How Effective are You With Your Time
I talk to Warriors from time to time that are so committed to being successful, that they spend 12+ hours a day doing IM. I am not saying that there is a magic number of hours that you work everyday. I am just saying that if you have a set schedule for the time that you will work, you might be spending part of your day doing busy work. Rather than being productive. I have had jobs and my own businesses in the past where I worked those kind of hours. Most of the time I do not think that I was any more productive working 12 hours a day than when I was working 8 hours a day.
A few years ago I had a sales position. I worked 5 or 6 days a week, and then always had Sundays off. I worked every Friday and Saturday without question. The hours and locations varied, but I put in 50+ hours a week. On top of this I normally spent an additional 12+ hours driving each week too. Monday through Thursday I made about 15% of my income. The other 85% cam from working Fridays and Saturdays.
After a couple of years I was completely sick of working the weekday shifts for no reason. I pulled my boss aside one day and told him that I was putting in my two week notice. I told him that I was sick of working 3 or 4 days a week where I didn't make anything. I said that I would rather spend that wasted time with my family.
At this point he asked me what it would take to make me stay. I wasn't prepared for this question so I spent a moment thinking about it. I told him I wanted to work Friday and Saturday's, at the best locations possible for the week. He then reminded me that I had been one of the top three salesmen just about every month since I started. He said the company would have no problem giving me 5 days off and only working 2. Instead of the other way around.
The funny thing about the whole situation was that I worked for this company the next year and a half. Instead of losing 15% of my pay every week, I actually gained another 20%. I also felt great everyday at work. Before I did not mind my line of work. With my new schedule I loved what I did. I attribute the increase in my sales commissions to the fact that I was well rested and had plenty of energy, and I made every minute of those two days count.
The point that I want to make is that sometimes working the most hours that you possibly can in a day, isn't the always the right solution. Sometimes you need to take a step back. This way you can see the overall picture, rather than the detail that you were focused on. Another benefit to this is that I often think of better ways to do my work. I am always rethinking my processes and doing them better and more efficient.
I might work 10 hours one week, and then 60 hours the next week. It all depends on what I am currently working on. Before I do anything, I try to visualize everything step, from starting the work, to the outcome that I would like to see. Quite often I realize that some of my ideas will take a lot more time and effort than the monetary reimbursement that I will receive from them.
I am not saying that everyone should do this. Or that newbies shouldn't invest very much time into their IM business. You must first have a foundation of IM to work with. But after you have a good foundation of IM and are making a decent amount of money, taking a step back might be just what you need to get to the next level.
A few years ago I had a sales position. I worked 5 or 6 days a week, and then always had Sundays off. I worked every Friday and Saturday without question. The hours and locations varied, but I put in 50+ hours a week. On top of this I normally spent an additional 12+ hours driving each week too. Monday through Thursday I made about 15% of my income. The other 85% cam from working Fridays and Saturdays.
After a couple of years I was completely sick of working the weekday shifts for no reason. I pulled my boss aside one day and told him that I was putting in my two week notice. I told him that I was sick of working 3 or 4 days a week where I didn't make anything. I said that I would rather spend that wasted time with my family.
At this point he asked me what it would take to make me stay. I wasn't prepared for this question so I spent a moment thinking about it. I told him I wanted to work Friday and Saturday's, at the best locations possible for the week. He then reminded me that I had been one of the top three salesmen just about every month since I started. He said the company would have no problem giving me 5 days off and only working 2. Instead of the other way around.
The funny thing about the whole situation was that I worked for this company the next year and a half. Instead of losing 15% of my pay every week, I actually gained another 20%. I also felt great everyday at work. Before I did not mind my line of work. With my new schedule I loved what I did. I attribute the increase in my sales commissions to the fact that I was well rested and had plenty of energy, and I made every minute of those two days count.
The point that I want to make is that sometimes working the most hours that you possibly can in a day, isn't the always the right solution. Sometimes you need to take a step back. This way you can see the overall picture, rather than the detail that you were focused on. Another benefit to this is that I often think of better ways to do my work. I am always rethinking my processes and doing them better and more efficient.
I might work 10 hours one week, and then 60 hours the next week. It all depends on what I am currently working on. Before I do anything, I try to visualize everything step, from starting the work, to the outcome that I would like to see. Quite often I realize that some of my ideas will take a lot more time and effort than the monetary reimbursement that I will receive from them.
I am not saying that everyone should do this. Or that newbies shouldn't invest very much time into their IM business. You must first have a foundation of IM to work with. But after you have a good foundation of IM and are making a decent amount of money, taking a step back might be just what you need to get to the next level.