Besides getting your finances in order this step in leaving the rat race is crucial. Why? Because this is what separates the ones that succeed from the ones that don’t.
Replacing your current income with a new one doing what you want to do is not going to just happen on it’s own. Unless you actually take the time to work on your ‘passion turned business’ not much will change.
Now, I know it’s hard. While you are still building and having that “secure” paycheck it’s easy to keep pushing it to ‘later’ ‘tomorrow’ ‘next week’ instead of actually getting it done. But if you want something different you have to do one thing.
You have to take the time to work on making that change.
Don’t think you have the time? What you don’t have time for is regretting not living your life doing what matters. Remember, you have the same amount of time as everyone else.
We all get 168 hours in a week. Even uber successful people that seems like they have more hours than we do. The difference between those that get things done and the ones that don’t is how they handle their time.
People that get things done use their time wisely. They are very intentional and only work on things that matter. They schedule their time. They say no a lot and they stay focused on where they are going.
How can you find more time?
1. Create a schedule. Just like you budget where your money is going you need to schedule your time and decide how to use it. By knowing ahead of time what you will do you don’t have to think about it. You eliminate that bandwidth of “hmm…what should I work on?” and get right on task.
2. Be realistic with how much you can accomplish in a week. A good schedule should only be about 50-70% filled with to-do’s. Leave room for play, rest and life to happen or you will always feel as if you’re running behind on what you set out to accomplish. Remember, building your dream life is a process, not an overnight thing.
3. Turn off the TV. On average Americans watch 5 hours of TV a day!!! That is insane. I can’t tell you how often I get the “I don’t have time” when I suggest a great book to someone. Is watching TV really more important than pursuing your dream?
4. Limit your time checking email, social media, mindlessly surfing the internet and time with co-worker’s or friends that seems to hog your time. Batch activities into specific times and only do those tasks during assigned times.
5. Only work on tasks that will help you get to the next step. Let’s say you want to start a blog but decide to learn about podcasting because you think you may want to start one at some point. You are now focusing on steps ahead of where you are when you should spend time getting your blog up and running.
6. Utilize time when you are doing other things like commuting. Use that time to listen to informative podcasts and books on audio. You can even record audio into an app that turns audio into text. Lots of authors have created their books that way.
Last but not least, remember to set a date for your exit plan. That way you have an end goal to work towards and can break down your various goals to meet that ultimate goal: quitting your job!
Those are some tips I personally use to be intentional about my time and get stuff done. What are some of your favorite tips? Share in the comments below so that we can learn together.
