Something I’m starting to realize is just how much you can get done in 45- to-60-minute time blocks.
Most of us think of ourselves as masters of time management already.
But the truth is you don’t see all that you’re capable of until your plate has expanded, and you’ve been pushed beyond whatever arbitrary limitations you’ve set in place for yourself.
I’m taking a yearlong, intensive leadership program right now (technically, it’s two years), and within this program what I’ve been seeing is that you can be in multiple daily calls and meetings, weekly training sessions and coaching calls, work on three or four businesses simultaneously, make music, blog daily, and take on freelancing work, with time left over for sleep, exercise, meditation, and a social life.
Because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing, and I probably haven’t even hit on all the things I’ve been up to.
It sounds like a burnout routine, and at first, I thought that’s exactly what it would end up being. And what I’m starting to see now is that once your plate has expanded, you find yourself able to take on more.
Having just one business or one job gets awfully boring after a while, because you get so good at it, and so efficient at it, that you find yourself needing something more to fill the cracks.
So, I value 45- to 60-minute time blocks as I never have before. In that time, I could write an article or a few pages for my latest book, record a song, put together a product review, or work on any area where I want to ensure forward momentum. And I only need one time block like that per week to keep all those plates spinning.
What you’re reading now? It probably only took me 20 minutes to write.
And the ugly truth? I often don’t even get up until about 9 AM and start my day until 10 AM.
Chances are you don’t know just how effective you could be. Because you haven’t had a reason to be.
If you want to expand your plate, put yourself in a position where you’ve got to figure out how to keep multiple plates spinning. It will probably feel uncomfortable and awkward at first, but if you lean into it, you’ll figure it out.
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