There is a calculation method that my maternal grandfather taught me while I was in elementary school. I could not understand it fully at that young age, but tried it over the following years, and have come to the following conclusion: “If you get up one hour earlier than normal each day, you can add up to 5 years (or even more, depending on when you start) to your working life.” It is like going back in time and becoming 5 years younger so that you have 5 more years to keep working!
What a fantastic analysis and why not: let us just calculate the additional hours you are awake every week. At 7 hours a week X 52 weeks, you have 364 extra hours for work, and that translates into a little over 9 additional 40-hour work weeks per year.
The above calculation gives you another year’s worth of pure, productive working time every six years or less, thus enhancing (yes, actually adding to) your working capability. Rest is all up to your good judgment whether you want to utilize this formula and increase your productive lifespan, or stay with your current regimen, and continue to complain. By applying this simple change to your routine, you can improve your income and/or achievement potential in a remarkable fashion.
Do you see the hidden value of solitude, productive solitude at that? It empowers you with the power of introspection. Before the humdrum of the day takes over, this one hour alone gives you time to analyze the productive aspect of the previous day. You will have time to go over the activities that overwhelmed you, the benefits, rather than the obstacles brought on by the time you spent in different pursuits. By developing this habit, you will soon gain the expertise to identify the pitfalls that curtail your growth. There is every possibility, sooner rather than later, you will become an expert at identifying all the time-wasters that become a liability on your attention span.
The early morning “Me-Time” will give you much deeper insights into your time management skills than you can ever imagine possible.
A gradual shift in your daily activities is bound to increase your personal score at every imaginable level, from business obligations to office routine, from family commitments to friends-in-need, from sports to personal preferences of relaxation, and from your children’s daily activities and essential needs to help them design their future.
This simple and easy-to-develop habit can help you stretch the ‘time’ at your disposal anywhere from 15 to 30% depending upon your current age and commitment. Another 15 to 20% boost can be achieved by proper allocation of this invaluable and irretrievable resource. When combined together, a net increase of anywhere from 30% to 50% in your productive life span has the potential to make an unparalleled difference in your lifestyle.
One of the most important benefits of such a shift lies in the tremendous boost in your energy level. By conducting an unbiased analysis of projects underway, you will be better prepared to identify changes, alterations, and adjustments wherever necessary. It goes without saying, you will see a tremendous boost in your overall score on all fronts.
Need I give you any more proof of direct benefits that are all yours for the asking? Just bring your good intentions, and an iron-clad commitment to stick to the schedule that you make for your own future, and I will deliver a remarkable change for the better, Guaranteed!
Since my early childhood, as far back as I can remember, I have always been in the habit of getting up and out of bed by 4:30 a.m. I like to call the Extra Hours my `Me-time.’ It gives me the time to be by myself, in a calm atmosphere, before other family members start their day. Our son, the only child we have, is an accomplished entrepreneur with global interests and has moved 5,000 kilometers away in pursuit of his business interests. As such, I don’t have any unnecessary demands on my time. My wife has happily adjusted to this necessity with a smile!
It is the best time of my day as I can interact with my thought process, read some valuable books, chart my plans for the day, as also for the week ahead, make necessary changes wherever needed, and prepare myself for upcoming appointments. My own well-tried and tested system of preparation is to always read as much critical information as available before the day progresses.
There was a phase in my life when I used to read a variety of newspapers from around the world, some online, and others through subscription. As my time-management skills grew sharper, I forced myself out of this habit in a consistent fashion. Lo, and behold, I’m keeping myself away from the negativity that ruins the oncoming day. It is tough to forget things that you read early in the morning, and that means a direct boost to your memory. So, why not read positive things that relate to your future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life?
The above change in my habit has shown me new vistas. I do not have to rush from one meeting to another without proper preparation. It is this prior planning that gives me an upper hand when negotiating valuable contracts for the business interests that I represent.
What makes you, Dear Readers, think that you can only do so much in a day? Just imagine the power of an unforeseen addition of another 30 to 50% additional working hours created by way of minor adjustments in your daily routine. Now you have discovered a vast resource, a powerful tool, a window of opportunity, and the oft-quoted ‘Freeway to Unforeseen Success’ that you never knew about.
The time ime is NOW for you to act, girt up your loins and take the initiative, take charge of your future, and start building it the way you have always dreamt, one step at a time. Even ‘Time,’ the irreplaceable resource has now bowed before you so much that you have stretched it by almost 50%, and you still think of the ‘impossible’? What a waste of human life!
Stop putting forward ridiculous excuses. Get to work on generating more of this vast and powerful resource, before it is too late. The earlier you adopt this change in your daily life, the more of this precious commodity you will be able to garner. Remember, you can add one year of working life for yourself with the lapse of every six-year time slot.
If you started implementing this technique at age 25, by the time you turned 60, you would have added almost 6 years to your productive life span, just by getting up one hour early each day. Additional 6 to 7 years will come from your proper distribution of free time towards more productive pursuits, away from gossip and distracting chores, day in and day out.
It is my sincere hope that discerning readers will take the time to evaluate my suggestions in the desired manner. Once you have made up your mind to follow these simple, easy-to-apply strategies in your daily life, the results will speak for themselves, guaranteed!
