EPISODE · Oct 19, 2018 · 10 MIN
152: Time Blocking – Friday Fundamentals
from The Real Estate Way to Wealth and Freedom · host Jacob Ayers
Time is our only non-renewable resource. We don’t have limits when it comes to health, wealth, happiness, fulfillment, etc. Time, however, is limited. No matter how you spend it, there are only 24 hours in the day. So how do some people seem to accomplish so much more in the same 24 hours? We’re going to dive into that, but first let’s take a look at how people operate. Have you ever noticed what most people’s default answer is when you ask them how they’ve been? Most people reply with something non-descriptive like “I’m good” or even “I’m great”. One response I hear more often than not though is, “Busy”. Everyone feels busy. Everyone is busy. In today’s world we have so many things vying for out attention – some important and others not worthy of said attention. We’re constantly inundated with news, politics, social media, emails, mail, advertisements, etc. With so much going on, it can be hard to determine what to focus on and what not to. But one thing is certain. People are busy. And even if we’re not, we still make ourselves believe we are. Busy has become a badge we wear with honor. But are we as busy as we think? Think to a time when you thought, I would like to *insert whatever here*, but I just don’t have time to. Then you proceed to spend hours of screen time on your phone and TV, doing things that don’t merit the time you’re devoting to them. How does Elon Musk run 3 companies with goals to inhabit Mars, make space travel viable, build electric cars, and make solar power the main energy source on Earth? Meanwhile you’re trying to get 8 hours of sleep and simply work out 3 times a week but can’t seem to manage that. How is this possible?! What are you doing wrong? Time just seems to slip away from you. Don’t let it do that. Rather, guard your time. Protect it. Don’t let it slip away or get consumed with actions that don’t put you closer to your goals. How? Time blocking. Yes, the solution is time blocking. Time blocking, as defined by WikiHow, is a type of scheduling that can help you manage your time better. Instead of working by the clock, you can focus on finishing big and small tasks one at a time. This will help you limit distractions, get things done faster, and leave you less overwhelmed by lengthy to-do lists. One of the underlying principles of time blocking is setting aside time to do the important things first. Rather than letting your day fill up with tasks as they get thrown at you. Let’s look at 5 ways you can start time blocking. Identify which tasks you should start time blocking first. Many have heard the Pareto Principle, more commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule. This principle says that 20% of you actions are responsible for 80% of your results. So start your time blocking calendar with adding those 20% actions. It might take you some time to identify what exactly those are, but you probably have a pretty good idea to start with. Determine how you are going to manage your calendar, either physical or electronic. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. There’s no one better option. Just use the one that works for you and that you’ll actually use. For electronic calendars, Google Calendars, Microsoft Outlook, and Calendar on Mac are all good (and free) options. Create start and stop times for your day. Determine what time you are going to start your day, and what you need to first accomplish. Do the same for the evening, when you are wrapping up your day. This will set parameters for your day, making sure you give yourself time to sleep (which needs it’s own time block alone!). Schedule that first task on your calendar. Set aside a certain amount of time to accomplish this task, uninterrupted by emails, texts, etc....
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What this episode covers
In Episode 148 we discussed success and the dichotomies that come along with it. Success is something many people strive for but don't have defined. In order to achieve success, however you define it, you must know what it is you're pursuing. Along the journey to your success, you'll experience many dichotomies, and must be prepared to handle those. These are lessons extrapolated and inspired by Jocko Willink, former U.S. Navy Marine and combat veteran. This episode will focus on goal setting, but with a twist. This is another lesson inspired by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin in their book, The Dichotomy of Leadership. See, success and goal setting go together hand in hand. Rarely does one achieve success with out setting goals. And rarely does one set goals without defining success. Staring with the end in mind, it's important to think about what you want your life to be like. Here are some questions that will help you determine that. Who is most important to you and how do you want to spend your time with them? What core values are important to you? I.e. - money, security, health, happiness, How do you want to spend your time, right down to the very day? Do you want to work and build an empire, retire early with a modest lifestyle? These are all things to consider when building your lifestyle by design. By defining these things you can start to picture what success looks like to you, and how to get there. Now that you know what success looks like for you, you can begin setting goals to achieve that success. There are 5 specific qualities your goal must have. Without these 5 qualities, a goal is just a dream and nothing more. Your goal must embody the acronym SMART. S - Specific M - Measurable A - Accountable R - Realistic T - Time If your goal isn't specific, then you can get side tracking in your journey. If you goal is to simply "be rich" or "retire early", those are not specific. What does rich mean? Is it a net worth of one million dollars, ten million dollars, one hundred million dollars? Does retire early mean at 62 and live off social security? Or retire at 40 and surf in San Diego for half the year? Your goal must be measurable. If you can't measure it, you can't track your progress. It must be concrete. You must be held accountable to your goal. You can do this by telling others about your goal, and even having an accountability partner or mentor to keep you on track. If you are held accountable by reporting progress of your goal to someone else, you're much more likely to achieve it. Your goal should be realistic. This is one that trips many people up. People often over estimate what they can do in a year, and underestimate what they can do in a decade. Just look at new years resolutions for example. While your goal should be attainable, it should also push your limits and force you to level up in order to achieve it. lastly, your goal must me bound by time. You must achieve your goal within a certain time frame. Otherwise, it will just be a "some day" goal, which isn't a goal, but rather a dream. A SMART goal must be specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, and time bound. If setting goals sounds like a waste of time to you, and you're just going to go full steam ahead barreling towards success (that you likely don't have defined) then you may want to rethink that strategy. Jocko Willink talks about a lesson he learned on the battlefield and how it relates to the real world. You see, Jocko was in command of a task unit, comprised of two platoons. He was leading his troops on high stakes mission in Ramadi, Iraq just like he had for hundreds of missions prior. He and his team were clearing a building, and they came across a scenario, which required direction from Jocko.
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152: Time Blocking – Friday Fundamentals
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