No Phone, No Excuses: How a Folded Piece of Paper Put Me in the Top 1% at the Gym

Waking up at 6:00 AM isn’t glamorous. But it’s part of the plan.

Thirty minutes later, I’m in the gym — no phone, no distractions, just a folded 4x5-inch piece of paper in my pocket with my full workout I typed up the night before. That paper is my key to focus. 

You’ve seen it before — people at the gym buried in their phones and you need their equipment. Maybe you’ve even fallen victim to the doom scroll yourself. You politely ask, “How many sets you got left?” and they look up like you interrupted a sacred ritual. “Uh, I just started,” they mumble — even though you’ve watched them sit on that machine for the past 20 minutes.

I don’t want to be that guy.

That’s why I ditch the phone by stuffing it in my locker. No texts, no DMs, no doom scroll. Just my Apple Watch, Spotify, and AirPods. Enough to fuel the lift, but not enough to trap my attention.

This week, chest day hit different (Takes place on International Chest Day on Monday). Incline dumbbell press. Machine flys. Three push-up variations. (Incline push up, standard, and negative push up). Nothing crazy at first glance— until you commit to the details. The pause at the top of each rep. The controlled contraction. The tension in every inch of movement.

That’s the difference between showing up and leveling up. 

If you’re in the gym at all, you’re ahead of most. If you’re there consistently, 5–6 days a week, you’re elite. But if you leave your phone in the locker, walk in with intention, and keep a folded workout paper in your pocket — you’re in the top 1%. 

At Organic Grit, that mindset is everything.

We built this brand on showing up fully — with focus, with intention, and with zero shortcuts.

This isn’t about “life hacks.” It’s about locking in, pushing past noise, and proving to yourself that you still run the show. 

The world can wait 45 minutes. Let your phone — and everything that comes with it — sit in the locker while you train in your temple.

 When you return to it, you’ll be recharged, refocused, and ready to attack the rest of your day.