We are all given the same exact amount of time in the day. 24 hours. No more, no less, but if you can figure out how to get more done than anyone else in the day, congratulations you've just given yourself a huge advantage over every one else.
Having a job means if I want to run a successful business I have to learn how to maximize my time. Meaning doing as much as possible with the time each of us have each and every day. Especially if 9 hours of that time is taken by holding down a job.
I just wanted to share some of the way's I've learned to maximize my time, including some that I have tried personally with success and some that may not currently apply to myself but believe it may be beneficial to others. As a by product this thread will serve as a reference I can go back to, and it always helps to write things out.
Debt
The first way to free up time is to ensure you have the least amount of crap tied to debt. If you can sell it, do it and pay it off. If you have little to no debt, then you can entertain the idea of only a part-time job. Although we all have the same amount of time, we all have different debt. If you have no debt tied to crap, then you have no time you need to dedicate toward paying off crap. Crap being that new shiny car or boat that you really couldn't afford but bought it anyway. If you can't pay cash for it, you can't afford it. Unless it's to live in or an absolutely required minimum point A to point B vehicle.
Sleep
I've gone months on end with less than 5 hours of sleep. This didn't work for me. I need my sleep to be productive otherwise I feel like crap and can't function as well as I should be. Some people can get by with only 4 hours of sleep and still feel productive. This is different for everyone but to be productive most of us need 7-8 hours of sleep. This is important for your productivity, so if your only getting a few hours a night even if it's with good intentions you may be being counter productive since our brains don't function as well without a proper amount of sleep. Also don't get more than 8 hours of sleep, you don't need it and it's actually not as good for you as 8.
Some have tried whats called the polyphasic sleep cycle and it is legit. This is a method you sleep multiple times a day instead of once to add up to a total of 4-6 hours of sleep opposed to the 7-8 hrs. Many schedules won't allow for it, but it works because our brain doesn't just have a 'sleep' and 'awake' state. There are multiple phases of sleep and it only really needs a few of them to function properly. It takes advantage of this fact and basically by taking what akins to multiple naps, forces the brain to go into deep sleep quicker but it takes time and dedication to adjust to. I haven't tried this personally so if anyone has please let me know if it's worked for you. NASA and some air-forces have done extensive research on this.
Also if your tired after lunch or at any point and may be tempted to chug down some caffeine, while some may think napping is a waste of time, studies have shown that a 20-min nap will increase productivity. The amount of time is crucial 10-20 minutes, not much more or less because of the phases of sleeping. If you get more you'll feel groggy, if you get less it won't do much.
Schedule
The schedule is the single most important aspect to control. Not in just what you do but were your doing it and what works for you. Not everything works for everyone. I used to leave for work at 8:30AM with a 1 hr. lunch, then was home by 6:00PM. At the time I was studying for my CCNA. The schedule I figured out that worked for me was, I got up and went to work by 5:00AM after eating breakfast. I used this time at work to study. I didn't stay home, I went to work to study. Why? Because when I tried to do it at home I ended up browsing the web, or wasting time with any number of distractions around the house. When I was at work it switched my mind into study mode.
During my 1-hr. lunch break I went to the gym down the street. This was a great schedule for me, by the time lunch was over I accomplished twice as much as everyone else at that time. I got in hours of studying & a workout and it was only lunch time while working a full time job. I got home at 6:00PM, ate dinner, read a book then was in bed by 8:30.
By the time I get home from work I just want to relax, I can get more done in the morning. Work takes it all out of me. Knowing this, in my current position that has no lunch hour I had the option of 2nd shift. So I took it, knowing my social life would suffer. I get up by 8AM, eat then go to Barnes & Nobles with free wifi & a laptop to work on my business. Leave for the gym by 1:15PM and am at work by 2:45PM. Get home at 11:30PM then repeat.
So by the time I even get to work, I've already worked on my business for 4 1/2 hours and even get a workout in before work every workday.
This took time and consistency and I had to take small steps toward this schedule but knew the goal and eventually built up to it. The key is lining up your habit towards something that works for you, to maximize the amount of productivity you will accomplish. If you know staying home you'll watch TV, go some were else. If you know you'll want to lay on the couch when you get home from work, wake up earlier and do it before work. Simple.
