1:37

I was listening to my new favorite obsession last week, the Smartless podcast with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, and they were interviewing Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw on it. It was mostly just hilarious stuff, dancing naked in the locker room with teammates, different absurd cards people drove, you know. Life’s critical information. But wedged in it was a tidbit that I found fascinating.

In discussing his game day routine, Kershaw said that he starts it two days in advance by first removing alcohol. Then, on the actual day he is too pitch he leaves his house to head to the stadium at 1:37 pm every time. Not 1:30, not 1:40. 1:37 pm. Presumably, he has his success rituals so dialed in that he knows exactly what he’s going to do at every single minute of the day prior to throwing his opening pitch to the leadoff hitter, and he starts that countdown precisely at 1:37.

If there is one thing I have learned it’s the world’s most successful people are not that why by accident or any other sort of magical reason we like to pretend is out of our reach. They are disciplined and treat planning as an art form and that preparation for their event is nearly more important than the event itself. If the requisite steps are taken beforehand then success is a forgone conclusion.

Can we not all have that kind of success on a micro level if just make it so?

-Dave