Sinking with time management. Anyone else BUSY as fuck and run into this issue?
To get back on point here. I feel this in all aspects of my life except for pickup right now. Since I started getting more success with women and ALOT of my time is eaten by dates I've been falling short in other areas that I really love. Tonight I said fuck it to getting laid because I wanted to catch up on my FR's, read, hit the gym, and do some other things.
Another example of this would be reading. I'm lucky if I get 5 hours of reading done a week. I'm sure some of you guys have run into this. How do you deal with just having a lack of time to do the things you want to do? How do you judge when you're slipping and NOT being effective in one area(making excuses) vs choosing to invest your time in something you want more? I'm making a commitment to say fuck it to Q1 stuff for an hour a week at work to work on learning new things. This will put me hopelessly behind but in the long run I'm hoping it will make all the difference.
Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks dudes! You guys rock.
I understand what you're feeling dude. And it's not a time management thing. For me it's more like a dissonance between what I rationally feel I "should" be doing versus what my emotions tell me to do.
On some level I think we're biologically hardwired to be monomaniacal. One-pointed focus. Don't have evidence to back that up, I'm not a scientist - but whenever I just accept that and trust the process it just feels like a more natural way to move through the world.
And it's cyclical. I've noticed most things in life go through cycles. In this context it means that you'll be heavily immersed in one thing, like pickup, for a period of time... before the cycle decides it's time for the next thing. That's how I accidentally learnt how to ride a unicycle during swedish december lol.
Maybe I go through a few months just being completely monomaniacal about direct marketing stuff... naturally fall off of that, start getting more into pickup... or juggling... or running... or something else... and then once I get back to marketing I'm going to have all these other different experiences that can dramatically amplify what I'm doing in that area. So it all comes together in one way or another, and that's how innovation happens.
Anyway, I'm sort of rambling. Here's what I'm trying to say: You're looking at this like you have a time management problem, as if something is wrong and needs fixing... I'm saying that maybe you should challenge that assumption, and see what happens and how you feel if you just trust in the process and allow things to happen without interference from your logical, rational self.
In terms of staying sane and getting things done during the workweek or whatever... there are a few 80/20 "productivity hacks" that can help shift things pretty quickly if you use them:
* Parkinson's law: states that the time it takes to get something done is determined by the amount of time you have available to get said thing done. In other words: set hard deadlines for shit you're trying to do. It will radically transform how much you get done. If you want to write a book, set a deadline to have your first draft ready in 30 days. Your brain will figure out a way to get it done.
* Use a calendar. Seriously. It's amazing. Most people who aren't forced to by their job don't do it. It immediately makes the things you want to do "real" in your mind (when you have specific dates and times slotted in for when to work on that) rather than vague ideas of things you maybe would like to do.
* To expand on the above point, set start and stop times for those tasks. Most people only do start times ("I will do this at 6 o' clock") but without a definite stopping time. This ties in directly to parkinson's law... as well as get rid of feelings of overwhelm.
* Work in chunks of time. See: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
...
I don't know exactly what you're looking for... so the above is sort of a mashup of rambling brain-farts and specific tactics I've learned from being an entrepreneur. Either way, I hope some of that might be useful.
Good luck :)
I also run into the exact same thing. My problem is that I know that I have certain things that I need to do that will improve my life, but I never get around to it. Than suddenly its 8 pm, and the boys are hitting me up to go to the bar, and I just keep pushing it to side; because fuck it, I want to go out and have adventures and talk to girls, and work on this area of my life. Still working on it.
@linus:
Good looks on the info linus, I'm gonna try out this deadlines, calendar and start and stop time thing. Anyone have any info about punishments you can make for yourself, if you don't complete something by a certain time. I think myself, I need something like this to force my brain to do it.
Mmm yeah. Learnt this sort of stuff from Eben Pagan (David DeAngelo) originally. He talks about it in terms of "inevitability theory" -- like rather than thinking "how can I accomplish this goal?" or whatever... think about "how can I make it INEVITABLE that I achieve this goal?" ...
So one of the things he advises is sort of what you described. As an example, here's something you could do:
1. Set a goal with a hard deadline. If you're trying to write a book... Set a hard deadline for 30 days to have the first draft finished...
2. Write out a check for $1000 to a friend... and give it to him. Have him check in with you every day for the duration of your project. If at the end of your deadline, you haven't done what you said you'd do... he has to cash the check and SPEND the money immediately (so you can't coax him into giving it back).
You'll make damn sure to get that done on time.
@Steve:
In terms of staying sane and getting things done during the workweek or whatever... there are a few 80/20 "productivity hacks" that can help shift things pretty quickly if you use them:
* Parkinson's law: states that the time it takes to get something done is determined by the amount of time you have available to get said thing done. In other words: set hard deadlines for shit you're trying to do. It will radically transform how much you get done. If you want to write a book, set a deadline to have your first draft ready in 30 days. Your brain will figure out a way to get it done.
* Use a calendar. Seriously. It's amazing. Most people who aren't forced to by their job don't do it. It immediately makes the things you want to do "real" in your mind (when you have specific dates and times slotted in for when to work on that) rather than vague ideas of things you maybe would like to do.
* To expand on the above point, set start and stop times for those tasks. Most people only do start times ("I will do this at 6 o' clock") but without a definite stopping time. This ties in directly to parkinson's law... as well as get rid of feelings of overwhelm.
* Work in chunks of time. See: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
...
I don't know exactly what you're looking for... so the above is sort of a mashup of rambling brain-farts and specific tactics I've learned from being an entrepreneur. Either way, I hope some of that might be useful.
