Whenever I feel down about an “unproductive day,” I’m reminded that even the most peak performers in history had the same 24 hours as I do each day. You’ve probably heard some variation of that statement before. The challenge, then, becomes reevaluating previous 24-hour increments and maximizing 24 hours for the upcoming day.
In Dr. Laurie Santos’ wonderful course, “The Science of Well-Being,” she addresses research that says our bodies do best after seven to eight hours of sleep each night. If we follow that valuable advice, that leaves us with 16-17 hours remaining to really maximize the day.
Though transitional time between activities is difficult to calculate, let’s allot ourselves a solid hour each day to do so. One thing I’ve begun implementing during these transitional times is audiobooks. Coincidentally, one of those audiobooks I listened to recently, The Compound Effect, lauds listening to inspiring audiobooks during commutes as great fuel for success. In consuming the self-help audiobook of your choice, you’re priming your brain for success when it does have time to focus exclusively. I think this is key.
Mounting Chores
Another frustration of mine is that, when I do have time, I’m faced with an extensive list of chores that I’ve put off in my constant state of busyness. Something I plan on implementing is doing chores when I really don’t want to. In other words, when I’m the most exhausted, that’s when I want to do the floor cleaning, the dish washing and the laundry.
I choose this counterintuitive pathway, because I want to do the things that matter most to me when I’ve got the sharpest mind. Since I value creative output more than routine tidiness, I seek to give my best self to the creativity and not to the chores. This doesn’t mean I’ll do chores in place of my sacred 7-8 hours of sleep. Getting ample sleep should always be a priority, as it affects just how optimized your brain is during waking hours. But when I have those chores out of the way when I’m at my best, my desired results will be much more likely.
Building Atomic Habits
How does one get those chores out of the way, you might ask, when you’re already exhausted? That’s the last thing you’re going to want to do! According to James Clear, in his wonderful book Atomic Habits, one of the best way to establish new habits is to make the habit easier. Instead of saying, “After work, I’m going to wash and dry all of the clothes and then fold them and then put them all away,” you could tell yourself, “Every day after work, I’m going to move dirty clothes from the nearest hamper to the washing machine,” instead. Doesn’t that seem easier?
If you muster up the energy to make it to the laundry room with an armload of clothes, it only takes a bit more energy to drop them in the washer and run that load. By breaking a dreaded, overwhelming task into hyper-focusing on the first step, you get the ball rolling down a hill that builds momentum.
You may not have a washing machine, or you may pay someone to do the laundry for you, but I can bet you’ve got that one mundane task that inevitably has to get done. Start the atomic habit that gets that ball rolling. On some days, you may find yourself standing exhausted next to the washing machine with no more energy left to give. That’s fine. You took the first step. Feel accomplished. Chances are, though, if you’re standing prepared every day for that task you want to avoid, you’ll muster the strength to start it most days. And once your brain establishes that task as a habit, the dread is far less overwhelming.
Quality Entertainment
I love entertainment. I wouldn’t have two master’s degrees in screenwriting (and the accompanying debt) if I didn’t. Still, I spend more time than I’d like to admit halfway plugged into mindless entertainment.
According to Psychology Today, the average American checks their mobile device 159 times each day. While we’re checking devices and using personal computers, we’re logging two hours and 14 minutes each day to check social media. It doesn’t help that social media companies spend millions to keep you engaged and coming back like a loyal drug addict. (If you haven’t watched the eye-opening documentary, The Social Dilemma, I can’t recommend it enough! If you’ve got Netflix, look for it there.)
What would happen if you budgeted your entertainment time like you’d want to budget your money? If we cut that two-hour-and-14-minute time down to, say, an intentional 30 minutes on social media, what could we accomplish with the remaining hour and 44 minutes? Imagine if you only checked social media during a specific window at the beginning or end of the day. Imagine if you set a timer and cut yourself off when it went off. Think how much work you could get done during the day, which would mean less work you’d have to bring home.
Maximizing 24 Hours
If we take the suggestions above, here’s how a typical weekday might now look, compared to how it looked before:
4-4:30 a.m. Mindfulness/meditation
4:30-6 a.m. Productive project
6-6:45 a.m. Get ready for work
6:45-7:15 a.m. Drive to work (listen to audiobook)
7:15 a.m.-3:20 p.m. Workday
3:20-5 p.m. After-school obligations (Monday-Thursday)
5-5:30 p.m. Drive home (listen to audiobook)
5:30-6 p.m. Allotted social media time
6-7 p.m. Dinner prep/Home chores (divided with a spouse/partner and/or offspring, if possible)
7-8 p.m. Eat dinner
8-9 p.m. Quality time/Intentional entertainment
9 p.m.-4 a.m. Sleep
Naturally, your schedule would look different, depending on your work and sleep hours. If you’re not a school teacher with after-school obligations, hopefully you’d be able to carve out some intentional productivity during those leftover hours. And though my daily schedule looks jam-packed four days each week, I’m able to carve out more productivity and intentionality on Fridays-Sundays. Saturdays, generally, are my most productive day. Even without the weekends, a daily hour-and-a-half of productive flow can accumulate quickly into completed projects and an overall sense of accomplishment.
The bottom line is that American society is designed in a way to maximize profits for the wealthiest companies, many of which profit from distracting us the best. If you’re intent on reclaiming your life from distraction, I recommend adopting my plan to maximize 24 hours.
It’s not an easy plan. In fact, I fail at this plan far more than I succeed. Yet, with the accountability of those you might meet in the comments, and with the daily determination to establish the most basic of habits, you can accomplish more productivity. I can, too. And when that happens, it won’t be long before folks are saying, “I’ve got the same 24 hours in a day as [insert your name here]. Why aren’t I as productive?”
(Note: This post includes affiliate links. This means that, for every purchase you make following some of my links, I get a cut from the product provider. This doesn’t cost you any extra money, but it certainly can help me pay the bills!)
