“Me Time” Before 5pm A good day is going to sleep having done both what you “had to” & “wanted to” do. Find the things that make you feel oddly satisfied and do them earlier.
I personally onboarded @vimcal’s first 1000 users — CEOs, investors, and even celebrities — over Zoom.
Turns out everyone is lacking the same thing: control over their time.
Here are 5 unconventional ways to conquer your day:
1| “Me Time” Before 5pm
A good day is going to sleep having done both what you “had to” & “wanted to” do.
Find the things that make you feel oddly satisfied and do them earlier.
The earlier you do it, the more hours in the day feel under your control.
This is why people who wake up early feel more productive.
There’s nothing special about 5am.
They just spoil themselves first thing in the morning and remember that all day.
It could be the gym, a hobby, or a good book.
For some it’s running errands with headphones in.
Whatever it is, don’t push it to nights and weekends.
2| Stop Checking the Time
Think about the best moments in your life — heart to heart convos, creative spurts, making love.
Do you know or care what time it is?
Hiding the time is the easiest way to enter flow.
Seeing it yanks us back to reality.
When we check the time, our brain starts piecing together the rest of the day.
Set an alarm before your next meeting.
Hide your computer’s clock and put away your phone.
Work until the alarm goes off.
No clock naturally means no notifications or messages.
3| Get Up When You’re “Stale”
We’ve all been here too often.
You’ve worked for hours and your brain is full.
You’re some combo of tired, bored, & indecisive.
You need a change of scenery but don’t feel deserving of one.
How do you get your mojo back?
4| Recess Time!
I felt the same drag as a kid counting down the seconds till the bell rang.
20 mins on the playground and I was resurrected from the dead.
If you move all day for work, you rest by sitting.
If you sit all day for work, you rest by moving.
Manage your energy, and time will manage itself.
Give yourself permission to go play in the middle of the workday.
Who said you can’t go for a jog at 3pm or shoot hoops at noon?
Unless it’s impossible with your schedule, you’re stopping yourself.
But that’s easy to fix:
5| Sacred Hours
Use your calendar to tell others when you can’t be reached.
Block your calendar for deep work, workouts, and your “Me Time”.
For example, I have Spanish lessons at 4pm and never take calls on Thursdays.
Protect these times at all costs.
You might think “duh everyone knows this!”
Having seen thousands of calendars, I can assure you almost no one does it.
It takes just 10 seconds but will gift you 10 hours every month.
These are 5 unconventional ways to gain control of your day.
Let me know if I missed anything!
I’ll be writing about the random things I learn as a founder and in life, so follow me @jaylbird11 for more!
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