032 – 10 Tips to Save Time & Make Your Life Matter
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How much would an extra hour per day be worth to you?
Today you’re going to hear about 10 ways to save time… most of them you’ve never heard of before, and 3 of them are pretty shocking, like my recommendations on morning routines, exercise time, and cooking. Keep an open mind and you’ll find time-saving gold in today’s show.
I’ve coached thousands of entrepreneurs in dozens of industries, and I’m shocked at how inefficient so many successful people still seem to be at work and at home.
So, while they are financially successful, they are time poor.
You need to be relatively ruthless, smarter, and more loving with the minutes you are given each day… plus you have to be willing to forgive yourself, let go of things that don’t serve you, and give yourself permission to pamper your productivity.
1. Time Journal
We must observe & orient how we use the minutes in our mornings, how we overcome time sucks in the afternoon, and how we must regain control of our hours in our evenings.
20-minute segments:
- How you’re feeling
- What you’re doing
- Why you’re doing it
This is all in an effort to identify obstacles and magic time. You need to place a value on your time and keep that in mind when we get to the section on giving yourself permission.
2. Cut down your morning routine
Successful people don’t do 14 things before breakfast, they just do 1 and they give themselves solitude and thinking time before the day gets crazy
Win. Victory. Progress. Momentum.
3. Cut exercise time
Every single minute, every single exercise, set, and rep must be justified. That drive to the gym, the equipment, your goals, your beliefs, your challenge is to cut back on time and frequency & increase intensity.
4. Weekly Schedule and Work Blocks
- 2-3 hour blocks with minimum transition
- Daily Deep Work
- Morning Priority
- Afternoon Priority
- Evening Priority
Different Days, Different Domination
5. Doing Deep Work
Limit the Distractions: smartphone airplane mode, leave it across the room, phone turned over, keep your phone hidden
- Internet Freedom Programs
- Public Accountability
Permission
Give up the guilt of doing stuff and give yourself permission to spend your time as you please
- Groceries
- Meal Prep
- Errands
- Cleaning
- Laundry
- Cutting the Lawn
- Chores
What are you here for? What are other people here for? Does it serve you?
7. Deadlines
Work expands to fill the time allotted for it. You need cutoff times otherwise, people with the gift of gab expand the time allotted to the meeting. You also need deadlines for your projects, essays in order to keep you on track and on time.
This podcast is a perfect example of deadlines at work. I told myself, my coaches, and my team that it would be done on a specific day and so I need to do that in order to not let them down.
8. Planning & Preparation
If you’re doing your to-do list in the morning, you’re already too late
Here is the ultimate 3-step process to do at night
- brain dump
- to do list
- process planning
Then, every morning you need to spend 15 magic minutes on your #1 priority. Hopefully, this time expands as you get more and more set into the routine that works for you!
6 days a week, that’s 72 hours in a year!
9. Remove Obstacles
Create your NOT to do list
- gossip
- mindless surfing
- negativity
- binge TV
When you do this, you also need to find a way to have public accountability. Tell a friend, coach, mentor, etc. and have them keep you on track and make sure you don’t fall off the path to your goals.
Remember this… Every minute you waste is stealing a minute from your child, your love life, your health, and your wealth.
10. Fall Asleep Faster
We all want more sleep and that’s what you might use your newfound free time for but, most people struggle to get quality sleep.
Here are the proven ways on how to maximize our time in sleep recovery
1) Eliminate Mental Stimulants
- Stop caffeine intake 10 hours before bed
- Avoid heavy meals 2-3 hours before bed
- Avoid alcohol 3 hours before bed
Stop work an hour before bed - Stop using electronics an hour before bed
- Do a brain dump 2 hours before bed
If you must work near bedtime, print off the reports and read them from paper rather than your phone.
2) Follow Good Sleep Hygiene
- Go to bed at the same time each night… and get up at the same time each day
- Keep the room at 65-67 degrees Fahrenheit
- Use blackout shades at home or use an eye mask (I always use these in hotel rooms)
- Use earplugs (I always use these in hotel rooms)
- Buy a bottle of lavender oil ($10 at Whole Foods) and put a drop on your pillow
- Take melatonin an hour before bedtime (I recommend Sprayable Sleep)
3) Other Things That Work For Me
- Keep phones out of room & use old-school alarm clock
- Read a book or magazine for 20-30 minutes before bed
- Share gratitude or prayers for 5 minutes before bed
- Avoid liquids four hours before bed (otherwise, I wake up to use the bathroom)
4) To Fall (Back) Asleep … Try this Breathing Routine:
- 4-second inhale through the nose
- 7-second hold
- 8-second exhale through the mouth
- Repeat 4 times
Proper sleep drives the rest of your day. Every tip is top notch, but tip 10 here is the physical foundation of your success, just like the time journal is the mental foundation of your Successful Time Pyramid.
I’d love to hear what you think about today’s show, and what you plan to change in your daily routines to get the most living from the minutes of your life.
Keep me posted, and please email me at Support@earlytorise.com or send me a message on Instagram, or Twitter.
Hi, this is Craig Ballantyne, host of Early To Rise Radio. Have you ever wanted to become wealthier, healthier, wiser, or just have more time to appreciate the finer things in life? On this show, we reveal what high performers are doing every day to be more successful WITHOUT sacrificing their personal lives. Early To Rise Radio is sponsored by The Perfect Day Formula. Get your free copy of this game-changing success guide at FreePerfectDayBook.com.
Craig Ballantyne
If you want to double your income, work less, and become the ambitious millionaire you've always wanted to be... Craig Ballantyne is the coach who will help you do it. With more than 20-years of experience as an entrepreneur and five 7-figure businesses under his belt, he specializes in helping "struckling" entrepreneurs get out of the mud and build the business of their dreams. To see if you qualify for Craig's "Millionaire Coaching Program" send an email to support@earlytorise.com with the subject line "Millionaire".