How I Learned to Live 2 Days in One
By: Vishal Kataria
Tags: Work, Lifehacks, Productivity, The Ascent, Self Improvement

What I Should Truly Feel Jealous Of

I felt jealous of achievers’ success. But I conveniently ignored their efforts. They sleep less, they make numerous sacrifices, they show up each day to do the same thing for years.

On one side, there were achievers, pushing themselves to do what they had to. On the other side, there was me, complaining that I couldn’t find time after work, that the daily commute was exhausting, my boss was a jackass, my colleagues were mean, the work wasn’t challenging enough — the odds were stacked against me.

But the truth is, achievers didn’t have a better life than mine. In fact, many of them faced far worse odds. What I should’ve turned green with envy over was their effort and disciplined attitude towards work.

How did (do) they find the time to put in the effort to reach where they are?

The Secret of Compounding Results

Imagine spending your hard-earned money on things you want but don’t need. Soon, you’ll get bored of them. Then you’ll spend more money on other things which’ll hold your ephemeral attention. And the cycle goes on.

Now imagine investing the same money in a portfolio which gives you consistent returns over the next ten years.

Which option will leave you better off after ten revolutions around the sun? Which option will make your money grow?

Since ‘time = money’ is a common equation, let’s now substitute money with time.

Most people spend their work hours — 10 am to 7 pm — on… well… work.

They spend their remaining time — 7 pm to 10 am — preparing themselves for work. Preparing includes ‘mental relaxation’ like watching Netflix, scrolling through Instagram, checking their notifications, or all of these. Or, because they can work 24/7, they spend this time working too (or thinking about it).

Weekends are even worse. They wake up late, binge-watch the latest seasons, wait in line to eat at crowded places just to post photos on Instagram… they might complete chores and meet friends on Saturday. But by Sunday, they’re filled with dread about a day which is still over twelve hours away.

No wonder Sunday afternoon is one of the most unproductive times for most people. Don’t believe me? Just scroll through this hashtag on Twitter.

In his seminal book Flow, researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Me-hi-ee Cheek-sent-me-hi-ee) wrote,

“If left to their own devices and genetic programming, most people do stuff like worry about things or watch television.”

But achievers are different. (Of course they are!)

They optimize their time at work. But they don’t let ‘work’ or ‘life’ get in the way of their personal goals. For them, time outside work is worth its weight in gold. They make it a rule to invest time on what’s important to them every day — self improvement. This, when compounded over time, magnifies into large proportions.

When I compared my routine to theirs, I found why the ‘fame I deserved didn’t come to me.’

Outside work, I spent mind-numbing hours watching television. I kept watching reruns of cricket matches until I learned them by heart. If I didn’t, I felt a void. I may not be fond of Netflix or Game of Thrones, but felt like I was married to the TV.

The result? I never found time to do what I thought I should’ve been doing.

For most people, their work day is their ‘day’. Their routines revolve around the eight hours of 10 am to 7 pm (30 percent). And when this day is over, they’re left with nothing in the tank. Their mind refuses to engage in a meaningful pursuit and instead, rushes into the welcoming arms of Jadis the White Witch — instant gratification.

If you surrender 70 percent of your day to the 30 percent, how will you ever get close to your goals?

Okay. Enough admonition. We’re done talking about the illness. Now let’s focus on the remedy.

Remember how you went out to play after school as a child. Play was not ‘constructive.’ (Well, technically it was, but what did you know then?) Yet, it refreshed your mind and let you focus on your studies afterwards.

Consider the time after work your play time. Here’s how I use it, and so can you.