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Stopforamomentandpicturethemostsuccessfulpersonyoucanthinkof.

Gotit?

Perfect.

Whatmakesthatpersonincrediblysuccessfulisthattheyhavelearnedhowto
usetheirtimeefficientlyandcreatedahabitoutofit.

Andonethingtheyhaveincommonwithyouisthattheyhavethesame24
hourswithinaday.

Thatsthebeautifulpartaboutit.

Ireadthisquotecoupleofmonthsback,andIwassostoked.

SomeoneoncetoldmethedefinitionofHell:Thelastdayyouhave
onearth,thepersonyoubecamewillmeetthepersonyoucouldhave
become.

Imagineifnothingexisted,onlyyouandapersonthatswalkingtowardsyouan
idealversionofyou.

Thisistheversionofyouthatkeptongoingandtriedtomakethebestoutof
theirtimeonthisEarth.

Herecomesthegoodnews.

Themomentyouwakeup,youhaveacleanslate.

Nomatterwhoyouwerethedaybeforeorwhathappened,themomentyou
openyoureyes,youhaveacompletelynewbeginning.

Fullcontrolandpowertodirectyourlifethewayyouwantit.
Youmustlearnhowtousethisvaluableresourcewehavebecausewecan
nevergetitback.

Andtheevenbetternewsis,afterseveralyearsofexperimentingwith
productivitytechniquesandtools,IvefinallycompiledeverythingIvelearned
thatcanhelpyoubecomeamasterofyourtimetoo.

Disclaimer:IfyouwereexpectingafancyversionofaTo-Dolist,sorryto
disappointyou.Youwontfinditinthisarticle.

Thisarticleconsistsof3parts:

1. Assessinghowyouarecurrentlyspendingtime
2. Howtogetmoretime
3. Howtouseyourtimemoreefficiently.

1.Assessinghowyouarecurrently
spendingtime

Weareintheageofdistraction.

Becauseofthat,weneedtopayspecialattentiontowhatwespendourtimeon.

First,assesshowmanyhoursdoyouspendoneachdailyactivity.

Onceyouhavetotaldailyexpenditure,multiplyitby7.Thatstotaltimespenton
theactivityinoneweek.

Dothisforeveryactivity,andthenaddallthesetimesforthegrandtotal.

Thensubtractthegrandtotalfrom168(totalhoursinoneweek).

Goahead:

1. Internet&TV:_______X7=_______(yourweeklytotal)
2. WorkorUniversity:
3. SocializingwithFriends:
4. Spendingtimewithpartner/family:
5. Workingout:
6. Readingforpleasure:
7. Sleeping:
8. Preparingfood/Eating:
9. Commute:
10. Other:

Addupthetotals:_______.Andsubtractthemfromthetotalweeklyhour

168______(yourweeklytotal)=_______

Thiswillgiveyoutheoverviewonhowyouspendtime,butwillalsoshowyoua
gapthatyouarenotawareof.
Nextthingistodefinebiggesttimewasters(activitiesthatyouspendtimeon,
whicharenotcontributingtoyourgoals).

Gobacktothatlistandbehonestwithyourself.Whichoneofthoseactivitiesisa
timewaster,andwhichactuallyserveyouwell?

Facebook
Youtube(funnycatvideos)
TV(bingewatchingseasonofGameofThrones)

AndIwasspendingasolid5hoursperday,ontheseactivitiesbeforeIlearned
tousemytimemoreeffectively.

OneusefulwayIcombattedthiswasutilizingagoogleextensioncalled
StayFocusd(notmisspelled).

Thisallowsyoutosetalimitontimeandwebsitesyoudontwanttospendtime
on.

Itdoesntmeanyouneedtogetridofthoseactivitiestogether.

Infact,nowthatIhavelimitedmytimeontheFacebooktojust10minutesper
day,Iinstantlywritebacktoimportantthingsthatmattertomeandamableto
staymoreconnectedandfocusedthanever.

Evaluationoftheseitemscangiveyoualotofinsights,andcanhelpyou
prioritizewhatistrulyimportanttoyou.

