Habit Number 1: Time Under Scrutiny Habit
There are a lot of people who have more money than each of us. But none of them has more time than any of us. We all have 24 hours, but some of us use it in an optimal way, so they can get the most out of their time. So, we want to talk about 4 habits that can help you to optimize your time, find lost hours, and get more things done.
Many years ago, I read something on the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy which I really loved. It said: If you want to change anything, the first step is awareness. If I want to optimize my time and get the most out of it, the first step is to find out how I’m currently using my time.
For doing so, I learned a practical strategy in a seminar, I think, less than a year ago. Here’s what you should do: Pick a piece of paper and set an alarm for every hour. Once the alarm rings, write down the main thing that you were doing in the last hour. It shouldn’t be a sentence like “I was reading 10 pages of Atomic Habits by James Clear!” Rather, it should be a couple of words, like “reading,” “script,” or “PY.” These short terms should capture the main thing you were doing in the last hour.
You need to do this for a couple of days (not forever) to collect some data about your behavior. Remember, you shouldn’t change your lifestyle during this period. For example, if you were browsing social media for 3 hours every day, continue to do so. The goal of collecting data is to gain insight into your current lifestyle, not your ideal lifestyle.
Habit Number 2: Reflecting on Our Time Usage
After a few days, you will have a list of the activities you have done during that time. Now, you should review your list and put a plus symbol beside activities that were a positive use of your time. Put a minus symbol beside activities that were a negative use of your time. Put a zero beside neutral activities. Focus on minimizing the negative activities and pre-plan to avoid time-wasting patterns.
Habit Number 3: 90-Min JAM Sessions
I learned this habit from Darren Hardy. Let me share my story. I’m a freelancer, and my career is programming, so I have control over my time. About two years ago, I decided to measure how much net time I spent on my top 3 goals. It’s clear that some activities, like reading, are not included, because although reading is a good habit, it is not directly related to one of my top 3 goals. I recorded the time using a stopwatch. If I went to drink a cup of tea, that was not included.
After recording the time I spent on my top 3 goals for a few days, the numbers were shocking. My minimum expectation was at least 4 hours. Remember, I said at least 4 hours because I was working from early morning to night. But I found that it was less than, but very close to, 2 hours! That was ridiculous and terrible!
You might say, “Oh! You were very stupid in those days! I’m not like you.” Well, I challenge you to try it and check it out. I can guarantee that a big portion of people will experience similar numbers. At that time, I remembered something I learned from Darren Hardy, the author of The Compound Effect, which is one of my favorite books.
Suppose I start my work at 6 AM. I set a timer for 90 minutes, and during this time, I do nothing except my predefined work, which Darren Hardy calls the MVP: Most Vital Priority. After that, I rest for 30 minutes, which is reasonable and enough. This whole block is 2 hours. If I do two of these blocks, it’s still only 10 AM, and I will have spent 3 hours on my top goals—far more than my numbers back then. After using this habit, which Darren Hardy calls 90-Min JAM Sessions, I made huge progress. That’s why I love this strategy and habit.
Habit Number 4: Measure Backward, Not Forward
If you want to better use your time, it’s better to measure backward, not forward. I learned this from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. What do I mean by measuring backward, not forward? It means looking back at your past performance rather than focusing solely on future expectations.
For example, if you currently spend 2 hours a day on average on your top goals, set a goal to increase it by 1% every day. In this case, next week, you should spend 2 hours and 9 minutes each day on average. This type of goal-setting is more reasonable because it’s based on your past performance, not just lofty expectations.
Now, I really suggest you watch this video which is on the screen now.
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