How to Spend Your Time

Sadly, we’ve all become way too good at being consumers…

Nowadays, it’s easy to keep yourself entertained forever. If you want to just watch videos of roller coasters on Youtube all day, you can do that…

…or if you had all of the money and no responsibilities, you could travel the world and go on all of the best roller coasters throughout your lifetime.

(As you can tell, I really like rollercoasters...)

Every day, there are new experiences being shown to us that make our current reality seem dull in comparison. There are always opportunities and new ways to attend concerts, watch sporting events, and ways to hang out with friends… 

…but all of these things cost time and money, and distract us from our own goals and pursuits. We feel left out when we don’t keep up, so we keep overspending even when we know that we shouldn’t.

This isn’t just a self-destructive habit, it’s preventing us from becoming our true selves.

HOW TO SPEND TIME

I get it. We all live busy, complicated lives…

Many of us do bear the weight of endless responsibilities and the need to make money. And when we’re not, we want to let loose and distract ourselves from the above.

But trust me, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to start creating. Anything at all…

Because as we know, when we’re not creating, we’re consuming.

Here are a few ways to instantly start creating, no matter how much time you have:

2 MINUTES

In the best-selling book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, he says the easiest way to start a new habit is by breaking it down into a “2 minute drill” of sorts…

For instance, if you want to run a marathon, you start on the first day by tying your running shoes, and scale up from there. It sounds tedious, but it’s scientifically proven to work. Now, try applying this to something you’ve been meaning to do or create:

• Write just the first sentence of the book.

• Wet the paint brush and choose just one color.

• Wake up just two minutes earlier instead of 5am.

20 MINUTES

“The Pomodoro Technique” is one of the most tried-and-true ways to get into a deep focus, or the elusive flow state, in limited time blocks throughout the day. Stick with this method long enough, it will work wonders on your creativity and concentration.

Here’s how to structure it:

• 1 × 20-25 minute deep work session

• 1 × 5 minute break (no social media)

Depending on how much time you have, repeat as needed: 2 Pomodoros = 1 hour. 

2 HOURS

Dan Koe talks about the 4 hour work day. Tim Ferris talks about the 4 hour work week. The sentiment is the same: after 4 hours, you get diminishing creative returns.

But you can do a lot with that time.

Here’s how to structure your day for maximum creative output:

• 1 × 2-hour Monk Mode morning (I will go further into this in another newsletter)

• 1 × 2-hour late night session

Try not to actively work on your creative project in between. Let your mind wander. Get everything else on your to-do list done first. Then, come back to it. No distractions.

YOU JUST READ THIS FOR 2 MINUTES. AND NOW…

• You know how to make progress on your own creative projects... on your time.

• You are becoming less of a consumer and more of a creator.

I hope it has been time well spent! Keep giving me feedback on what you want to hear.

Until next time…

-EKS