how much time do you need?
Dear Authentic Introvert,
Ever wonder how many hours a day successful people work to maintain the life they’ve created?
Because we all get 24 hours in a day.
A very small percentage of people get so much done in a day.
But most are like us.
We keep wishing we had more hours because no matter how hard we try, turning our life around seems impossible while doing what we do in a day.
Besides, the process of transforming your life seems like climbing Mt. Everest.
You can’t just decide one day and start doing everything right.
For example, I used to sleep at 4am and wake up at 11am for a good 13 years of my life.
As I started a new business venture with my friend last year, it became imminent that I had to change my sleep cycle.
I had to put in a lot of effort for a good six months before I could start waking up consistently at 8.30am.
And even that was not enough because I had to sacrifice either daily exercise or breakfast to be in the office by 10.
It really frustrated me because waking up early was just one of the many things that business demanded.
I couldn’t fit making marketing calls, attending daily virtual meetings, training new recruits, and meeting prospective clients in my schedule.
And also, I had to forget about ‘me time’, seeing my friends, entertainment, and everything else I loved.
Why can’t I do all these things when successful people are doing all this and more, while keeping time for themselves and their families?
I am dealing with similar struggles with my personal branding project currently.
I am supposed to consistently post on social media – content, comments, DMs and more, and then work on my YouTube videos – scripting, shooting, editing while also learning new skills related to all of these.
I decided to get to the bottom of this.
Because I simply couldn’t continue like this, knowing I was supposed to do a lot more with my day and I’m already struggling.
After days of researching advice from growth experts, I was able to narrow it down to two things:
Habits and Compounding.
The problem is – we are comparing ourselves with somebody who has been doing what we want to do for at least a decade if not more.
When we start doing something new, it becomes a struggle after the initial excitement wears off.
But if we consistently keep doing it, there comes a time when it stops being a struggle because it turns into a habit.
The focus shifts from the outcome to the process which has now become a routine.
Therefore, what keeps us going when we are not getting instant gratification are habits.
I haven’t read it yet, but I believe this is exactly what James Clear expands on in his famous book, Atomic Habits.
It’s certainly impossible to turn your life around starting tomorrow but it makes sense to focus on building one habit at a time – baby steps.
If you continue building one habit after another, these compound over time.
And there comes a point when you see exponential growth in your life even though you don’t seem to be doing much.
That’s you harnessing the power of compounding simple habits that you’ve built over time.
If you think about it, it has less to do with hard work than being patiently consistent, trusting the process and playing the long game with eyes on the horizon.
And this is exactly what makes some people more successful than others.
Because when the majority are focused on instant rewards, few work for sustained growth over the coming years.
And that’s how you realistically turn your life around.
Key Takeaway:
Stop paying attention to instant rewards or failures.
Focus on building small habits into your routine and let them compound over time to give you the life you’ve always wanted.
Let me know what habit you decide to build next.
Chasing a dream life with you,
Sachin Sharma
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