How to Get More Done Each Day
How is it that some accomplish more each day? We all have 24 hours in a day. Yet there are those who get more done. Sure, you could cut down on your sleep to have more time. However, how efficient will you be if you’re functioning off 5 hours a day of sleep? Yes, it’s a reality for some. Especially if you have young kids who demand your ongoing care and attention. Perhaps you’re having to prep breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your family, and take the kids to school and pick them up after. On top of that, you have your day job from 8am to 4pm.
I may not have kids yet, but I do have two amazing businesses which take a lot of work and time. When I was the only trainer at Eagle Ridge Fitness, I was up at 4:50am and training my last session at 8pm with random appointments scattered throughout the day. It was a grueling lifestyle. I also remember fitting in workouts if I could make the time, and if I had the energy. I remember working 30 days straight without a day off, eventually hitting a wall. Whenever I’d receive a Facebook message, anxiety would run high thinking I’m having to complete another task and having to get back to someone.
One day, it all changed… A few years ago, in the early stages of when my father went missing, I naturally took a step back from the business. I was lucky to have a great team in place who cared about me and my business. However, I had a new client who was very persistent on speaking with me. This person was adamant on meeting me, despite my staff informing this person that I was dealing with a family crisis. I called this person while searching for my father in the woods to discover that this person wanted to ‘negotiate’ a discount. Apparently, his/her time was more valuable than my time. I was livid and also felt devalued. However, I learned a valuable lesson from this incident. It was my fault. It was my fault for not setting up systems and gate keepers. I didn’t set up my team to fully take care of these situations. I also had to learn to say no. I was still a prisoner of my business.
Then, it dawned on me. There are factors in your life that you have control over. We have choices. I no longer need to be a prisoner of my business.
For example, you have a choice on who you want to spend your time with, what sort of conversations to have, and what you choose to do each day. What are your time wasters and energy draining activities? Who just sucks the energy from you?
Who or what are the crabs in your life? When a crab tries to escape from a bucket, the other crabs will pull it down so that it can’t escape. We sometimes have people in our life who are energy vampires, who just suck the energy out of you. Perhaps it’s not even a person. For me, I sometimes struggle getting off social media. It’s an important platform for my business, but I catch myself wasting time by mindlessly surfing the net and scrolling through the news-feed
Overtime, I’ve come up with a system to structure each day to get a lot more done, and to better manage my emotions. I came across the book, the Perfect Day Formula by Craig Ballantyne, which has made a huge impact on how I live each day.
What I do Every day:
The night before, I prioritize my big three rocks (my top non-negotiable priorities) that I must accomplish the next day. Instead of waking up trying to figure out what to do, I map out my action plan for the next day, the night before. By the way, I’ve recently discovered Trello, an online to do list and project management tool. I use it for work and my personal life! It’s awesome!
In the morning, I work on my three big rocks for the day. I’m either reading, working on my personal development, working on a marketing campaign, working on projects to help grow each member on my team, or working on projects to improve the experience of our clients.
I’ve discovered overtime that I’m the most creative and positive in the morning. I’ll be honest. I’m a procrastinator. To avoid procrastination, I tackle the most difficult task in the morning, when I have the most energy. I have also learned to structure my time by refraining from checking emails, social media posts, and answering phone calls in the morning. I also segregate my email accounts, one for family and friends, clients and staff, and one for new inquiries. I will get back to people. However, I have designated times I check each account and have designated times when I return phone calls.
After 3 to 4 hours of solid work, I’ll do my workout. My energy level typically dips in the afternoon, so a workout will rejuvenate me. Once I’ve accomplished my three big rocks and my workout, I’ll go into my personal training studios to meet with staff, clients, or to complete any random errands. Evenings are for family time!
Some days, sh*t does hit the fan. But I can handle it! I’ve already won my day by getting the most important tasks done, before heading into my studios and meeting with staff or clients. Mostly importantly, I completed my workout so my day has already been a success. I schedule in my workouts and treat them like non-negotiable appointments.
Going through my weight gain and weight loss journey, I have discovered the importance of self care so that I can be the best version of myself, for my family, my staff, and for my clients.
Sometimes, I’m having to go into the studio or complete random errands in the morning. On those days, I’ll allocate 30 minutes to focus on my big three big rocks. After my studio visit, I’ll go back to working on my big three rocks. It’s not always ‘Perfect’. If you’re working 8am to 4pm, you may not have the flexibility on when to workout. However, you can still apply the ‘Perfect Day Formula’ even if you have as little as 30 minutes to ‘conquer your morning’. You can still apply it to your work day and ‘conquer your morning’.
You also have a choice on whether to exercise today and what food to eat. If 30 minutes of exercise is all you can fit in, it’s more than enough. It’s consistency that pays off. Focus on the process and the results will come.
Even allocating 30 minutes for meal prep a week, will be extremely beneficial. Since you’ll be rejuvenated from each workout and from fueling your body with wholesome foods, you’ll feel like you have more time.
I hope this email has been helpful. In summary, plan your day the night before and focus on your three big rocks. Control your morning, conquer the chaos of the afternoon, and concentrate on what counts in the evening! You’ve got this!
If there’s anything I can help you with, please feel free to reach out!
-Sammy Noh