Having a job means if I want to run a successful business I have to learn how to maximize my time. Meaning doing as much as possible with the time each of us have each and every day. Especially if 9 hours of that time is taken by holding down a job.
I just wanted to share some of the way's I've learned to maximize my time, including some that I have tried personally with success and some that may not currently apply to myself but believe it may be beneficial to others. As a by product this thread will serve as a reference I can go back to, and it always helps to write things out.
Debt
The first way to free up time is to ensure you have the least amount of crap tied to debt. If you can sell it, do it and pay it off. If you have little to no debt, then you can entertain the idea of only a part-time job. Although we all have the same amount of time, we all have different debt. If you have no debt tied to crap, then you have no time you need to dedicate toward paying off crap. Crap being that new shiny car or boat that you really couldn't afford but bought it anyway. If you can't pay cash for it, you can't afford it. Unless it's to live in or an absolutely required minimum point A to point B vehicle.
Sleep
I've gone months on end with less than 5 hours of sleep. This didn't work for me. I need my sleep to be productive otherwise I feel like crap and can't function as well as I should be. Some people can get by with only 4 hours of sleep and still feel productive. This is different for everyone but to be productive most of us need 7-8 hours of sleep. This is important for your productivity, so if your only getting a few hours a night even if it's with good intentions you may be being counter productive since our brains don't function as well without a proper amount of sleep. Also don't get more than 8 hours of sleep, you don't need it and it's actually not as good for you as 8.
Some have tried whats called the polyphasic sleep cycle and it is legit. This is a method you sleep multiple times a day instead of once to add up to a total of 4-6 hours of sleep opposed to the 7-8 hrs. Many schedules won't allow for it, but it works because our brain doesn't just have a 'sleep' and 'awake' state. There are multiple phases of sleep and it only really needs a few of them to function properly. It takes advantage of this fact and basically by taking what akins to multiple naps, forces the brain to go into deep sleep quicker but it takes time and dedication to adjust to. I haven't tried this personally so if anyone has please let me know if it's worked for you. NASA and some air-forces have done extensive research on this.
Also if your tired after lunch or at any point and may be tempted to chug down some caffeine, while some may think napping is a waste of time, studies have shown that a 20-min nap will increase productivity. The amount of time is crucial 10-20 minutes, not much more or less because of the phases of sleeping. If you get more you'll feel groggy, if you get less it won't do much.
Schedule
The schedule is the single most important aspect to control. Not in just what you do but were your doing it and what works for you. Not everything works for everyone. I used to leave for work at 8:30AM with a 1 hr. lunch, then was home by 6:00PM. At the time I was studying for my CCNA. The schedule I figured out that worked for me was, I got up and went to work by 5:00AM after eating breakfast. I used this time at work to study. I didn't stay home, I went to work to study. Why? Because when I tried to do it at home I ended up browsing the web, or wasting time with any number of distractions around the house. When I was at work it switched my mind into study mode.
During my 1-hr. lunch break I went to the gym down the street. This was a great schedule for me, by the time lunch was over I accomplished twice as much as everyone else at that time. I got in hours of studying & a workout and it was only lunch time while working a full time job. I got home at 6:00PM, ate dinner, read a book then was in bed by 8:30.
By the time I get home from work I just want to relax, I can get more done in the morning. Work takes it all out of me. Knowing this, in my current position that has no lunch hour I had the option of 2nd shift. So I took it, knowing my social life would suffer. I get up by 8AM, eat then go to Barnes & Nobles with free wifi & a laptop to work on my business. Leave for the gym by 1:15PM and am at work by 2:45PM. Get home at 11:30PM then repeat.
So by the time I even get to work, I've already worked on my business for 4 1/2 hours and even get a workout in before work every workday.
This took time and consistency and I had to take small steps toward this schedule but knew the goal and eventually built up to it. The key is lining up your habit towards something that works for you, to maximize the amount of productivity you will accomplish. If you know staying home you'll watch TV, go some were else. If you know you'll want to lay on the couch when you get home from work, wake up earlier and do it before work. Simple.
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