How To Fit Another 800 Hours Into Your Busy Schedule
Posted on Jun 26, 2012 | 12 comments
I have to come clean and admit that at one point I had packed it in. I remember sitting back and saying to myself,
Put the dream away. Save for retirement. You've got a good thing here. Buy a new TV. Enjoy your family. Relax.
This is how I felt a few years ago. My life was just too busy. I had just had my second child, work was constantly building up, and by the day's end I was done. I couldn't see the point in trying anymore. I had chosen my path and that included being a father, husband, and worker. All the rest of the of things I wanted out of life would have to wait until my kids were grown. Finding the time just seemed impossible.
Fast forward 2 years later.
My family hasn't changed. I still go to work everyday. I still get tired at the end of the day. All the things I had in my life before that I blamed for bogging me down - they're all still here. And yet, so much has changed.
I created this blog. I've written hundreds of articles. Together, my wife and I completely paid off all our debt. We also managed to save and generate enough money to travel the world for at least 2 years while we work on sustaining our travel lifestyle.
Now, I'm not saying that what we've done is all that special. Anyone can do what we do. All it takes is a little change and commitment.
How many times have you heard or said something like this:
Yeah, I'd love to _________________, but we've just been so busy. Next week we have ____________________. And after that we have to go to _____________________. Last week little ________________ had a rash so I had to take him to the doctor and that set me back. Maybe next week I'll give you a call and we can sit down and figure out a time when we can start doing _____________________.
We've all said this. This is how we manage to get through our days. This is our excuse.
The truth is that we all have blanks to fill in and we always will. That will never change. There will always be something to take care of. Something will always come up that tries to prevent us from getting to the things we want in life. We know this, so why do we continue to let it impact us?
The 100 Hour Rule
I have this belief/theory that we can learn anything over the course of 100 focused hours. If we give ourselves the time to learn, we can do anything.
A college course is much less than 100 hours. You can read any book in less than 100 hours. You can lose 10 pounds in less than 100 hours. And you can start a blog in much less than 100 hours. You can even write and publish a book in less than 100 hours. 100 hours is a ton of time.
But who has 100 hours to spare?
100 hours is less than 5 days. 100 hours takes up about 1% of your year. 1% of your time to accomplish whatever you want. Seems like a good deal to me.
Take your 100 hours and break it up. Commit to studying and doing the same thing for 1 hour a day. In 3 months or so you'll have completed your goal. You'll have learned something new. You'll be on your way to where you want to be.
My 800 Hour Rule
Sounds crazy, right? 800 Hours! If 100 hours seems like a lot, 800 hours must seem impossible.
Well, let's first think about what we can do with 800 hours.
With 800 hours I know I could do whatever I wanted. I could start that business. I could write, edit, and publish that novel. I could easily run and train heavy for that marathon. I could learn to bake every kind of pie imaginable.
I use the 800 hour rule. I wake up at 4:00 AM every day and work until 6:15 AM. That gives me just over 2 hours a day to do whatever I want. I follow this same routine everyday. And following this small, morning ritual allows me to free up the rest of my day. By 7 AM I've already done what I "had" to do. I don't have to dwell on things all day. My mind is clear. I can enjoy my day with my wife and kids and friends.
Everyday?? But what about going out with friends? What about sitting down to watch a movie? What about sleeping in?
Yeah, this takes a bit of sacrifice, but it's not a big deal. How many ideas have you had after an evening of talk and wine with friends? How many times have you sat around late at night and said, that's awesome - tomorrow I'm going to do that! Now, how many times have you actually woken up the following day and put those ideas to work?
At some point, to get to where you want to be, you've got to make sacrifices. You have to do what it takes to produce the results you want. I find I regret my unfulfilled potential much more than I regret missing a movie or the big game.
800 hours a year is just under 2 hours and 15 minutes of work each day. With 800 hours one can achieve anything.
Block off the time. Create the habit. See the results.
It's worth it.
Enjoy This Post? Stay Connected With Us.
Via Email: Click Here | Via RSS: Click Here
On Facebook: Click Here | On Twitter: Click Here
Absolutely agreed!!! If we want the life that WE want... there are a couple of sacrifices that need to be made to get there. Our TV set was the first to go - and that decision ALONE has given us SO much extra time! We have also paid off all our debt (apart from the house). Every day - I make time to work on the stuff that takes us towards the fulfilment of our dream. No more excuses.