Nowthatwehaveassessedwhereyoucurrentlyareat,wellnowmovetothe
secondimportantpiece

2.Howtogetmoretime

Iveidentifiedacoupleoftipstoreallygetmoretimeoutofyourday.

Optimizesleepandgetupearly
Ohman,thistookme4yearstoestablishasahabit.Luckily,youdontneedto
gothroughthisbyyourself.Youcanusemylearninglessons.

Byoptimizingsleep,Imeanthatyoushouldfindtheperfecttimeyoushouldgo
tobedeachnight,anddiscovertheidealtimeyoushouldgetupinorderto
maximizeenergyandhealth.

Trytohitsleepcycles,whichlastfor90minutes(1.5hours)

Itwouldlooksomethinglike:1.5hours>3hours>4.5hours>6hours

Youknowhowsometimesyousleepforlike11hours,andyouwakeupgroggy?
Thatsbecauseyouwokeupduringthesleepcycle.

Ontheotherhand,haveyoueverwokenupaftersleepingfor3hoursandyou
feltwideawakeandenergized?Again,sleepcycle.

Formeestablishingahabitofgettingupearlyhadthebiggestimpactonmylife,
becauseitallowedmetofocusseveralhoursonmyselfandmybiggestgoals.

Whenitcomestogettingupearly,mysuggestionsarefollowing:

Gotobedatthesametime
Getupearliergradually(Ifyouarecurrentlygettingupat8am,andyour
goalis6am,startwith7:50am,then7:40am,andsoon,untilyoureach
yourgoal,andthenworkonmaintainingit)
Note:youmightexperienceenergydropsinthefirstcoupleofweeks.Butthats
normaluntilyourbodyadjuststothenewschedule.

Protip:ifyouexperienceasuddendropofenergy,takea20-30minutenap.

Reclaimdeadtime

DeadTime=timespentonactivitiesthatyoucannoteliminateatthismoment,
butcanbeusedmoreproductively.

Example:commuting/workingout/buyinggroceries

Inordertobeproductive,findsomethingyoucandowhilebeingengagedin
theseactivities.

Possibleoptionsinclude:listeningtoaudiobooks/podcasts/readingbooks/
usingappslikeDuolingoorMemriseforquicklanguagelearning.
Themainideahereistodosomethingthatwillgiveyouvaluewhileperforming
itemsthatyoualreadyarecommittedtospendingtimeon.

Nowthatyouhavefoundsomewaystoshavehoursoffyourcurrenttime
expenditure,letsgoonto

3.Howtouseyourtimeefficiently

Ivedoneanumberofdifferentexperiments,andthesearethemostefficient
ones.

Setgoals
Youshouldbesmartabouthowyoudistributeresources.Ifyoudonthavegoals,
itsquiteeasytowastetimebyaccident.

Thatswhyitssoimportanttopurposelyallocateyourresourcessothattheyline
upwithyourlongtermgoals.

Thisisimportantbecauseifyouknowwhatyouarestrivingtoachieve,youwill
beabletodirectyourattentiontoit.

Goalsworklikealensofacamera.

Ifyousetthelensandfocusproperly,youwillbeabletotakeaclearpicture.

Ifitisoutoffocus,yourpicturewillbeblurry.


Whenitcomestosettinggoals,therearetonsofguidelines.ButhereIwould
keepitsimple.

Focusononeyearahead,andsetfrom3-5maingoals,forthemostimportant
areasofyourlife(work,health,socialrelationships,personalgrowth,travel,etc.)

Makeyourgoalsspecific,andphrasetheminawayasifyouvealready
achievedthem.

Example:

Iamconversationallyfluent(B2)inChineseMandarinby1.12.2016.

Allyouneedtodoiswritedownyoursandstart.

Definehighleverageactivitiestoachieveyourgoals
HereyoucanimplementParetoPrincipleorthe80/20rule.
Thisprinciplestatesthat80%ofresultscomefrom20%ofyouractivities.

Tomakethiseasier,Isuggestyouaskyourself.

IfIcouldonlydoonethingonthatlistalldaylong,whichitemonthelistwould
addthemostvalueandhelpmegetclosertomygoal?

Then,ask:

Ifyoucoulddoonlyonemorethingonyourlistofkeytasks,whichwouldbethe
secondactivitythatcontributesthemostvaluetome?

