How I find time for EVERYTHING (even with a full time job) - YouTube

Summary

To avoid overwhelm, attack only ONE goal at a time. Leverage your time, energy, and attention strategically to accomplish what you wish to achieve. Motivation is key. However, keep in mind when determining priorities that life is short, and while failures in work are things we can bounce back from, family, health, friends, and integrity are more fragile.

KevZ uses a seven step framework to manage his time, in conjunction with the TEA framework:

1. Time
2. Energy
3. Attention

1. Think big with limited opportunities (A)

3:21

• Set one goal and do everything you can to get it done
  • While working a full-time job, he applied for only one business school, deciding to give up on the venture altogether if he failed. This enabled him to devote all his available resources into networking and getting in.
• Write down only one goal for the year
  • Finding a purpose creates stronger motivation
  • Then, break it into smaller steps
• Do I really lack time, or am I trying to do too much?

Focusing is about saying no … People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things. — Steve Jobs

2. Done is better than perfect (T)

7:35

• If you give yourself too much time to do something, you lose the motivation to take effective action
  • Attention and energy exerted are directly related to time allotted
    • e.g. Finishing an assignment the night it is due

3. Take advantage of unequal hours (T)

9:32

• Do hard tasks when your energy peaks
• Tackle hard things first so you can do easier things when your willpower is running low

4. Pay yourself when you procrastinate (E)

12:10

• Reward yourself while doing tasks you don’t want to do
  • Examples
    • Go to a place you like (e.g. cafe or park) to do taxes
    • Only allowed to eat snacks while studying
• Six attributes that make it easy to procrastinate
  • Boredom
  • Frustration
  • Difficulty level
  • Unstructured or ambiguous goal
  • Lack in personal meaning
  • Lack in intrinsic rewards

5. 10-10-10 rule (A)

13:42

• When faced with important decision, ask, “How am I going to feel about that in 10 minutes, weeks, and years?“

6. A motivation system ties it together (E)

16:03

• “Productivity starts with satisfaction at work” — Daniel H. Pink {Begin with the end in mind}
• Car analogy
  • Achieving goal = driving car across the country to a destination
  • Need a car that puts in mileage consistently day after day
  • Navigation system: managing attention
  • Gas: managing energy
  • Engine: motivation
• Motivation cycle
  • Set ONE goal and execute with focus
  • Progress brings small wins which lead to achievements
  • Achievements bring motivation and opportunities, which leads to more goals
• Staying motivated like a project manager
  • Yearly objective
  • Assign short term steps to each month (KPIs)
    • Break down into smaller steps
      • Metrics
        • Leading indicator: actions to take
        • Lagging indicator: metrics to hit
  • Weekly planner (calendar/to do list)
  • Daily energy management (energy curve)

7. Four glass balls, one rubber ball

19:24

• Life is juggling five balls
  • Work
  • Family
  • Health
  • Friends
  • Integrity
• Work is the only rubber ball, the rest are glass—you cannot pick these back up easily if they break