If not now, then when?

by formerworkerbee

I just woke up from a power nap. Who am I kidding; it was much longer than a power nap. Before waking from my cozy slumber, I remember hearing, “if not now, then when?” Those words are still echoing in my head. I think I have been putting off getting to the root of the problem. If I don’t get to the bottom of it now, it will continue to bug me.

Sometimes I wish I had more hours in a day. But, I have the same amount of time as Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs and Steve Poizner. So, if they can turn their hours into productive hours, why can’t I? I once heard someone say, if you want to be skinny do what skinny people do. Well, in this case, I want to be rich. So, what do rich people do? How do they stay productive and overcome feeling overwhelmed? I learn from reading Mount Pleasant how Steve Poizner handles being overwhelmed. He takes a step back and tries to seek the big picture first. Using him as an example:

  • First, he developed a mission statement.
  • Then, he built a strategic plan around his mission statement.

Applying this strategy to help my situation:

Breaking down the hours in a week also seems to help. I think in this case it will be the first step. Second, build a strategic plan that will help me become more productive.

What am I working with? I am going to try and break this down:

We have 168 hours in a week, right?

If I deduct sleep:

Sleep 8 hours x 7 days – 168 hours = 112 hours remaining.

If I deduct work hours:

Work 8 hours a day x 5 days – 112 hours = 72 hours remaining.

Deduct commute hours:

Commute 2 hours a day x 5 days – 72 hours = 62 hours remaining.

Deduct eating:

Eat 2 hours a day x 7 days – 62 hours = 48 hours remaining.

Deduct family and entertainment:

2 hours a day x 7 days – 48 hours = 34 hours remaining.

Deduct miscellaneous:

2 hours a day x 7 days – 34 hours = 20 hours remaining.

So, I have 20 hours left out of the week to be productive. The question is: how do I have a productive week? I do remember Steve Poizner mention being hyper focused. Focus on what you are doing until you finish and then move on to the next. Stay the course. It’s so easy to get distracted and hop around to different things. It’s nice to know that people life Steve have been tempted to stray the course.

Here is something that might help me better manage the 20 hours of time I have left over. Sunday, I should write down what I have to do for the week. Make note of the time-sensitive things I need to accomplish. Then prioritize the rest.

I am guilty of sleeping in longer than I should. I guess working afternoon shift has made me a little lazy. Somehow I fell into the habit of overusing the snooze button. I need to push myself a little harder. I have to get out of my comfort zone especially if I want to live an extraordinary life!

Next week’s agenda:

Set my alarm clock to 8 am…and actually get up at that time.

Stick to a simple schedule I have prepared for myself by:

  • Staying hyper focused
  • Staying the course

Read Rules of Thumb: How to Stay Productive and Inspire Even in the Most Turbulent Times by Alan M. Webber.