Finally,askyourselfwhatthethirdmostimportanttaskis.

Createamorningritual(oryourthing)
Aneffectivemorningritualisanincrediblewaytokickstartyourday.

Yourritualsshouldbecreatedoutofthehighleverageactivitiesyouvedefined
above,whichhelpyouachievegoals.

Anexample:

Ifyourgoalistostartablog,ahighleverageactivitywouldbetowriteanarticle
everyweek.

Yourritualwouldmaybebetowrite30-60minutesinthemorning.

Hereareseveralsupertipstomakeyourritualevenmoreefficient:

Drinkwater(500ml)
Yourbodyjustwent68hourswithoutthewater,itstimetorenewit.
Getasmallwin
Dosomethingthatwillmakeyoufeelproud(likemakingthebed).

Exercise
Nothingcankickstartyourdaylikeworkingout.

Itcanbeanytypeofphysicalactivity(agym,yoga,walking,jogging,swimming).

Delegate,Eliminate,andAutomate
Weusuallythinkthatweneedtodoeverythingonourown.

Wemaybecan.Butwedonthaveto.

Outofalloftheactivitiesthatyouhavetodo,lookattheoneswhicharenotyour
HIGHleverageones.

Ofthoseitems,decidewhichcanbedelegatedtosomeoneelse.
Seewhetherornotyoucaneliminatesomething,andintheend,seewhether
certainactivitiescanbeautomated.

Anexample:

Iusedtospendeverydayatleast2hourspreparingfood.

ThenIcalculated,thatIcansavethose2hourseverydayifIboughtfoodina
restaurantandhaditdeliveredinsteadofpreppingitmyself.

Havingfreedup2hours,IcannowdecideonwhichhighleverageactivitiesIcan
investitin.

Inthiscase,itsmywriting.

BlockTime(orScheduleameetingwithyourself)
Youshouldscheduleameetingwithyourselfbasedonthehighleverage
activitiesyoudefined.

Startwiththefirstactivityyoudefined.

Forme,thatis6090minutesofmytimedevotedtomyblog.

OnceIamintheoffice,Iworkwith150peoplefrom40differentcountries,soI
havealotofinteractions.

Becauseofthat,Ischeduletwoorthreemeetingswithmyself,whereIdo
completelyfocusedworkonmymostimportantitemsforwork.

Workinbursts
Thisisactuallyquiteinteresting,yourtimeisbestutilizedwhenbrokeninto2-3
bursts.

IfindthePomodoroTechniquetobeparticularlyuseful.

Thistechniquewasdevelopedinthelate1980sasameansfortime
management.

Ittypicallymeans25minutesofwork/followedby5minutesofbreak.

Thiswillkeepyourelaxed,butalsohighlyeffectiveinthose25minutes.

Getintotheflow
EverybodyhasTHEZONE!

Whenyouarecompletelyimmersedwhenworkingonsomething.

IgetintotheflowwhenIamworkingonsomethingchallengingthatishelpingme
reachmygoals.

(Givethemanalternativewaytogetintotheflowordiscoverhowtoreplicate
gettingintotheflowiftheyhavegottenintoitbefore).

PROTIP:findmusicthatworksforyou!

Takenaps

Iamabigbelieverinnaps.

Afteryoufinishabigchunkofwork,youenergywilltypicallydropdown.

Ifithappenstoyou,simplyfindacorneroftheofficeoryourhomewhereits
quiet.Justcloseyoureyes.

Youdontactuallyneedtofallasleep,butletyourbodyrelax.

Haveabuffer
Ifyouhaveanimportantmeetingoraproject.

Alwaysscheduleacertainamountoftimethatyoucancounton,incase
somethingdoesntgoaccordingtoplan.
Ifmeetingisscheduledfor3pm,youcomeat2:45pm.Justtobesafe.

Oriftheprojectofficialdeadlineisuntil1.6.2016,yourscanbe28.5.2016.

Likeafailsafe.

Whenthingsdontgoaccordingtoplan,chill
Evenifyoubecomeanexpertinproductivityandtimemanagement,youwillstill
havealotofinefficiencies.

