Working the 14-Hour Day
Someone once told me that at my age of 28, if I were to achieve greatness by 35, I would need to work the 14 hour day. Why the extra hours. What goes into the hours?Let’s look beyond our ages and our jobs. If you want extra out of life, you have to give extra and that is what I have understood finally.
So must a person do with 14 hours a day for the next 7 years that will lead to success?
Let’s break it down.
If my normal working hours are from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. with an hour of lunch in between, I had better make these hours count for what they are worth before I look into putting myself for an extra 5 hours of work.
First I would have to measure my effectiveness at work. Am I goofing off 30% of the time socializing with my workmates, Surfing the net for personal reasons 20% of the time? If so, I cannot count this into my work day.
The idea of having a 14 hour day is to see if I can build the extra 5 hours to “sharpen the saw”. The rest of the 9 hours at work is to finish the regular work that we are assigned.
This means that 1 hour from the “saw sharpening” time is to exercise. Perhaps I exercise 3 times in a week, then I can spend 2 hours for a full exercise routine each time I exercise.
What goes into the extra 4 hours? I propose Planning, reading and writing and executing. I will write on this further in detail.
That leaves around 10 more hours of my day. Everyone who lives more than 10 minutes from their workplace will spend 3-4 hours a day in transit or just waiting for something.
That leaves around 7 hours to spend being with your loved ones and sleeping.
Can a person live like this, with these sacrifices in life and still be happy? I say yes. If “sharpening the saw” means improving your life.
Bear in mind, this is what your company gives you 14 paid leaves in a year for. To rest and plan and do your banking. Your weekends also to rest and refocus. It is possible. How can I commit to a 14-hour day? By guilt, by dreams, by external motivation and by sheer effort. If you want to talk about someone who works 14 hours a day at one job for the next 7 years to be the best in Malaysia, well talk about me. I will take that step now.
Concepts are borrowed or rehashed. Photo by Daniel
posted by Daniel @ 10:13:00 am
3 comments
3 Comments:
14-Hour day. Hmm..printing this entry..and read it later at home..
14 hours. you have around 7 hours to spend with your loved ones and sleeping. that means you'll sleep for...less than 5 hours a day?
btw, I think this is a good challenge. I read an something on the newspaper before, it's about some of our ministers lifestyle. Well, they are working the 14 hours a day kinda life really.
just exactly like how you describe it in this entry. but is this the only way to achieve greatness?
actually I'm waiting for your next entry where you will elaborate more on what goes into the extra 4 hours.
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Bro,
If you could squeeze your normal work routine into the first half of your working day, you can spend the 2nd half "sharpening the saw".
This is something I read in a book called "The Rules of Work". If you can do this, you will be in a totally different league from your colleagues.
I have not "played by the Rules" yet. It involves a whole lot of stuff, starting from superficial things such as dressing manner and speech ettiquite, to how to improve your working attitude and move up the ranks.
One great piece of advice is to create a job for yourself. Make it so that you're the only champion of that particular job. Once others move to take your role, you would have moved on to do something else entirely new.
This is living in the cutting edge, setting the standards so that you become the leader, not the follower.
If you can play by the Rules, I think you don't need a 14-hour work-day. Instead, you would spend your normal 9-hour work-day completing 14 hours worth of your job responsibilities and personal development.
Be effective and efficient.
p.s. All this is easier to say than to do, but once you take the first step, there is no turning back. Case in point: i.gemz album launch! We set a date, and moved with amazing speed and motivation to make it happen!
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