Good luck :)
Thanks dude these are pretty helpful. I actually had some serious stuff swirling around in my mind lately. I broke down how I could be the ultimate worker where I work. Right in front of my manager just writing stuff on this huge sheet of paper. It was pretty crazy. I'm going to find time for my Q2 stuff at work. Stagnation ends now. Fuck getting wrapped up in Q1 stuff. I will make it happen.
I hate that, I love this idea. I'm on it. Thanks man.
We went over pretty much the exact same stuff. Chunking and giving yourself a stop time, going thru cycles where you give certain projects precedence. I mean.. you're going to figure it out you're a super level-headed guy.
Shit you need your drills..
I go in and I'm crisp, clean and my vocals are fucking coming out like music. - Anonymous MW student
- Autismus Terminus Finis (Root Cause/Cure of Autism Epidemic)
- Called Off My Wedding & Other Turn Tail Signs Of The American Male
Bumpity.
I go in and I'm crisp, clean and my vocals are fucking coming out like music. - Anonymous MW student
- Autismus Terminus Finis (Root Cause/Cure of Autism Epidemic)
- Called Off My Wedding & Other Turn Tail Signs Of The American Male
Personally, I go through phases where I'm either super busy or not that crazy busy.
When I AM busy though... I just don't think about anything else. Like when I'm busy, I literally do nothing but work. I lock in, bite down and just don't let go until whatever it is I'm doing is done. I had a period at my job where I saw an opening to make a ton of money, so I spent 2 months where I slept at the office prob 7 or 8 times and was generally working until 4 or 5 in the morning, waking up and doing it all over again.
I don't balance. Fuck it. haha seriously though, I just don't. Fuck balance.
I swear to god - ask anyone whose ACTUALLY done something what they think about "balance" lmao, it's a joke and something that MEDIOCRE people tell you is important.
My mommy tells me that "balance" is important - but for her, the idea of me working 20 hour days scares the SHIT out of her - like really though, isn't it funny how all of this shit works.
When I was working 20 hours day- and I did this for about 2-3 months straight, I had a lot of people close to me telling me that it wasn't healthy and that I needed to "balance" - I was too stupid to listen.
Now, at 24, when I was picked by the co-founders of our company to be the youngest person, by 5 years, to open and run my own office, a lot of people are like, "Wow, Buddha, that's an incredible opportunity to have at such a young age... how LUCKY"
And I'm sitting here like, "Yup.... it was LUCK"
At 24 - you don't get to a point where your making 6 figures, through fucking LUCK
You also don't get there becuase you were BALANCED
Now don't get me wrong - there are absolutely downsides to the fact that i'm not "balanced" - I have mood swings, emotional spikes and dips and all this other stuff - but the thing is that I'm slowly getting better and better at controlling THAT part of it and basically just harnassing the power of whatever it is inside of me that allows me to work the 20 hour days, but doing so without the downside of having the crazy mood swings etc.
So yeah - FUCK BALANCE
: ).
Damn 6 figures? That's wassup. Congrats.
You were on it though...always following through with leads and shit.
Dude this is the fucking truth. I actually searched for this post because I'm slowly starting to realize this.
Balance is a bullshit myth. Whenever I try to "balance" I just end up sucking at everything.
I think balance is something you can do when you're established.... but when you're not established and don't have a team working for you growing things for you, then you can't afford to balance or do "everything". Some people are better on low sleep and can juggle different things but I simplly fail to function if I sleep less than 6 hours a day for more than 2 days.
Personally, I go through phases where I'm either super busy or not that crazy busy.When I AM busy though... I just don't think about anything else. Like when I'm busy, I literally do nothing but work. I lock in, bite down and just don't let go until whatever it is I'm doing is done. I had a period at my job where I saw an opening to make a ton of money, so I spent 2 months where I slept at the office prob 7 or 8 times and was generally working until 4 or 5 in the morning, waking up and doing it all over again.
I don't balance. Fuck it. haha seriously though, I just don't. Fuck balance.
I swear to god - ask anyone whose ACTUALLY done something what they think about "balance" lmao, it's a joke and something that MEDIOCRE people tell you is important.
My mommy tells me that "balance" is important - but for her, the idea of me working 20 hour days scares the SHIT out of her - like really though, isn't it funny how all of this shit works.
When I was working 20 hours day- and I did this for about 2-3 months straight, I had a lot of people close to me telling me that it wasn't healthy and that I needed to "balance" - I was too stupid to listen.
Now, at 24, when I was picked by the co-founders of our company to be the youngest person, by 5 years, to open and run my own office, a lot of people are like, "Wow, Buddha, that's an incredible opportunity to have at such a young age... how LUCKY"
And I'm sitting here like, "Yup.... it was LUCK"
At 24 - you don't get to a point where your making 6 figures, through fucking LUCK
You also don't get there becuase you were BALANCED
Now don't get me wrong - there are absolutely downsides to the fact that i'm not "balanced" - I have mood swings, emotional spikes and dips and all this other stuff - but the thing is that I'm slowly getting better and better at controlling THAT part of it and basically just harnassing the power of whatever it is inside of me that allows me to work the 20 hour days, but doing so without the downside of having the crazy mood swings etc.
So yeah - FUCK BALANCE
: ).
Yes this is the main issue for me currently. It's fucking mental, man. Working 3 jobs, training and starting up my own business with a friend. My face has been sinking into my face. Had to book off the day to just get a normal day's worth of rest for a change!
Finally going to have to cut my schedule up and make time for my own shit. I have recently booked off a few days in advance to focus on this in specific. Gotta keep the mind and body healthy. I recommend moving things around until you can squeeze in some time for yourself. It's so important. Huge stress relief coming my way.