Heather Costaras recently posted..I don’t want to be like those small, grumpy birds!
No more excuses. And the TV is a killer. So is Netflix! Even Facebook. During my 2+ hours all I do is write - at least for now.
Thanks Heather!
Wow, I love this post! For the past 2 weeks I've been saying how I haven't enough hours in the day.....so this has come at a great time! I would like to give it a go, but not sure how I could cope with 4am starts....for me to get enough sleep, I'd have to go to sleep at 8pm every night - the same time as our daughter! :-/
My kids go to sleep around 8:30. I'm asleep by 10 at the latest. Doesn't matter when you wake up. It matters that you set aside quite, consistent time each and every day. You'll get it Hannah. Good luck!
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS!
Ok, I'm a bit excited.
I'm not a morning person--I feel I'm much more productive right before I go to sleep, around dinner. 6-8pm-ish. That's when I actua;;y work on my dreams. On weekends, I do it earlier (wake up around 9 AM instead of noon, for instance). It works!
Maybe it isn't so much at what time you do it, but more so that you DO IT regardless, at the time that you are your most productive.
I did get the gist of your post though, which is why I love it
-Maria Alexandra
Nomadic Translator @latinAbroad recently posted..Hurricane Season: Happy birthday to me! Tropical Storm Debby came to party
Yeah! It doesn't matter when you do it. I pretty much have no other choice but to work in the morning. I'm not the same at night. I work all day, my mind is mush by 7.
2 hours a day, everyday! That is the key. I do think doing it at the same time each day helps.
Thanks Maria!
4- 6 am, AM? wow. you are so committed. you are amazing. note: it's 2 AM and i'm doing my work shift now. i am the night owl, i work well at night. i love the night. i thrive on it. i can be really tired and night is time alive! granted, i do nothing all day but even back then when we lived the 'normal' life early morning is punishment for me. i do remember justin when i was exercising four times a day with my two girlfriends. we would meet up pre-dawn for our run. and, even when the bitter cold ripped us to pieces, we did it. and all day, i held that in my heart, that i've done it, so no matter what the day will bring, i've done it. i've accomplished.
hats off to you justin. you guys have paid off your debts and saved for two years of travel. isn't it amazing how we reach this goals that sounded so crazy when we first came up with them. proud of you.
as i sign off to go to bed, you'll be signing on. together, we'll keep everyone safe and working all through the night. good night.
gabi klaf recently posted..After the Accident- When Mom Feels Guilty for Not Keeping Her Baby Safe
Sure, I get how 2AM works for you. Our kids are different ages. We have different lifestyles. We do what works! AS long as we make the time to do it daily. I find once I start slacking or take a few days off - I'm screwed. Just like exercise! Exercise is hardest to start and get going. The longer you have a habit, the tougher it is to break.
Little by little.
Thanks for the support Gabi!
An inspiring read Justin. I respect you for being able to keep such a schedule. I have been doing more in the morning, but my mind can't really spin fast enough that early to get much done. I find my problem is not necessarily time, but productive time. I am usually able to get several hours a day, but find them not working as productive as possible due to lack of rest. Sleep has to balance into this kind of schedule too, and at least for me at the moment it is a bit out of balance. Unfortunately, the one thing I wish to change balance on is the one that I pretty much cannot right now, the day job. So I keep working on it all.
Andrew recently posted..Dubrovnik Vertically
Right - productive time! That is the key. For me that is 4-6, first thing every day. I go to bed knowing what I am going to do when I wake up. I don't check FB or email or that stuff usually when I wake. I get straight to work and pound it out for 2 hours. That right now is about all I can do.
Mess around with times and such. See what works for you Andrew. Even 1 productive hour a day can be a lot.
I'll have to agree with lot of the other commenters, I'm also way more productive in the evenings and at night. At mornings I'm pretty useless; in the morning I'm tired, by 7pm I'm starting to wakeup, and usually after 10pm I'm my most productive. But I like the idea of blocking an hour or two every day for something. I think I'll have to try that out. Cheers
Jarmo recently posted..Cheung Chau – You won’t Believe you’re in Hong Kong
Jarmo, just curious. Do you have kids? Do you work a "day job"? For me these are the reasons I choose the morning. I put in about 14 hours with my job and kids each day starting at around 6:30 AM. So by 9 or 10 I am done! I lost the option to sleep in a long time ago.
It's different for everyone, but no doubt, blocking off the time is crucial!