Thisisusuallybecauseweoftendependonexternalcircumstances.

IfIscheduleameetingandsomeoneislate,Ijusttakeoutmykindleorpodcast
andmakesuretousethattimeefficiently.

Trackhowyouareinvestingtime
Keepingatimelogofyourmostimportantactivitiesandevaluatingitattheend
oftheweekisanimportanttechnique.

Thiswillallowyoutoseewhatcausestheinefficiencyandwhetherornotyou
candoitbetternexttime.

Evaluateyourresults
Onceperweek,sitdownfor30minutesorsoandgothroughtheweek.

Whatwasproductive?Focusmoreonthat.

Whatwasunproductive?Trytoeliminate,delegateorautomate.

Bulkupontasks
Dedicateonedayaweektodothefollowing:

GroceryShopping
ApartmentCleaning
Decluttering

Saynotomeetingsthat
donthaveaspecificoutcomedefined!

Onaverage,Ihave4meetingsaday.Each30-60minutes.

Iusuallyaskwhatisthedesiredoutcome,andincaseoneisntcreated,Iaskto
beexcuseduntiltheyneedmetodiscussmyareaofexpertise.

Saynotoemailuntil
youfinishwithyourmorningritual!

PS:dontcheckemailmorethan2timesaday.
Dontworryifpeopleneedyou,theywillcometoyou.

Saynotothingswhicharenotsupportingyourgoals
Beyonddiligenttrackingofyourprogress,thebiggestthingthatwillhelpyoustick
withyourresourceallocationislearningtosaynoandkeepingyourlifeassimple
aspossible.

RememberthatyouarenotsayingNOtoothers,youaresayingYEStoyourself.

RewardYourself
Noteveryminuteofyourlifeshouldbeplannedout.

Afteraproductiveweekofwork,rewardyourselfwithalazycoupleofhours.

Somethingofacheatday.

Developanightritual
Atthispoint,youvehadthemostproductiveday.

Allyouneedisaclosure.

BenjaminFranklinalwaysaskedhimself:

WhatgoodhaveIdonetoday?

Thinkabouttheamazingthingswhichhavehappened.

Doatechdetox(ie.enterAmishhour)
Anhourbeforeyougotosleep,turnoffyourlaptop,phone,andallelectronic
devices.
Talkwithyourpartnerorreadabook,andgetyourselfreadyforthenextday.

Hereshowmydaylookslikeincaseyouwerewondering:

MorningRitual
Wakeup(6hoursslept)
4:30am
Drink500mlwater
Makecoffee(withcoconutoil)

SpiritPart(20minutes)
Meditation(10minutes)
VisionBoard&Affirmations(5minutes)
Journaling(5minutes)

MindPart(6090minutes)
Readingor/andacourse(60minutes)
Chinese(Mandarin)(30minutes)

BodyPart(60minutes)
GymorYoga

PersonalProject(6090minutes)
Blog:ZerotoSkill

DayJob(810hours)
Planning(30minutes)
Leanwork(3timeblockseach90minutes)
 Meetings(34)
Lunch(6090minutes)

EveningRitual(24hours)
Mastermindgroup&socializing(1-2hours)
ZerotoSkill(1-2hours)
Reading(30minutes)
Meditation(5minutes)
Preparationforthenextday(10minutes)

FinalTakeaway
Buildingthisritualtookmeseveralyears,andeventodayIamcontinually
optimizingittomakesurethatIamawareofhowIspendtime.

Yes,everyonceinawhileIwatchamovieortwo,butIalwayfindmywayhome,
justlikeLassiedoes.

IknowIcannevergetbacktime,sobecauseofthat,ImakesurethatIamdoing
mybesttobecomebettereverydayanduseitefficiently.

Therealityisthatyouwontbeabletobeperfect,andyoushouldntstrivetobe.

Consistencyiswhatsimportant.

Butfocusonthehourthatsaheadandmakeitcount.

Choosethetechniquesthatsoundgoodtoyouandthenstart!

Youwillseehowmuchmoreyouwillbeabletoachieveonceyoustartgetting
moretimeandoptimizinghowyouspendyourtimeandthentheachieved
goalswillstartliningup,oneafteranother.