We are addicted to telling stories at RED | Africa. We do this in as many forms as you can imagine, not just because we have the talent and skill, but because we know the streets, and know what the streets are saying. Therefore, we know the brightest individuals across industries – the ‘undergees‘ who make things happen. The ones you can’t avoid in your team. The ‘brand speakers’, the market leaders, the influencers, the CEOs.

It is, for this reason, we caught up with the founder and Chief Executive Officer, Liferithms Inc., Olu Ogunlela.

This is how the conversation went:

Tell us about Liferithms and the journey till now

As a former professional cyclist suffering from reoccurring burnout, I thought about how I could use the concept of sports performance analytics to find balance and experience peak performance in work and life. I developed a prototype of the solution in early 2016, solved my burnout challenges in early 2017, and began generating revenue from the prototype. This led to personal and group coaching engagement as well as corporate training to help employees achieve the same results. We launched the full version of the app in August this year. We have also started deploying our solution as an employee well-being platform. Check out www.lifeli.app for more info.

How have time-oriented ideas shaped the way you think about and approach change? 

It has helped me to R.I.S.E – Reflect – Improve – Strategize & Execute consistently.

Regardless of where I am or the progress I am making, I am constantly reflecting on the outcome of my actions. I use that information to improve my plans then strategise on ways to execute to ensure consistency. If you are not consistent, you will not see the desired result. Since I am executing multiple plans for various areas of my life, like fitness, personal development, work and business e.t.c, Lifeli helps me become more intentional, while aiding personal accountability, and self-reflection.

Life is full of ups and downs, but we have people who think the ‘big guys’ are simply lucky. It’s a radical idea but what do you think about this in relation to what you do (have been doing)?

Life happens to everyone. Sometimes the big guys have it worse than everyone else. Three things I believe the big guys do to remain lucky.

– They build habits around their core activities to ensure consistency.

– They constantly upgrade their mindset by reading regular and connecting with like-minded individuals.

– They make sure they have the key resources for whatever they need to accomplish. Most times that is time, money, and people with the right information.

Anyone can be as lucky as the big guys if we do the right things consistently.

Do you consciously think of scribbling your name in time through centuries or you feel it’ll naturally happen? 

Anyone who can provide a service for at least a billion people will never be forgotten. I focus on building a great product that billions of people will use on a daily basis.

What you do is obviously time-oriented. So, what dispositions do you think should change, globally, about time? 

You can’t achieve time mastery without life and energy management. Of the two, energy management is more important. People need to be more concerned about energy management and the activities that provide them with the energy they need before they need it.

What don’t we know about you?

I use to work in the renewable energy sector both in the US & Africa. I also founded a solar energy company and an African clean energy think tank organisation.

What are you into outside of work?

Outside work, I focus on my journey towards self-actualisation and mastery. I seek to be the best version of myself in all areas of my life. I am currently on track to finish 52 books this year while training my muscles to be the biggest they have ever been without scaring people off, lol!

What are the long-term changes Liferithm will create in a global system where time is, relatively, unimportant? 

Our vision is to end unnecessary human suffering. Time is just a tool to help people make better daily lifestyle choices to improve their productivity, achieve balance, and experience optimal well-being. The framework we built is around time. Time is the greatest denominator. Our goal is to make the world a better place, one human at a time.