When I was a kid, I worked hard to play hard. It was a byproduct of being homeschooled. I learned that I could complete all my work in three or four hours and be free to do as I pleased the rest of the day, which sometimes meant bike rides, extra trips to the library, or a continuation of whatever story I was directing on the set of my bedroom floor.
Productivity
How to Get Things Done When You Have a Day Job and a Side Business
Not many people know I have a day job, which is somewhat by design. I don’t feel that talking about my day job adds much to the aims of Write Right. I have a day job; it’s in marketing; it’s what I do and where I am from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. every Monday through Friday.
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Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith and the Work Ahead Mentality
Give me a minute, I’m good. Give me an hour, I’m great.
– Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith
Any time I think about people who work ahead, the thoughts are now accompanied by Liam Neeson’s voice. It’s a little odd, hearing his voice in my head. It’s made even odder by the fact that I have this mental image of him that is half Hannibal and half Ra’s al Ghul. It makes for some digging when I have to figure out who said the line about minutes and hours. In this case, Hannibal is the culprit.
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Why I Love Mornings
I am a morning person; thus, I love mornings. I specifically love early mornings. The time between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. is precious. Those hours are not yet filled with the yammering of my brain and all its thoughts of what I need to do haven’t been doing. My mind is quiet. It’s ready to work. It’s ready to write.
You Don’t Find Time; You Make It
I don’t believe in finding time. I make it. I make a conscious choice about how I’m going to spend my time, then I spend it. I determine which projects require immediate attention and which ones can be deferred. I choose whether I will take on a new project. I figure out how to allot my time so that I can tend to my new project or opportunity. I decide how long I will work before I’m allowed to play.
Quality, Quantity, and the Sixty Hour Work Week
A past co-worker once asked whether I took work home with me. I told him no. He seemed flabbergasted. For him, taking work home was a sign of dedication and productivity. I didn’t agree. Taking work home with me indicated an inability to order my life in a healthy way and asked what I did with the hours I had available during the day. I know work sometimes extends past usual business hours, but if I arrange my work and prioritize tasks in a way that works for me, it shouldn’t have to follow me home very often.
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