Let’s get right at it, living a better life is too important for flowery prose! In blog 219 I gave you a new work week, in blog 220 I handed you 7 weeks of vacation.
Your job was to immediately move any meetings (in person or virtual) from Mondays and Fridays to either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Then you were to look at the whole year and block off your vacation.
So now you have a long weekend and 7 weeks’ vacation. Let’s tackle the 3 days you have now that are for focusing and getting things done.
1. Don’t fill up your schedule.
Assuming 9-5 workday, work for 5 hours only. You need (need) at least 30% of each workday you must be free so that you can be aware of other opportunities and possibilities for you and the work you do.
It took me a long time to figure this out. I had the Monday/Friday figured out but then for a while, I was jamming 10 hours into each day, back-to-back calls. I was a machine. And then Tom would say “Hey, you were going to write an article for … Whatever happened with that?”
I was working too hard. I had no time to do anything else, I was already jammed up and you already know my feelings on free time – free time is also work. I wasn’t going to write an article on Saturday morning, that’s when I do fun stuff that recharges my battery.
The only solution was to create time within the 3 focus days. I book nice days for myself.
2. Three things a day.
This is the rule you’ll fight me on so go ahead, but you’re going to lose. Eventually, after you subject yourself to a lot of suffering, you’ll admit I was right. I know, I’ve been there. Less is more.
Come in every day and have only three things to accomplish and get all of them done. Don’t do 4 or 5 or 6 things. Never give yourself a goal you can’t achieve (see James Clear, Atomic Habits.)
Be kind to yourself. You’re learning how to be a better entrepreneur and you’re being rebuilt for a marathon, not a sprint.
You want explosive action because you’re hooked on it. Get hooked on feeling calm and in charge. Be kind to yourself.
3. Be Kind to yourself …
Working hard isn’t kind. Setting goals, you can’t achieve isn’t kind. Delaying your gratification isn’t kind. Failing to do your work so that you stress about deadlines isn’t kind. Being a martyr isn’t only not being kind, it’s vaguely annoying. Nobody likes a martyr.
How long have you been telling yourself you can sort this out on your own? The pressure. You must feel awful. I can almost hear your thoughts, “I’ve been trying to figure this out for years.”
Stop. Clearly, you don’t have the answer. Forgive me for saying this but stop being such a dick to yourself. It’s so unkind. Didn’t your dad tell you he loved you enough when you were little?
You’re not alone.
We started our community for this reason. Tom and I knew we can’t be the only two people who think this way! There must be at least half a dozen …
So we started a community, www.seriousshift.com, you should check it out. Everyone is there for the same reason – to get the help required to make everything a little better.
Everything = everything.
Homework before the next blog … Segment your client base. See you Thursday.