What Fight Camp Taught Me About Focus and Flow

"The hardest battle isn’t under the lights — it’s in your mind, fought every day before the crowd ever shows up."

 Most people think my biggest fight happens in the ring.

It doesn’t.

The real fight is in the 90 days leading up to fight night — the fight camp. That’s where champions are built.

It’s a world of pressure and precision:

• Early mornings before the sun rises.
• Sacrifices no one sees.
• A relentless focus where every choice either moves you closer to victory or pulls you further away. 

And while fight camp is about preparing for a single night, the lessons I’ve learned apply to every area of life — building a business, leading a family, or chasing any major goal.

At its core, fight camp is about deep & undistracted work:
A structured environment that eliminates distractions and forces you to do meaningful, high-impact work.

Here’s what it has taught me — and how you can create the same clarity in your own life.

1.          Set a Deadline That Creates Pressure

 "Without a fight date, there’s no urgency. Without urgency, there’s no growth." 

A fight camp begins with a date.
Once it’s locked in, everything changes.

That deadline creates immense clarity. Suddenly, there’s no space for half-efforts or vague intentions. You either prepare… or you pay the price on fight night.

The same applies in business or personal growth. Each fight camp begins with a 90-day blueprint — clear goals for my diet, fitness, and performance in the ring. I have a meeting with my team and we outline our intentions moving toward the common goal of winning the fight.  

The ticking clock forces action. It gives you urgency and eliminates procrastination.

Ask yourself:

What’s the “fight date” you can set for yourself right now?

Without a deadline, your goals will stay dreams. With one, they become non-negotiable

2.          Eliminate Distractions Like a Fighter in Camp

 "Every ounce of focus counts — protect it like gold."

 During camp, distractions are a luxury I can’t afford:

• No endless social scrolling.
• No late nights or wasted mornings.
• No energy spent on drama or negativity.

 

It’s a ruthless process of subtraction, cutting away anything that doesn’t serve the end goal.

Cal Newport calls this “removing the shallow work” — those low-value activities that make you feel busy but don’t move the needle.

In fight camp, there’s no illusion of progress. You either get closer to winning or you don’t.

The same is true for you:

• Replace constant notifications with scheduled deep work sessions.
• Trade reacting for creating space to focus.
• Design your environment so doing the right thing becomes automatic.

Rule:
If it doesn’t help me win — in the ring, business, or life — it’s gone.

3.          Build Deep Work Blocks Into Your Day

"Deep work is like sparring for the mind — uncomfortable, intense, and transformative."

 In fight camp, my days are structured around peak training blocks. These sessions are intense, distraction-free, and designed to push me past my limits. I set time blocks where I am locked in the gym, or running on the road, undistracted, pushing towards my end goal. 

Business requires the same approach.

Most people try to multitask through the day, constantly reacting to emails, messages, and interruptions.
That’s shallow work. It keeps you busy — but not effective. 

Instead, schedule 90-minute deep work blocks for your highest-value activities:

• Strategy and planning for your business.
• Content creation and storytelling.
• Creative problem-solving or vision work.

During these blocks:

• Phone on airplane mode.
• Notifications off.
• Environment set for complete focus.

 

Think of it as a mental training session.
One hour of true deep work can produce more than ten hours of scattered effort.

4.          Do the 1% Things Daily

 "Champions aren’t built by one big action — they’re built by thousands of small ones." 

Fight camp isn’t about huge, dramatic leaps forward.

It’s about stacking the 1% actions:

• Perfecting footwork drills for hours.
• Dialling in nutrition & recovery every single day.
• Showing up for the extra round when everyone else has left.

 

These small, seemingly insignificant actions compound into mastery.

In business, the same principle applies:

• The extra follow-up email to a potential client.
• Refining a process no one else bothers with.
• Spending 30 focused minutes learning a skill that compounds over time.

Over 90 days, these 1% improvements build unstoppable momentum and give you control over the outcome.

5. Keep the Blinkers On for 90 Days

 "For 90 days, nothing else matters but the goal."

 When I’m in camp, it’s like wearing blinkers. I don’t look left or right. I don’t get distracted by what others are doing.

My focus is straight ahead — the fight.

 This mindset is powerful for anyone:

• Don’t compare yourself to competitors.
• Don’t chase every shiny object or trend.
• Don’t allow self-doubt to creep in. 

Combine a hard deadline with 90 days of tunnel vision, and you’ll accomplish more than most people do in a year.

Structure Creates Freedom

 "Chaos kills performance. Structure creates flow."

 My fight camp schedule isn’t random — it’s meticulously built:

• Morning roadwork.
• Boxing drills.
• Recovery blocks.
• Even downtime is deliberate.

 

This structure removes decision fatigue.

It frees my mind to perform at its peak because I don’t waste energy figuring out what to do next.

In business, I treat my calendar like a training plan: 

• Deep work sessions for high-value tasks.
• Family time that’s fully present and protected.
• Recovery periods to recharge my energy.

 

Structure isn’t restrictive — it’s empowering.
It creates the conditions for true flow.

How to Build Your Own Fight Camp

You don’t need to step into a ring to live like a fighter.
Here’s how to create your own 90-day fight camp:

1.           Set a Clear Goal & Deadline

o   Choose one major outcome to focus on.

2.           Cut Distractions

o   Eliminate low-value activities that drain focus.

3.           Schedule Deep Work Blocks

o   90-minute sessions for your most important tasks.

4.           Do the 1% Actions

o   Small daily habits that compound over time.

5.           Keep the Blinkers On

o   Stay locked in until the deadline. No excuses.

The Gentleman’s Perspective

Fight camp taught me this:

Success isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing less with greater intensity.

It’s about stripping away distractions, setting a hard deadline, and showing up every day with deep, focused effort.

Whether you’re building a business, leading your family, or chasing a personal goal, you must decide:

What’s your fight date?
And what will you cut — and commit to — to win it?