How much can you accomplish in a day? The answer, of course, depends on how you schedule your time.
I’ve had a quirky daily routine for more than a decade that allows me the freedom to do what I want yet still write a book about every other year, deliver talks around the world, coach clients and advise companies.
And I still have the time to go on a month-long, 273-mile backpacking adventure, surf, dance, read, and be together with family and friends.
My typical schedule, weekdays and weekends included, looks like this:
- Up at 4:00 am. Coffee and catch up. I check out what happened overnight – news, social networks, and email.
- Exercise at about 5:30 am. At least an hour of exercise every day is non-negotiable for me. If I miss a day, I will double up another day that week. I have a home gym for weights, calisthenics, yoga, and Pilates. I swim at the local Y at least once a week. During the warmer months, I surf and hike. Oh, and I love to dance the Lindy Hop.
- Breakfast about 6:30 am. I have had the same breakfast every morning for more than 30 years: Yogurt, fruit, and granola. I mix up the kind of fruit and granola, so I don’t get bored. Having the same breakfast saves time.
- Shower and change around 7:00 am.
- In my home office by 7:30 am.
- Writing in the morning. Unless there is no other choice, I never book meetings in the mornings because that’s when I write posts like this one, work on my books, or prepare a talk.
- Mid-day nap around 12:00 noon. I usually sleep for about 30 minutes each day.
- Afternoon check-in at 12:30 pm. Drink tea and check news, social networks, and email.
- Lunch at 1:00.
- Meetings from 1:30 until 5:00 pm at the latest. My afternoons are when I schedule virtual events, podcast guest appearances, client and advisory meetings, and so on.
- Reading from 5:00 pm. I read magazines and books, mostly for pleasure.
- Bedtime at 7:30 pm.
Did you notice anything unusual? (Well, besides the fact that I do everything early.)
Many people are surprised that I do not eat dinner (except for at the occasional dinner meeting or family gathering). I eat a large breakfast and lunch, so I am getting my calories. Studies show that eating your largest meal at the end of the day might affect health.
I don’t watch TV and very rarely watch a show on Netflix or a video on YouTube, perhaps just two or three hours a week on average. Boy does that give me time to do what I want! I’ve seen various estimates about how many hours the average American spends watching TV and streaming video and the numbers are absolutely staggering.
Let’s just say that on average if you don’t watch TV or video, you can have an additional 2,000 hours (two thousand hours!) a year to do something else.
We all have choices about what we do with the limited hours in a day. Choose wisely.
