1440.
The ability to maximize time, an extremely valuable asset, was introduced to me by my Dad (Tony Abbatine) who explores 1440 more in depth in his book, Beyond the Ball.
We all have 1,440 minutes in our day. How you choose to spend your time is entirely up to you. Sure, we all have obligations in our life that are mandatory whether its class, team practice, or work.
But the reality is, simply being in attendance has nothing to do with maximizing your 1440.
You know those mandatory obligations where you find yourself staring at your watch or the wall clock anxiously waiting for time to speed up? When you're in class and your mind is wandering and paying attention to anything but what the professor is lecturing on? How about those dragging practices where you're tired and can only focus on what you're getting for dinner after? Or those mid-week work afternoons when all you can think about is your Friday happy hour plans?
Or do you get the F after it, leave your mark on whatever task you are doing whether it be mundane or thrilling, and dominate your task list and the day ahead?
You have the option everyday to use your time wisely or you can let it slip away. You can't get time back, but you can make a conscious effort to spend time living in ways that align with your goals.
Now onto the 4 S's of Time Management. If our goal is to maximize time we need to find a process to do so. Time management is the process towards our goal of Time maximization.
4 S's of Time Management
1. SLEEP
2. SOCIAL MEDIA
3. SCHEDULE
4. SELF DISCIPLINE
1. Follow a consistent sleep schedule
Get your 7-9 hours of sleep at night. Develop a sleep routine where you are going to bed and waking up at consistent times. If you want to be more productive throughout the day, clean up your sleep habits. Watch your energy soar when you give your body the proper recovery it needs! For example, commit to a lights off time of 10:30pm where you will not scroll through TikTok past this time (under any circumstances!) and set your morning alarm for 7-9 hours later.
2. Decrease your social media consumption
This brings me back to TikTok and all of the other apps we (myself included) spend WAY too much time on. Social media is the ultimate productivity killer. It is also extremely destructive in terms of the comparison game. We tend to compare ourselves to others "highlight reel". Newsflash, almost everything you see on social media is what others WANT you to see. The angles, edits, and sharing only life's high's rather than the low's of life is far from reality. Eliminating comparison can be challenging, but there's no need to compare yourself to anyone. Go work your ass off and focus on being the best you OFF the screen ;)
Social media management tip: Struggle with putting the phone down? Try out "Focus Lock", an app that forces you to disconnect from your third party apps.
3. Write down and keep a set schedule
Successful people in every industry are organized and have set schedules. The days of "I will remember I have to do that" are gone! Hold yourself accountable and crush your task list.
Planners I love: High performance planner and clever fox (both on Amazon)
4. Practice Self Discipline in all that you do
Self discipline is the highest form of self love. At the end of the day no one is going to hold your hand and constantly be a spewing fountain of motivation telling you to get your ass up and maximize your 1440 so you can accomplish those goals you have. You just have to start somewhere, create lasting habits, and BOOM you're not relying on wavering self motivation anymore... you're a self disciplined badass.
We can all improve on at least 1 of the S's (sleep, socials, schedule, self discipline) to maximize our 1440! Get after it and take what's yours today.