Think labs are only for doctors and scientists? Think again.

When friends say they haven’t heard from me for a while, I can say I’m “in the lab” and they always know what I mean. The Laboratory is my custom-created training environment – a lifestyle, really. To do what I have to do, I have to be single-minded, putting my complete focus, twenty-four hours a day, on the things that get me ready mentally and physically for a punishing race. The Laboratory is everything around me – my living space, the town I live in, my training regimen, my diet, my coaching, my friends, my time with God – all calibrated to achieve the goal of getting me successfully to the finish line of an Ironman, Ultraman, or other extreme race.

– Jason Lester, ultra endurance athlete

We all need to be “in the lab.” We need the place and the space to make our dreams come true.

Maybe you can clean out the spare bedroom or the garage so that you have a place to write and think. Maybe you reserve Thursday evenings to focus on learning Spanish. Or maybe you have a special notebook or backpack that contains all of the instruments that inspire you.

Your Lab can be a separate physical location, or it can be a block of time you set aside to focus. Doing both is even more powerful.

Label the door or your desk. Schedule the time on your calendar. Remind yourself to be completely devoted to your goals while you’re there.

There’s only one rule: When you’re in the Lab, it demands your full attention.

Do you have a Lab? Where is it?

This post is part of a new topic area: peak performance. It represents the best in each of us, and I believe that when one person achieves his potential, it inspires the next to do the same. Over the last few years, it’s absolutely become my passion. To be sure you don’t miss a post, you can click here to subscribe.