Personal Best: How To Have The Day That We Want
We want it. How do we get it?
We love to have our elusive ideal day. That is the day where we get to do whatever we want, where everything that we think about or do is relevant to our goals and aspirations in life.
However, what we want is not what we get because reality presents itself differently. Is there a way we can have that day we want, even if it is just for a couple of hours?
My answer is yes, and structure is required. This structure guarantees that we do what we have to, without sacrificing what we want to. Yes, I am referring to the time-table.
Now, just before you dismiss me as an immature adult living life like a student — Hear me out.
By and large, there are two categories of activities that we engage in daily. They are: -
- What we have to do, like it or not — They are our obligations.
- What we want to do — They are activities leading to our goals and aspirations.
Many people talk about a conflict of time between obligations and what we want to do. I do not think so, and this is why.
We will always choose obligations over aspirations, whether we like them or not. Reality bends us. You will not take that last dollar in the bank to apply for guitar classes when your parents do not have something to eat for dinner.
Maybe you can do that, but your parents will make bloody sure that they are only starving for one meal before forcing you to go out and get a job to earn money.
Most of us operate within the boundaries of reasonableness, where we do not abandon our starving parents for guitar classes (I hope not). So, we need to find a way to get obligations off our backs to focus on what we want to pursue.
The oasis in life is nested in our pursuits. For me, they are: -
- Writing.
- Investing and trading.
- Learning new skills / Personal Development.
- Building and monetizing a website that I run with my co-founders of a Live-stream.
- Running.
You see, the contest between obligations and aspirations comes in the form of time. Time is the ultimate constraint.
To have the day that we want, we need to have a structure that allows us to utilize time to our advantage.
The question is how. I will share my approach in the sections below.
One — Create Additional Timeslots.
You might think this is crap. We have 24 hours in a day. How do we make additional time?
What I mean is, we can create additional time for work and for pursuing our aspirations. The trick is this. First, set the 9 am — 6 pm into the calendar as a fixed time commitment. If we have a job, then this is an obligation that we have towards the organization. Now, looking for green-shoots around it.
This is what I do.
a. Carve Out Timeslots in the Morning for Writing.
I start my official work between 845 am — 9 am. It ends around 8 pm or slightly later. That is my boundary. Because I want to pursue writing as a potential income stream, I need to make time to write.
The best time to write is the morning when my mind is clear. I tried writing after work. My fingers rebelled because they have been typing the entire day. Every subsequent letter I type sends tremors into my head.
So, I carve out 2.5 hours before my working hours just for writing. That takes care of the storyline, the draft, the grammar checks, and the editorial pruning. I will occasionally squeeze in 2 stories within the same timeslot if I know that I am starting work earlier tomorrow morning.
I will pull forward tomorrow’s writing effort for today. This ensures that I write.
b. Carve Out Timeslots in the Evening for Exercise.
I need my daily run. It keeps me going.
I cannot operate the next day without having to exercise the day before. It makes me fidgety. For some reason, running allows me to vent my frustrations by sweating them away. So, running in the evening works for me.
I head out around 9 pm for a run. This is what I do to prevent excuses from infiltrating my lazy bones. I would make my way to the wardrobe immediately to grab my running attire and socks after shutting down my laptop. The moment I am changed, I head straight to the door and lace-up. When my shoes are secured, I get out of the door.
To prevent me from actually not starting the run — I start the warm-up jog when the lift-door opens at the ground-floor lobby.
And I keep going from there.
Two — Make Better Use of Existing Times-slots.
This is my take on breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
a. Making Better Use of Breakfast Time.
I use my breakfast time to catch up on global news.
Because I am based in the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. equities markets would have been closed for the day the moment my day starts. It is the best time to watch how the Asia-Pacific markets will be responding to the moves in the U.S. markets.
I will digest news on macro-economic developments while listening to Bloomberg Television while I eat.
b. Making Better Use of Lunch Time.
If I happen to be in the office — I would use lunchtime to catch up with my colleagues. Sometimes, I will use lunchtime to visit my clients and prospects.
I prefer not to spend lunchtime alone because my entire day is oriented towards an efficient close, so I can focus on doing what I want in the evening.
c. Making Better Use of Dinner Time.
I spend time with my family or friends here. There is no need to separate eating time from bonding time.
In fact, the best time to bond is when we eat. I do not know why, but it seems to be the case. I would have minimal words left in my daily word count bank by then, so I do my best to be present.
Think about it this way. If we eat and bond at the same time, the time expenditure is an hour. If we eat and bond separately, the time expenditure is 2 hours. It is a choice that we have to make.
A Simple Conclusion.
I believe that a time-table is not meant to be a prison. It is not designed for us to do what others want us to. It should be used to our benefit, and by that, I mean the time-table is there for us to have the day that we want.
Sure, we do not always have the day that we want. That is reality. At times, we may only achieve 50% of our best day. Or maybe, 40%.
The point is this. We become slaves to the tyranny of our obligations by default. We have to structure what we want to do into the day. 40% beats 0% anytime.
To me, something is better than nothing.
And I think having a structure that guarantees meeting obligations plus doing what we want is how we can become better and happier over time.
I believe in this.
Aldric
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
