24 Hours in a Day

At times we’ve all wished there were more hours in a day.  It amazes me how the tv show ‘24′ can draw one day into a full season worth of shows.   The fact is, unless we find some way to alter the time/space continuum, there will always be only 24 hours.  Of that 24 hours you must find a balance: 8 hours sleep, 3 hours eat, 1 hour shower/dress, 1 hour exercise, 3 hours personal time.  Which leaves ideally 8 hours for work.

To get done what needs to get done you must set priorities.  Sounds easy enough, but most people I work with have a difficult time with this.  I stress to them that the first 20 minutes of the day is the most important and will dictate what you get done the remainder of the day.  Here’s how mine goes:

1st 10 minutes – Focus exercise.  My business coach, Spencer Combs, suggested this exercise and it really works!  Take 5 minutes meditating on what you have accomplished and immerse yourself in being thankful for what you have and what achievements you have gained, etc.  Then take 5 minutes and focus on what your goals are, actually FEEL what it feels like to be successful, see what your day would be like, FEEL what it would be like to reach your goal (ie. see yourself sitting on the beach on that vacation you want, or driving that new car you want, or spending that time with the family, etc.  Whatever is your goal).

Next 10 minutes – Prioritize tasks.  Do the most important tasks first, not necessarily the “fun” tasks.  Do what is imparative to making your business grow.  Time block the time needed to do those tasks.

If you spend the first 20 minutes of your day doing these things instead of roaming around the office getting your coffee, saying hi to everyone, avoiding doing the “uncomfortable” tasks, etc, you will find you will be more focused and will get more done.  Not because you “found” more hours in the day, but because you are not wasting time on unnecessary tasks.