A good friend of mine has suggested this podcast to me. Dan Sullivan offers a very simple Time Management concept which stuck in my mind, and which I am thinking about a lot these days. He suggests a non-linear workday structure, inspired by the workday structure of top-athletes, by dividing your work-life into three categories:
- Game Day: Once a week (or several times a week) it’s Game Day. Like an athlete you have prepared everything exactly for this time period. You are in great shape. Your concentration is 100%. Your distraction is zero. In those 2–3 hours you are able to produce a world-class output. As an athlete, people are actually paying money to watch you.
- Relaxing Days: After Game Day you need rest. You need to recharge your batteries. You sleep long, you go to a spa, you just lay on the sofa, you take a massage. These are “No business” days (or periods).
- Preparation Days: Here you do everything to prepare for your next Game Day. You do your backoffice, you maintain your gear, you coordinate with your staff, you learn, and train.
This concept is not new. Lots of productivity gurus are talking about “Alone Time” or “Focus Hours” or “Do your MIT (most important task) first”. What I like here is the packaging. The story behind it. And the fact that it’s non-linear.
Currently I’m experimenting with this concept (combined with my other productivity habits). Yesterday was Game Day — I got a lot of stuff done which felt fantastic. Today I was tired, so I did Backoffice and Relaxing. I processed some old emails. Talked to the coworkers in my office. Took a long bath. No reading, no TED talks, no business tonight — just this blog post and then it’s bed time :)
