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The clock is ticking, or like my friend, Elay said, “time takes time.”
The path to greatness requires investing energy and doing the work.
Doing the work requires Time!
Look at all the people in the world and sort them from the wealthiest to the poorest, the tallest to the shortest, and the thickest to the thinnest. They all have the same amount of time each day!
I’m a purposepreneur!
I work full-time as an Engineer in an International bank, I’ve got a coaching practice, I take care of my client’s needs, and I write online; I’m the social media part-time manager of two Instagram pages, and I post regularly on my social media channels (Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Tiktok), I’m part of the leadership team of an upcoming global Non-profit organization that will change the world.
I go out social dancing 2 to 3 times a week, take care of my health, call my parents and my sister daily, and stay in touch with my friends.
I sleep 8 hours a day (sometimes 6) and can still create Time for a new venture or hobby. In fact, I sometimes think that I have a lot of free Time.
I did so because I’ve implemented straightforward tactical changes, and everyone can replicate them.
1. Location Location Location
“The best investment on earth is earth.” - Louis Glickman
In real estate investing, location is one of the most important factors influencing the buyers’ decision.
During a business class at the Engineering School, the professor taught us a complex calculation that businesses do before choosing a location to maximize sales.
Location matters!
Keeping these two points in mind, I made the first change to maximize my time by reducing my commute.
I figured out the most frequent places I visit when I leave home, and I chose an apartment within walking distance from them.
I walk 3-minutes to the co-working space, 5-min to the gym, and 5 minutes on average to go out dancing at night. I go to the grocery shop once a week, and it’s 11 minutes walk.
No car and no public transportation! I’m saving the planet while saving my Time. I go for a walk by the beach at night, and it’s 2 minutes from my place.
I understand that some of you have kids and need to drive to school or do outdoor activities. The idea is to find what works for you by applying the same principle.
You can optimize your commute. A 10-minute drive is different than a 30-minute drive. That’s equivalent to saving 40 minutes a day and 14,600 minutes a year. You will have an extra ten days per year.
This principle requires taking inventory of the most frequently visited places and being honest about what you want in life.
I moved from Toronto to a small city in Mexico as part of my strategy. You don’t need to make extreme changes. Find your version of it.
2. Clarity Of Purpose
“A man with clarity reaches his goal sooner than the man with confidence.”-Amit Kalantri
Most of the time management issues are purpose management issues.
My favorite story is from Ben Hunt-Davis’s journey to win the Olympic Gold in the men’s Rowing Eight at Sydney 2000, “Will It Make The Boat Faster.”
The British rowing team had not won a gold medal since 1912. Then, in 2000 they implemented a one-question strategy based on their clarity of purpose.
With every decision or temptation, each team member asked: Will It Make The Boat Faster?
Example: Friends invite you to go camping? Will it make the boat faster?
If the answer is no or not really, then the decision is NO
In another world, what’s my purpose? Remove it from the schedule if it doesn’t get me closer to my purpose.
Olympic athletes are disciplined and talented, but implementing the one-question strategy led them to win Gold.
What’s your purpose(s)? Once you connect to that, it will allow you to automatically know what to say Yes to and what to say No to.
Not knowing a clear purpose made me rely more on what I felt like doing rather than what was required. That creates decision fatigue and, most of the time doesn’t lead to making any progress.
Put simply,
. Decide A purpose
. Let the purpose decide what you do.
You will have more time and make phenomenal progress.
You can choose a purpose for your day, a purpose for the next 1 year, 3 years,s or for your life. Decide!
3. Leading Conversations
“Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.”- Marcus Tullius Cicero.
I’m not an introvert. I’m super outgoing.
Year after year, I found myself talking less and saying more.
Talking less means listening more. After Listening deeply to people, I found that most of them repeated the stories more than once during the same conversation, especially during phone calls or before making a tough decision.
It’s normal; they don’t teach communication in schools or during family dinners.
Most efficient business owners think that meetings are a waste of Time. At my full-time job, we’re only allowed to book 30-minute meetings at a time; it helps in becoming precise and concise.
People have difficulty being direct, making decisions, or communicating what they think is bad news.
Help them!
Learn to lead your conversations. Leadership in discussions manifests as helping people express what they find hard to say, politely interrupting them if they start repeating themselves.
I’ve started using the sentences “I think we have talked about everything, I gotta go”; “Is this urgent? Can I call you back?”; “I understand where you’re coming from, so you think it’s not a good idea to do this business together?
4. Working Hard, Hardly Works
“The only alternative for hard work is smart work” - Me
Working hard, hardly working is a book by Beverly Grace. At 25, she raised $5.7M for her business TALA, wrote a best-seller book, and has an active Youtube vlog. And Honestly, she looks fantastic.
I relate to what Beverly shares in the book, as the goal is to succeed and find fulfillment.
Balance!
My alternative to working hard is to work smart by finding output multipliers strategies. We all have the same 24 hours, remember?
On top of optimizing my location and deciding on a clear purpose, I implemented strategies to work smart.
Clarify the problem I want to solve:
Einstein said, “If I were given an hour in which to do a problem upon which my life depended, I would spend 55 minutes studying it and 5 minutes solving it.”
Instead of getting busy looking for solutions, I spend time formulating the real focus points
. Model Successful people
I believe that for anything I want to accomplish, someone more intelligent or more productive has done it before. I spend time researching the best in the field, and I model them
The 80/20 rule:
It comes from the Pareto rule. 20 percent of the effort will give 80 percent of the results. I define my 20 percent. Instead of having a long to-do list, I end up with one or two items
. Subtraction
Instead of having a to-do list, I create a not to do list. It’s about becoming more productive by doing less rather than doing more. Slowing down to go faster.
Eat the Frog(s)
Identify the hardest task and get them done first thing in the morning. Get them out of the way.
Super sets
Super sets in the gym mean doing more than exercise without a break. I use the technique to save time. I listen to books or make calls while walking, biking, or at the gym.
5. Energy Audit
“There’s definitely a lot of responsibility to keep the good energy going.” Lil Durk
Growing up, I remember seeing my dad tired most of the Time because of his digestion issues. It made him sleep more often.
Initially, I thought it was genetic because most of my uncles were the same. Then, I discovered it’s related to what we consume.
Everything is energy; creating more free Time is about learning to keep your energy high. You’ll complete the tasks at hand faster.
Energy is an output of our bodies. It’s highly correlated to inputs.
Inputs have many forms and sources, but here are the main ones:
Food & Drinks
People
Media
Eat food and drinks easy digestible, and listen to your body after each meal to assess the compatibility.
Do an energy audit, connect to people, and do activities that add energy and are not energy drainers.
Be conscious of what you listen to and what you watch. It has a tremendous effect on your state of being.
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Implement these simple changes, and immediately, you’ll have more time to work on your side projects, spend time with your loved ones, and enjoy your time.
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Download my free E-book below. I discuss the best practices for choosing a purpose.
How To Transition From Unhappy At Work To A Happy Purposepreneur