Life is Hectic
Life is hectic. We all have many things we want to do and things we should do. The list of things we want and need to do keeps growing and never seems to get shorter.
Establishing a work-life balance is challenging. Chances are, if you are reading this, you work a 9-to-5 job or are even finishing up college. A select few might even work more hours than the traditional 9-to-5.
In this day and age, endless distractions are vying for our attention, from cell phones to social media. On top of work and these distractions, we all have hobbies and time that we like to set aside for friends and family. It seems that these things that demand our attention are unlimited, yet time itself is limited.
In a world with many things that demand our attention, it almost feels as if there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything we want done.
The Solution
So, how can this change?
How can we reorganize our day to have more time?
Well, you don’t necessarily need to completely redo your daily routine. If you want more time in the day, you need to prioritize what matters to you.
If you feel like you are already prioritizing what is important to you and still feel you are lacking quality time, there is still something you can do.
Get up early.
Waking Up Early
I know what a lot of you are thinking right now…. Either you agree with me or you believe that I am crazy. But, hear me out.
If you wake up early in the morning, you are guaranteed free time to yourself to make things happen or take care of what matters to you.
It takes discipline to get out of bed. Waking up is the first battle of the day —if you can win this battle, it sets you up to continue winning the battles you encounter throughout your day.
This discipline builds up over time and helps you to establish more and more discipline, which only grows as you get into this habit. It will also help the discipline you have in other parts of your life. Ultimately, discipline enables you to have freedom; therefore, the more discipline you have, the more freedom you will have.
Seriously, TRY IT!
I know, this idea of waking up early still sounds a little rough. But our CEO, Steve Harper, made early rising a part of his daily routine, and it has contributed significantly to his successes.
Waking up early, he can get to the gym as it opens around 5 am to work out. Working out is something that makes many people’s minds race, and it serves as a form of meditation for some, including Steve. This helps ideas flow and enables you to set some goals and think about the day ahead.
After the gym, Steve goes home, showers, and then heads to the office and is often there around 6 am.
All of this happens before the typical person’s 9-to-5 starts. Crazy, right? Well, think about it, if you were to get to the office at 6 am or had some free time between 6 am and 9 am, you would have three whole hours to do whatever you want.
Maybe it’s getting a head start on your work for the day or working on your personal brand or side hustle.
Whatever it may be, waking up early would give you free time to get stuff done. Getting stuff done means you’re more productive, and ultimately, being more productive limits your stress, which can benefit your health and family life.
Great, huh?!
Leaders and Discipline
Something discussed earlier was the importance of discipline in making a change like this happen.
As leaders, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Yet, you find that so many people complain that they have no time during the day or that their own problems are the fault of another person. People constantly assign blame elsewhere, never hold themselves accountable, and refuse to take ownership of the reasons behind their lack of happiness or consistent stress. Or just that they simply aren’t doing what they want.
Yes, time is limited, but you can create extra time for yourself to get more things done. To make this happen, you need to restrict excuses, hold yourself accountable, and establish discipline to enact positive change in your life.
It is possible. Get out there and do it!
