with rest.

But I know what you might be thinking. “I have so much work I have to do!!! I can’t take breaks. I just don’t
have the time to take breaks.”

If you’re thinking this, then you’re not alone. This is EXACTLY how I felt.

But here’s the kicker…. You will actually be able to ACCOMPLISH MORE in your work BY DOING LESS. I know
this sounds strange and contradictory, but there are multiple studies that show that this is true.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 11

 Balancing Work With Rest
Example From the Harvard Business Review:
Two people of equal skill work in the same office. For the sake of comparison, let’s say both arrive at
work at 9 am each day, and leave at 7 pm.

Bill works essentially without stopping, juggling tasks at his desk and running between meetings all day
long. He even eats lunch at his desk. Sound familiar?

Nick, by contrast, works intensely for approximately 90 minutes at a stretch, and then takes a 15 minute
break before resuming work. At 12:15, he goes out for lunch for 45 minutes, or works out in a nearby
gym. At 3 pm, he closes his eyes at his desk and takes a rest. Sometimes it turns into a 15 or 20 minute
nap. Finally, between 4:30 and 5, Nick takes a 15 minute walk outside.

Bill spends 10 hours on the job. He begins work at about 80 percent of his capacity, instinctively pacing
himself rather than pushing all out, because he knows he’s got a long day ahead.
By 1 pm, Bill is feeling some fatigue. He’s dropped to 60 percent of his capacity and he’s inexorably los-
ing steam. Between 4 and 7 pm, he’s averaging about 40 percent of his capacity.

It’s called the law of diminishing returns. Bill’s average over 10 hours is 60 percent of his capacity, which
means he effectively delivers 6 hours of work.

Nick puts in the same 10 hours. He feels comfortable working at 90 percent of his capacity, because he
knows he’s going to have a break before too long. He slows a little as the day wears on, but after a mid-
day lunch or workout, and a mid-afternoon rest, he’s still at 70 percent during the last three hours of the
day.

Nick takes off a total of two hours during his 10 at work, so he only puts in 8 hours. During that time, he’s
working at an average of 80 percent of his capacity, so he’s delivering just under 6 ½ hours of work — a
half hour more than Bill.

Because Nick is more focused and alert than Bill, he also makes fewer mistakes, and when he returns
home at night, he has more energy left for his family.

It’s not just the number of hours we sit at a desk in that determines the value we generate. It’s the ener-
gy we bring to the hours we work. Human beings are designed to pulse rhythmically between spending
and renewing energy. That’s how we operate at our best. Maintaining a steady reservoir of energy —
physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually — requires refueling it intermittently.

Work the way Nick does, and you’ll get more done, in less time, at a higher level of quality, more sus-
tainably.

Create a workplace that truly values a balanced relationship between intense work and real renewal,
and you’ll not only get greater productivity from employees, but also higher engagement and job satis-
faction.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 12

Balancing Work With Play
There are things in your life that you HAVE to do, no matter what:

• Go to work while being professional and serious

• Commute to work while fighting that awful traffic
• Doing those pesky and BORING chores like laundry and buying groceries.

A great way to have balance is to balance these necessary things out with something totally different.

One day, I was up in San Francisco visiting my cousin Josh, his wife Kelly and their 10 year old daughter
Annabelle. I took out my phone and I began showing Annabelle pictures of me and my friends back in Los
Angeles. Several of the pictures were silly pictures of me and my friends at costume parties. And yes…I go
to a lot of fun costume parties even when its not Halloween.

Annabelle thought it was crazy that I was still going to costume parties as an adult. In her mind, adults have
to be serious ALL THE TIME.

Unfortunately, this is a misconception that many people have. Kids, especially in today’s culture have it in-
grained in their heads that they will have to grow up at one point and stop having fun. But, that’s not good.

You need to stay funny and silly.

Too many people take life too seriously and push fun activities out of their lives. Many who live this way end
up feeling miserable, overworked and overstressed. They’re out of balance.

The modern overworked culture causes this problem: It makes adults forget to be kids every once in a
while.

So what do I do?

Yes...I take myself incredibly seriously. I’m a hard-worker and very professional when it comes to my work.
However, I always take the time to carve out fun games and silliness. Even in the office, I’m known to be silly
and crack jokes every once in a while. Balancing out work and play can really help in lifting up your mood
and getting you out of that constant, stressed overworked mindset.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 13

Balancing Your Commute To Work

But what about your commute? If you’re one of those people who gets to work from home or can walk to
work, than you’re lucky!

But for a lot of us, commuting to work can be a TOTAL TIME SUCK.

My commute to the office is about one-hour each way.

So what do I do when I commute to work?

I balance that out with a fun audio activity that I would normally not have time to do otherwise.

• I discover new music with Spotify.

• I listen to engaging podcasts and audio books.
• I use that time to call up old friends and catch up.

Believe it or not, its actually gotten to the point to where I LOOK FORWARD to my commute. Crazy, right?

But I know people who are SO MISERABLE with their commute. In fact, it stresses them out so much that
the toxicity of their commute begins to spread and adversely affect their work-life and even marriage life.

So what can you do to balance your commute with something fun and exciting?

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 14

Fun Mini Life-Balance Assignment: Balancing Opposites

As we end this pre-training course, I’d like to leave you with a fun mini life-balance assignment.

Schedule out, within the next 1-2 work days, time for you to take breaks and to balance your work-life with
something fun, silly or exciting.

Take a break from work by walking around a nearby park, got to the gym, watch a funny movie, or go see a
comedy act.

Be silly at work when you’re in the break room or chatting with a co-worker. Crack some jokes and be a kid,
even if its only for a few minutes. Believe me, you’ll be happier because of it, and most of all, your body will
thank you.

YOUR NEW MISSION FOR THE WEEK:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it,
is to schedule out some time within the next few days
to take breaks and balance your work with something fun,
silly or exciting, so that you can be more productive,
have more energy and break free from our
modern overworked culture.

Copyright 2019 | Life Balance Method | Pre-Training Workbook | Page 15