“The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one’s day and every night to examine the results obtained.”
-Alex Carrel
What is success? Many people get the idea of success in their head and decide that they will be successful. The problem is, a large portion of those people never slow down to figure out what success means to them. Typically, everyone has the same basic definition of success as being the amount of money and happiness they have. If given a choice to live rich and miserable or poor and happy—most people will chose the latter. The terrific news is—you can be rich and happy. To be rich you have to find a solution to becoming financially free—keeping in mind that time not only equals money it equals happiness, as well.
Google “financial freedom” and you will see a plethora of search results including everyone from financial advisors to high school coaches doling out advise on gaining financial freedom. The key to financial freedom is structure and management of time. Break down your goals: What do you want to attain? What obstacles might you face? What steps will you need to take?
Breaking down goals into quarterly, monthly and weekly goals will enable you to monitor where you are, in relation to your goals, at all times. This begins with a structured daily schedule. Time blocking is the key to clarity. Not only must you time block schedule for business—be sure to block out time for relaxing and spending time with family. Successful people have balanced lives. There are countless ways to schedule. Many people use their Outlook calendar— others use apps such as Any.do or Way of Life and believe it or not there are still a myriad of people using old school planners. Find what works for you. To taste success, as fast as possible, schedule your wake up time to your bedtime. It is imperative you know what you are supposed to do every minute of the day. If your goal was to make 50 phone calls or write 5 blogs today—do it! This is a no excuse, non-negotiable time structure approach. Check daily goals as you accomplish them. At the end of the week reflect on your accomplishments and where you slacked. Anything not finished is added to the upcoming week. This goes for monthly and quarterly goals, as well. Staying on schedule and following this structure should remedy overwork. Completing everything you promised yourself you would alleviates time stressors.
What does life look like when you achieve your goals?
Promising. Possible. Dreams turned into reality. When you set your mind on a goal and begin achieving your goals, you begin believing in yourself. You become cognizant that you control your destiny. Everyone is given 1,140 minutes in a day. The question is, how will you use yours?
