Book author and speaker Seth Godin has a great article up on his blog asking if Effort is a myth. So many of us look at people who are successful and think they got there through luck or by having special talent. It is rare that we think about the effort that many people put in to get to the top. We are a society of the quick fix. We would rather believe that we can throw money at a problem to fix it instead of putting in the time and effort that is needed to solve the problem.
Think about it. Instead of taking time every day to get out an exercise we spend money on weight loss gimmicks and diets that don’t work. Instead of spending less than we earn and saving money for the future we hope that someone will come along and help us like the lottery or the government. And on a grand scale many believe that the solution for energy independence is spending money to drill in Alaska, rather than taking a few minutes a month to stop by a gas station to put air in our tires.
Seth Godin sums it up in a simple statement:
While luck may be more appealing than effort, you don’t get to choose luck. Effort, on the other hand, is totally available, all the time.
To help make your own success he recommends the following:
1. Delete 120 minutes a day of ’spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in social networks and meetings. Up to you.
2. Spend the 120 minutes doing this instead:
-Exercise for thirty minutes.
-Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, blogs, etc.)
-Send three thank you notes.
-Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools, graphic design, html coding)
-Volunteer.
-Blog for five minutes about something you learned.
-Give a speech once a month about something you don’t currently know a lot about.3. Spend at least one weekend day doing absolutely nothing but being with people you love.
4. Only spend money, for one year, on things you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest, relentlessly.
Imagine if you started following these steps regularly.
First, where could you get 120 minutes from? For most folks giving up television is the obvious choice, and an easy way to get some time back in your day. Some people take public transportation and either sleep on the train or space out and do nothing. Why not bring a work related book or paper along and do some reading on the way? I plan on doing this when I start riding BART, which should get me 30-40 minutes of reading time.
Now what could you do with that extra time each day?
First, taking some time to exercise is a great idea. Studies have shown that regular exercise improves brain functioning as well as improving health and appearance. So get out there!
I also like the idea of reading books, magazines, and blogs that are relevant to what you do, or are relevant to what you would like to do. At my last performance review my boss praised me for having strong industry knowledge versus my peers, as well as being an outside of the box thinker. I think my knowledge comes from the time I take to read and learn new things on a regular basis.
I really do think this comes down to how much you enjoy your job and your industry. If you enjoy computers and work in IT, keeping up with the latest technology will be fun to you and is something that will just happen. If you can’t stand your job it’s likely you won’t want to think about it after you leave. If this is the case I highly recommend you reconsider your career, and spend your time preparing for a new career.
Speaking of preparing for a new career, learning techniques such as MS Excel macros (or advanced Excel in general), keyboard shortcuts, or any other productivity shortcuts can benefit you no matter what job you take (assuming you’re on office worker I guess). And if you hate your career why not start reading up on something that does interest you, and figure out how you can transition into another career?
The last two steps seem like they are a little different in direction at first glance, but they are absolutely essential for success.
If you’re in debt it’s tough to concentrate on work and being productive if you’re worried about how you’re going to pay your bills. Second, if you’re saving everything for a year, you will have a great base to start compounding on for the rest of your life.
Last, it’s always important to spend time with your friends and family. Think of all the movies you’ve seen that had an overworked executive who didn’t spend enough time with his or her kids. You don’t want to be that person do you?
For everyone reading this, I challenge you to look at your time and take advantage of it. For most people, myself included, our careers are our number one asset. It makes sense to work towards a higher salary. Follow these for a year, and see if you don’t end up somewhere better.
Like I said, I think this is a great article, and well worth the read. A big thank you to The Simple Dollar for pointing me to this great article.
0 Responses to “120 Minutes to Success”